Chapter 1 — Dinner
Just as it had when Bayul left for the academy, rain was still falling over Hamilton. Unlike Carrington, where the summer heat had only just begun, a chilly, clammy dampness greeted him the moment he stepped off the train.
There was a time when rain only made him listless, and he would blame the weather for everything, wondering endlessly when it might ever stop. But now he knew the truth — that all of it stemmed from the spirits' absence.
I have to be the one to change it.
Restoring this strange climate to its natural order was a problem Bayul would one day have to set right — a goal he was determined, without fail, to achieve.
"Welcome back, Young Master Bayul."
As they stepped out of the train station, a welcoming party awaited them from the castle.
"Oh my! Miss Joana! Hello there!"
Rita, still brimming with the joy of having returned to Hamilton, bowed at the waist in delighted greeting.
Joana was the only female butler serving in the castle, and so capable that she was spoken of as Cunning's successor, the next head steward. With her warm, gentle face, she returned Rita's greeting happily before turning to Bayul.
"A carriage is standing by. The rain looks set to worsen, so let us be on our way."
Joana spread an umbrella over Bayul's head, and after walking a short distance behind her, a four-horse carriage bearing a familiar flag came into view.
A blue banner stitched with a star and moon upon a black shield — the crest of House Randert, and the mark that its direct bloodline rode within.
With the welcoming party included, their group had grown quite large. Left with no alternative, the Death brothers along with Rizai and Levi agreed to follow in a separate carriage.
"It's a cold day. I've prepared warm tea — please, have some."
The moment they boarded, Joana handed over thick blankets and steaming tumblers, as though she had been waiting for precisely this.
Bayul, Rita, and Ian were all dressed in thin short-sleeved clothes. He had been just thinking that he wished he had something to throw over himself, and he marveled inwardly at her foresight.
"Thank you, Miss Joana."
Rita thanked her, gazing up at Joana with wide, sparkling eyes. Joana, who handled everything flawlessly, was in truth the model and the envy of all the maids serving in the castle. Whenever Rita saw her, she would quietly resolve, I have to become someone that capable too, so I can serve the Young Master even better.
"The Lord is currently away inspecting the territory. As you can see, the ceaseless downpour has brought one accident after another."
"Is it that serious?"
"It is almost a miracle that there have been hardly any casualties."
Collapsed roads and buildings, broken bridges, landslides occurring here and there — with the floodwaters, the city of Hamilton was on the very brink of falling apart.
"…I see."
He didn't need to see it to know how great his father's worries must be.
What can I do?
He had resolved to change, so he intended to try whatever was within his power.
"He hasn't gone far, so he should return before dinner, I expect."
It had been a long time since father and son had reunited. Joana had already ordered the kitchens to prepare a special dinner. Under any other circumstances it would have been a joyous occasion, but with the weather refusing to cooperate, it was a pity.
"By the way, who are the people in the carriage behind us? They're faces I don't recognize."
Another carriage was trailing after theirs as they rolled along. Joana was asking about the Death brothers riding inside it.
"Ah, they're servants I hired and kept with me in Carrington."
"They wanted to come to Hamilton, so I brought them along. They're in the middle of learning the work right now, and I figured it was better than having their training cut off halfway. They're not going to get scolded by Head Butler Cunning, are they?"
The hiring of servants was normally Cunning's jurisdiction. Bayul hadn't given it a second thought when leaving Carrington, but now that he'd actually arrived in Hamilton, worry crept in.
"Since it was a decision you made yourself, Young Master, Head Butler Cunning will surely say nothing about it. I only wonder how the Lord will take it."
The castle had never before taken in an outsider. Every servant there had been a local hire, employed only after the strictest vetting.
"Have no fear. His Grace will welcome them."
"……?"
At Ian's confident remark, not only Joana but Bayul and Rita as well wore puzzled expressions. There was something odd about the phrasing — as though the Duke of Randert would personally welcome a few servants.
Could he have deliberately chosen to come along with those brothers?
Suddenly the thought seized Bayul that Ian seemed to have brought them along with some intention in mind.
"Whoa! Whoa!"
Just then, with a sudden cry from the coachman, the carriage jerked to a halt. They still had a good distance to go before reaching the castle. There was no reason whatsoever for the carriage to stop.
"What's the matter?"
Bayul peered out the window, but the rain was hammering down so hard he could hardly see outside.
It wasn't this bad back at the train station. Father is out inspecting the territory — now I'm a little worried.
"I'll step down and see what's happened."
"I'll come with you."
"I'll go as well."
Ian climbed down after Joana, who had hurried out of the carriage. Bayul was about to follow when Joana blocked his path and held him back.
"Not you, Young Master. If you catch a chill out there, we'll have a disaster on our hands."
"But—"
"I have no intention of putting you straight to bed on your very first day back at the castle. We'll be right back, so please wait here."
Before Bayul could get a word in, Joana shut the carriage door with firm finality.
Oh great — is this the start of the overprotectiveness all over again? I'm not an invalid anymore.
Memories of castle life he had briefly forgotten came flooding back, and Bayul felt a sigh escape him. How he had ever endured that stifling daily routine, he could no longer imagine.
"Miss Joana is right, Young Master. It really is better for you to stay here, for all sorts of reasons."
Bayul hadn't fallen seriously ill in Carrington, so things had improved somewhat — but Rita still treated him like a frail weakling all the same.
