70. Reward

Since when?

That was my impression after seeing the so-called Captain of Nameless.

If I reached out—no, if she weren't wearing a mask, I'd be close enough to feel her breath.

And yet, I couldn't sense her presence at all.

No sound of her entering, no presence, nothing.

Honestly, the moment I turned around and saw that white mask, I was so startled I couldn't even scream.

If I'd needed the bathroom, I might've pissed myself a little...

I'd thought Kerion was pretty skilled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at concealing his presence, but the Captain of Nameless was on a whole different level.

Gulp—I swallowed the saliva mixed with the sweet candy flavor and studied the Captain of Nameless, who still seemed to be looking at me.

Gender... female.

Even with that oversized coat on, the curves of her body aren't hidden.

Her hips especially stood out.

Her chest was on the smaller side compared to Luna's, but still fairly large, and the line from her waist down to her hips was so elegant it was beyond compare.

Her main weapon?

I can't tell.

I already knew, without being told, that the Captain of Nameless was a Martial Artist. The people of Eustetia often dropped remarks with that sort of nuance.

But she didn't look it on the outside. Partly because of the baggy clothes, but her frame was abnormally slender.

Martial Artists, as a breed, tend to show it outwardly whether they realize it or not.

In fact, the higher their Realm was, the more a Martial Artist's body became a weapon that couldn't be hidden.

Leona, who was a bit bigger than me, was a Beastkin, so that could explain it, but humans couldn't do that.

Of course... it wasn't absolute.

A Martial Artist I know.

Arisa, that girl... didn't show it outwardly.

You'd just have to call that a natural-born body.

And, me too.

I also... look like a total pushover on the outside... ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hmm.

Anyway, by the nature of Martial Artists, it should show outwardly, but the Captain of Nameless standing before me shows no such signs at all.

The only thing that stood out was her hands wrapped in leather gloves.

A lightly clenched fist, as if holding something.

It twitched for a moment.

And then, slowly.

She extended it toward me.

Wiggle wiggle—a gesture as if telling me to hold out my hand.

I stared at that fist for a while, then cautiously held out my palm. Then, plop.

A peppermint candy dropped onto my hand.

"...Wh-what is this."

"Ahahaha! Looks like the Captain likes Eli."

At Kerion's laughter, I looked at the white mask.

Even through the eye holes, I couldn't see her eyes. I couldn't read even a faint fragment of emotion.

I stared at that mask for a long time, then bowed my head.

"...Thank you."

Nod.

The Captain, who gave a cynical nod, sat down beside me with a movement like a leopard's.

I carefully shifted my chair to the side.

Because the Captain sat uncomfortably close. She didn't talk, I couldn't see her eyes, she didn't express anything... I had no idea what kind of person she was.

What was certain was that she held no hostility.

And that, as I was then, she seemed so strong I couldn't even begin to compete...

Who's stronger, Leona or the Captain of Nameless?

I should ask Leona sometime later.

"So, Captain. What do you think of what my niece just said?"

Kerion opened the conversation.

"I believe it's connected to what our Nameless has been searching for."

No explanation came about what "it" was. I couldn't tell if that was because I was present, or if that was just their conversation style from the start.

The conclusion was that I couldn't follow the flow of this conversation.

Father seemed to know something, but I didn't know anything.

If this was how it was going to be, why did they sit me down here?

I'd rather be lying in bed.

As I was swinging my legs back and forth out of sheer boredom, the Captain of Nameless turned her head toward me.

I faced her white mask too.

And spoke with my eyes.

What. Why. So what.

It was a slightly sharp reaction, but I didn't like how she'd been oddly treating me like a little kid.

And I didn't like how she'd been standing behind me all creepily either.

After a moment, the Captain of Nameless, looking somehow dejected, nodded.

I couldn't tell if she did it looking at me or at Kerion, but Kerion seemed to understand the meaning.

"Understood."

Kerion, who agreed in a heavy voice, immediately rose from his seat and smiled brightly.

"They say the Treasury and the Forbidden Archive will open tomorrow, so I'll set the schedule for the day after."

Then, still smiling, Kerion looked at me and said.

"Your uncle will be going now. See you tomorrow, Eli."

"Tomorrow? You're the one who said you'd go into the Forbidden Archive with me tomorrow, Uncle?"

"No?"

"...Then Father?"

"Not the Duke either."

Kerion laughed awkwardly and scratched his cheek.

I guessed what that smile meant.

"...I was told someone from House Eustetia would be accompanying me?"

"Nameless is ultimately part of Eustetia, so that's how it turned out. Still, you won't have anything to worry about. The strongest and most trustworthy person in Eustetia is the Captain right here."

"Hmm... I... see."

I nodded in a daze and glanced sideways. For some reason, I could read a gloomy air from the white mask.

I deliberately ignored that emotion and turned my head back.

"But how are we meeting tomorrow?"

"Well, the opening of the Treasury and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Forbidden Archive isn't exactly a common event, so I decided to attend as well. Your uncle may not look it, but he's actually a fairly important person in the Empire?"

"...Oh."

"Ahaha... you clearly don't believe me. Anyway, your uncle will be going now. See you tomorrow, Eli."

