Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Companion
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“We're from a hunter's village in the mountains. It was just me and my mom. She used to hunt and sell the pelts, and I'd gather herbs nearby to make a living.”
A hunter's village...
"I don't remember when I was really little, though. Mom says it's because I hit my head on the ground once. Hehe..."
From what Allen recalled, it was a village inhabited by people who lived through rough hunts and navigated treacherous mountain ranges.
'A single mother raised a child in a place like that... and as a hunter, no less.'
It was far from ordinary.
“But... monsters appeared, and Mr. Henkel from next door, who gathered herbs, and Mr. Jason, who was said to be fearless, disappeared. Even the merchants stopped coming to the village...”
“Enough.”
Allen cut her off, feeling the explanation was dragging on.
“So, what was the reason you were arguing with the soldiers?”
She shot him a glare before remembering who he was and quickly lowered her gaze.
“...Yes, well. That's how we ended up evacuating to the city. But...”
“You were stopped at the checkpoint.”
As he said it, Allen found it strange himself.
They were leaving refugees outside the city because they couldn't accommodate everyone. So how was she here?
“...S-So.”
When she hesitated again, Allen spoke firmly.
“So?”
At Allen's prompting, she squeezed her eyes shut as if she had no choice and answered.
“...I bribed my way in.”
“What?”
“If you go to the west or east gates instead of the main north and south gates, you can pay a suitable bribe to sneak into the city.”
She trembled as if confessing a grave sin, but Allen didn't think much of it.
He would have done the same—paid a bribe to enter the safety of the city. What was the problem with getting inside the safe walls from the dangerous outside?
“And so?”
“Huh?”
“So, what was the reason you were arguing with the soldier?”
Contrary to her expectations, he asked again without any change in expression. She answered with a bewildered look.
“...I paid the bribe. It was steep—they took more than half of our assets—but Mom said it was better to be safe, so we paid. We gave them all our furs and herbs...”
Then, tears began to well up in her round eyes.
“...Those bastards. After I got through, when it was my mom's turn, they suddenly said they'd only let her in if she gave them the rest of her assets... *Sob*...”
Unlike when she had been shouting at the soldiers, she now spoke with tears brimming in her eyes.
*Sniffle*
“...So Mom gave them everything, but... *sob*... they said the schedule had suddenly changed and kicked her out... *Waaah*...”
Allen watched awkwardly as she burst into tears, seemingly overwhelmed with sorrow.
“...Come here for a moment.”
Feeling he couldn't just leave her like that, he patted her on the back. She only cried harder, soaking the front of his shirt.
“*Hic*... What about my mom, my lord... *Sob*...”
“It's alright. I'll help you. Probably...”
'It feels like my fault.' It seemed he had played a part in this situation.
From her perspective, the soldiers' behavior was infuriating, but strictly speaking, Allen wasn't involved.
However.
'Did the schedule change because of my party?'
It seemed that when Allen and Francisca's group arrived at the wall, the soldiers who spotted them from a distance had hastily tightened security.
“What if something happens to Mom outside... *Hic*...”
Allen silently patted her back, considering his options.
Before the regression, how many days did it take to reach the city? Was she separated from her mother in the past, too? What exactly happened?
'I arrived around the same time as now.'
This was another fact he'd only learned after consulting the black book.
He tried to recall his memories from before the regression, but even for him, it was impossible to perfectly remember events from years ago.
Especially memories from a time when his standing wasn't high.
He remembered the gist of it, but recalling the fine details was difficult.
'I'll have to rely on the book for the specifics.'
The more the future changed, the less useful information there would be about the altered history, but the conclusion was clear.
For now, it was more than useful.
“I'll give the order to the soldiers myself first thing in the morning. Which gate did you say it was?”
“*Sniffle*... The west gate...”
“I'll have them bring her in personally in the morning.”
Her body shuddered, and her red-rimmed eyes widened.
“*Sob*... Th-Thank you. Thank you, my lord. Really, *hic*, this kindness... *sniffle*... I'll... I'll definitely repay you... *Waaah!*”
Allen gave a bitter smile and stroked her glossy black hair.
When you thought about it, it was his fault. And yet she was this happy.
She cried for a long while before growing sleepy, her eyes half-closed as she mumbled softly.
“Now...”
“Hm?”
“I won't say anything if you touch me now...”
Mumbling this, she couldn't fight off her drowsiness and quickly lost consciousness.
“Hah.”
Allen scoffed at her, unable to let go of her suspicions even at the end, and rose from his seat.
He went into the bedroom and laid her on the spare bed, but she clung tightly to his collar.