"Hm, but what could it be? Maybe the road's been washed out with all this rain?"
"Who knows. That's the likeliest possibility, but… it's probably nothing. We'll be moving again soon."
When Rita, who had been bubbling over with excitement, drooped into a sulk, Bayul soothed her and quietly asked Innocent instead.
Innocent, what's going on out there?
True to her nature as a water spirit, Innocent loved rainy days. Even now she was perched on top of the carriage, drinking in the rain to her heart's content.
—There are quite a lot of people gathered out there.
People?
—Yeah. It's really loud.
Her tone was petulant, as though her break had been rudely interrupted.
Could you go take a closer look at what's happening?
—My legs… they're submerged in water.
It was Shame. The earth spirit, who happened to be nearby, relayed the situation in Innocent's place.
—So now everyone's in an uproar about being stuck. Tsk tsk.
Tempesta's voice chimed in too, clicking his tongue.
Is anyone hurt?
—They're all just grumbling. I don't hear anyone crying out in pain?
Tempesta scrunched up his brow at the complaints drifting through the air, looking as though he were the one most annoyed by it all.
Still, it was a relief that no one was hurt.
"Young Master Bayul."
Just then, Ian and Joana returned to the carriage.
"There was a landslide nearby last night. The continued rainfall swelled the river, and it appears the leftover trees and soil were swept downstream along with it. Those debris piled up layer upon layer beneath the bridge, damming the flow, and the bridge ended up submerged."
"It seems we'll have no choice but to take a detour."
"It was fine when we passed this morning. Failing to prepare for this was my mistake. I apologize."
"How could this possibly be your fault, Miss Joana? No one thinks that, so there's no need to apologize."
"But still—"
"More importantly, how long would the detour take?"
"…I imagine it would add about three more hours."
"What?! Three hours?"
Rita gasped and slumped back against the seat. A trip that should have taken twenty minutes stretched to three — how utterly inefficient.
"We come all this way to the castle, and now this."
She was on the verge of tears.
"Is there no way to restore the bridge?"
"…Pardon?"
"This road is traveled by many of the territory's people. If we leave it like this, won't the nearby villages suffer for it too? I think we ought to repair the bridge while we have the chance."
"Well, yes, but… right now there are no repair workers—"
As Joana moved to add there aren't any, Bayul flung open the carriage door and stepped down.
"Y-Young Master!"
Joana scrambled out after him in alarm, but she could not stop him.
"I'll go see for myself and decide."
This had all happened because of the overflowing water. If he borrowed the spirits' power, it might well be something they could solve.
Leaving all these people stranded and simply turning down another road felt, no matter how he looked at it, like an act of irresponsibility. His father would never have passed it by.
Do what you can do.
Bayul wanted to keep the promise he had made to himself on the train ride home.
Joana's face had gone nearly white.
Why on earth is the Young Master doing this?
She said nothing, but her expression said it all. Even so, the fact that she was still holding an umbrella over his head showed her professionalism was formidable indeed.
"Oh! It's the Young Master!"
"Good heavens! It really is the Young Master!"
The locals, recognizing the crest on the carriage, bowed their heads one after another in respect toward Bayul. It was pitiable to see them all soaked to the bone in the rain, without even umbrellas.
Bayul returned their greetings with an awkward, wry smile and made his way toward the bridge. Thankfully, the gathered crowd quickly parted to make way for him.
Fortunately, the submerged bridge was built of stone. If it had been wooden, the debris would have smashed into it and brought it down long ago.
On closer inspection, just as he'd heard, the problem was that the waterway beneath the bridge was blocked. Because things that had no business being there had taken over the river's proper course, this whole mess had come about.
Innocent.
—Hm? What?
Could you weaken the current for a little while?
—That's easy. Do it right now?
No — wait until I ask you.
Unless he wanted to publicly declare himself a Spirit User, everything had to appear as though it were unfolding naturally, in the ordinary course of events. With so many eyes watching, he could not carelessly flaunt the spirits' abilities.
Shame, once the current dies down, could you clear away the piles of wood and soil clogging the space under the bridge?
—What about me? What am I supposed to do?
Tempesta bounced about in midair, hopping impatiently and demanding to be given a task of his own.
Tempesta, I'll assign you the most important job of all.
—Ooh, what is it?
—Bayul! What's that supposed to mean?
All at once Innocent darted in front of Bayul and shrieked. Her blue eyes blazed bright with jealousy.
—Why do you only give the important job to him? What about me! Why won't you give it to me!
—Ugh, my ears are going to fall off. Hey, shut up!
Tempesta roared right back, not about to be outdone.
Um, could you both please calm down? This isn't the time. If we don't clear this place quickly—
Flustered, Bayul tried to mediate between the two, but it was useless. As if determined to prove what bitter rivals they were, they launched into a full-scale exchange of insults and mudslinging.
Thanks to the two of them in their frenzy, the river swelled even higher, reaching a dangerous level — and on top of that, a sudden gale came howling down.
"Ah!"
His umbrella flipped inside out, and Bayul was quickly soaked through to the skin.
"I-I'm so sorry."
Joana hurriedly tried to reopen the umbrella, but its ribs had bent, and it refused to cooperate.
"What's going on?"
Just then, Death appeared at his back without warning. With everyone else struggling just to stay upright in the wind and rain, he looked perfectly calm, as if nothing at all was amiss.