"Yes. Take care."

Kerion waved lightly at me, gave Father a brief silent nod, and then left the reception room with quick steps.

Creeeeak—

An unpleasant sound rang out as the door opened and closed.

So the ones left in the reception room were me and Father.

And... the Captain of Nameless wearing the white mask.

The Captain of Nameless was still unreadable.

Father... still wore a stiff expression.

At least, it was an expression he'd never shown in front of me before.

Is he shocked, or disappointed?

I couldn't tell, but what I had to do was the same.

I pulled my chair forward and moved a little closer.

And looking at Father's rigid expression, I slowly picked my words, thinking about how to say it...

This time... I knew it was time to use the secret weapon Sara had once taught me.

So.

"I'm sorry, F... Fa, Faa..."

I squeezed my eyes shut and bowed my head.

"Daddy..."

At the same time, clatter—I heard a chair shake. It didn't come from in front of me. It came from beside me.

It was a sound made by the Captain of Nameless, who had been radiating an aloof aura this whole time.

I didn't know why, but I didn't look her way.

I raised my head and looked at Father.

Father was.

"...Eli..."

Excitement, joy, happiness, astonishment, anticipation, longing, emotion.

He was making an expression filled to the brim with every kind of positive feeling.

My tongue went stiff and it felt like a thorn was caught in my throat... it felt incredibly uncomfortable, but I continued speaking.

"...I hid it because I was afraid you'd worry for nothing, Daddy. I mean... you're already busy with ducal affairs, and if I caused you worry while I was away... I was afraid you'd ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠get even more tired... I'm sorry."

I put emphasis on the word "Daddy."

It was the secret weapon Sara had taught me.

She told me that if I ever made a big mistake, I should try calling Father "Daddy."

She said that would solve most problems.

But she also told me that if I overused it, I might pick up a bad habit, so I should only use it when truly necessary.

And the effect of that secret weapon was.

"Sniff... sniff, yes. Yes... our Eli. My daughter. There's no way my daughter would have had wicked intentions and lied. Indeed! Of course. Yes, your dad was just worried about you, Eli. I was never angry with you. So, yes... as long as my beloved daughter is safe, that's enough for me. More than enough to be grateful for... sniff..."

It was incredible.

The expression that had been frozen stiff melted away so completely it was almost frightening.

Not only did it melt, but he smiled the very, very happy smile he used to show before I regained my memories... back in the days when Eliarnes was full of charm.

...Because of such an incredible effect, the triangle in my heart kept stabbing at my conscience.

But... come to think of it, there's no need to feel guilty. Why? Because? I? Definitely? Do feel sorry toward Father.

I did pull a little trick by calling him Daddy, but I really am sorry.

And... keeping it a secret... was partly because I was afraid Father would worry for nothing.

There was also... the part where I thought it would be annoying.

Anyway, I have a clear conscience.

I forcibly stopped the triangle in my heart and rolled the candy around in my mouth.

"If something like this happens again... I'll talk to you about it, Daddy. So, this time... please don't be too hard on Sara and Eurasia. Both of them just couldn't overcome my stubbornness."

Then, a glance.

Looking into Father's eyes, the same color as mine, I smiled softly.

"...Okay, Daddy?"

"...Hh, hhk."

Father's breath stopped.

The Captain sitting beside me flinched hard.

I didn't know why she kept doing that, but right then I didn't have the leisure to pay attention to the Captain of Nameless.

Because even just for me, my whole body was cringing, my bones were itching, my heart was pounding roughly, and I wanted to rip out the twin tails flowing down over my shoulders.

"Y-yes. I understand. And... about this matter, I think it might be good to tell your mother too, not just your dad—what do you think, Eli? Wouldn't it be better for you to tell her yourself rather than have me do it?"

Father, who had been sitting there with his mouth open in a daze for a while, asked cautiously.

I nodded nonchalantly.

There's no reason not to.

"Of course. I'll tell Mother later... by letter or whatever."

The moment my words ended, the Captain of Nameless shot up from her seat. The movement was so big that the chair tipped over backward and the table wobbled.

What's wrong with this person?

I glared at the Captain of Nameless with faint irritation, then looked back at Father. Father was making a somewhat troubled expression.

*****

After that, the Captain of Nameless left, and Father and I talked alone, catching up on all the conversations we hadn't been able to have.

Starting with what happened at the academy, then small talk about how the exams went and what the students were like.

In the process, I considered bringing up the branch family, but held back for now.

Because talking about those bastards could wait until after I'd gone into the Forbidden Archive and come back out.

While I chattered away like that, Father kept a constant smile with light responses.

He didn't ask any particular questions.

He didn't ask how I killed the Black Wizard, or what happened inside the Labyrinth.

I didn't know if it was because he was worried about me, because he knew I'd be uncomfortable, or because he trusted me... but I was very grateful.

So I chattered even harder until I parted ways with Father.

It was a time that didn't suit me.

I didn't particularly enjoy trivial conversations like this. But... the conversation I had with Father that day was quite fun.

It felt strange.

And the next day arrived.

I received an invitation from the Imperial Palace.

It's time to receive my reward.