He was in a difficult position, worried that pulling away too forcefully might wake her.
Added to that was the fatigue from ten days of travel, and Allen found it hard to stay awake any longer.
“...She's going to give me an earful tomorrow.”
Thinking about how she would hiss and shout at him tomorrow, he simply threw himself onto the bed as he was.
Allen's breathing soon evened out.
At that moment, the eyes of the girl who had fallen asleep in his arms fluttered open.
“...Thank you. Really.”
A moment later, the figure that had stirred with a small sound began to breathe evenly again.
An enigmatic smile appeared on Allen's lips and vanished just as quickly.
It was a peaceful night.
For now.
* * *
“Where am I... Aaah!”
Allen, who had been meditating on the floor, opened his eyes at the small scream.
As he finished his meditation with a series of shallow breaths, he saw her flustered expression.
“What's wrong? Was the bed not to your liking?”
“Th-That's...”
Linbelle's face was filled with embarrassment, as if recalling something.
Allen chuckled, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.
“Ah, it's fine that you were sleeping in my spot. I was tired too.”
“Th-Thank you...”
She quickly got up and bowed her head. Allen stretched his stiff body and spoke to her as she watched him warily.
“Um, excuse me, but...”
“I gave the order to the soldiers at dawn. We'll go to the west gate together in a bit.”
He addressed her worries directly, and her expression brightened.
“Thank you!”
“Get ready for now. We should leave right after a quick meal.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
* * *
Not long after leaving the room, he heard someone call his name.
“Lord Allen?”
He turned at the familiar voice and saw dark red hair swaying as someone approached with quick, short steps.
“Lady Francisca.”
She was still smiling.
“Did you sleep well, Lord Allen?”
“Good morning.”
“You're as diligent as ever.”
“You flatter me. Did you rest well last night?”
“Yes, thanks to you, I was able to sleep soundly for the first time in a while. But...”
He saw her gaze shift to a spot behind him. As her eyes fell on Linbelle, the girl let out a short yelp.
“*Eek...!*”
“That little girl is...?”
Allen didn't miss the momentary coldness in her eyes.
“She's a child I rescued while looking around the city yesterday. It was too late, so I brought her with me.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
“Yes.”
She studied Linbelle for a few moments as if searching for something, then, confirming there was nothing amiss, she broke into a wide smile and began to walk.
“I see, so that's what it was. I heard you brought a young girl back last night and thought, 'surely not'...”
Allen matched her pace. Linbelle followed cautiously behind him.
“So the rumor wasn't just nonsense.”
“Haha. I can guess what you're thinking... but I prefer a more mature type over little kids.”
As Allen shrugged, the corners of her eyes curved gently.
“I thought as much...”
“...I'm not a little kid. *Hmph!*”
Linbelle quickly covered her mouth, the words having slipped out unintentionally. Her eyes widened and trembled slightly.
But Francisca, who had been cut off, didn't seem offended.
She patted Linbelle's head as if finding her cute.
“Oh my... what an adorable child. Your name?”
“...It's Linbelle.”
“I apologize. I'm sorry for calling you a little kid.”
“N-No, it's okay.”
She was visibly flustered that a lady who seemed to be of higher status was apologizing to her.
She then quickly turned to Allen, pleading for help with her eyes.
Seeing her look, Allen stepped between them.
“Lady Francisca, we have urgent business to attend to...”
As Francisca paused for a moment, Linbelle immediately hid behind Allen.
Francisca looked at her with a hint of disappointment, then spoke lightly as if a good idea had struck her.
“What kind of business?”
“A simple matter. This child's mother is outside the city, and I was just about to help find her.”
He didn't go into detail.
About the soldiers taking bribes, or how she had snuck in.
There was no need to air their dirty laundry in such an open place.
She nodded briefly with an "Aha" and replied.
“In that case, may I come with you?”
“What are you...”
...planning?
Allen swallowed the rest of his words.
He'd felt a sense of unease from a while ago.
He had brushed it off when they happened to meet in the hallway shortly after he left his room.
But she was now hinting at his private affairs, which could easily be seen as rude.
'What is she thinking?'
There was no reason for her to be so concerned with him.
She had been like this on the way to Hivel, and it was the same now. Even her question about believing in prophecies.
With her somewhat random questions, she was showing a different side to the person he knew.
Allen had no idea what she was thinking behind that smiling mask.
“The soldiers will be busy from dawn with the task we discussed yesterday—evacuating the villagers. It will be easier to find her if you take me with you.”
Allen slowly weighed the pros and cons.
Her words made sense. The soldiers would be preoccupied with transporting the villagers to the city.
'A useless endeavor, though.'