A Moonlit Conversation (3)
A roar of laughter shook the night air.
At the center of the encampment, a campfire crackled, throwing up showers of amber sparks into the dark. Gathered around the blaze, the knights of the Third Knight Order burst into raucous guffaws.
"I swear, we almost got caught red-handed by the Adamant knights back there!"
"And whose fault was that, you bastard? Who on earth rips a loud fart in the middle of tailing someone?"
"Hey, I didn't think it'd make any sound!"
"Sound? Hell, even the magic beast prowling ahead flinched and looked back! We almost botched the entire operation right then and there!"
"Maybe the beast thought it broke wind itself because the stench was so damn foul."
"Hey, it didn't even smell, you crazy bastard!"
What a bunch of absolute nonsense.
I took a quiet sip of wine from my cup.
"Ahahaha!"
Nestled among the knights, Edwin dissolved into bright, ringing giggles. Despite his begrimed, travel-worn state, his small face was brimming with vibrant energy.
"By the way, it seems our Prince Edwin has found himself quite the extraordinary escort, hasn't he?"
"No kidding. Even I nearly jumped out of my skin watching him."
Abruptly, the knights' eyes turned toward me, gleaming with unvarnished awe and envy.
"I don't think I've ever seen anyone move faster than our vice commander before."
My speed was the fruit of relentless training, designed to eliminate the inherent disadvantages of my smaller physique.
"Where did you learn that dagger technique, Sir Kyle? It looked like the blades were literally flying on their own."
I had learned dagger play in the guild. Infusing mana to manipulate their trajectory midair was a secret art unique to me, however.
"You made those beasts look like scarecrows! How do you strike their vitals with such surgical precision every single time? Do mercenaries all hunt like that?"
Mercenaries never hunted magic beasts alone. Their standard tactic was to rain relentless, unceasing blows on a beast until it collapsed from sheer exhaustion. Honing in relentlessly on vital points—whether targeting man or monster—was the instinct of an assassin.
"Well, it seems His Highness's escort is a man of few words."
When I remained tight-lipped, the knights shrugged and returned to their boisterous chatter.
"Bah, we're talking too much! Forget it, let's just drink!"
"Don't go guzzling too much, though! We have to move out again tomorrow!"
As the celebratory banquet for our first successful subjugation grew livelier, I lightly tapped Edwin's shoulder.
"Your Highness."
"Yes? What is it?"
"I am going to slip away to the nearby stream for a moment."
Instead of answering, Edwin blinked up at me with round, curious eyes, clearly wondering why I would leave the gathering by myself.
"I feel filthy. I will be back shortly, so please stay with the knights."
Knowing better than anyone how meticulous I was about cleanliness, Edwin finally nodded in understanding.
"Hey, you'll be back in no time anyway. Go take care of your business without worry!"
Finnet draped an arm over Edwin's shoulder and raised his cup in salute. Though he seemed as giddy as a drunkard, his complexion was sober and alert.
"We'll be guarding Prince Edwin like a fortress."
"...Do not lay your hands on His Highness so casually."
"Aw, we roughhouse like this all the time during training, don't we, Your Highness?"
Edwin glanced warily at me before nodding with a sheepish grin. While it was beyond my understanding, the boy seemed genuinely fond of rubbing shoulders and tumbling about with these rough knights.
"Very well, then." I rose to my feet and turned to leave. "I leave him in your care."
The stream lay not far from the camp.
Setting aside my armor and boots, I rolled up my trouser legs.
Splash, splash.
Perhaps because night had deepened, the water bit with an icy chill. In truth, I longed to strip bare and submerge myself completely, but circumstances forbade such luxury.
I'll just wash away the worst of the grime.
My hands moved briskly. Scrubbing the monster blood and foul filth from my hair and face brought an immense wave of relief.
"This tunic will have to be thrown out."
Even though I had worn armor over it, the garment beneath was shredded in several places. Across the back, where a beast's claws had grazed me, a gaping tear had opened wide.
"Whew."
Stepping out of the stream, every patch of wet skin stung in the cold air. Just as I was hastily wringing the moisture from my hair with both hands—
"Careless as ever, I see."
A familiar voice drifted from the shadows.
Kaiden was leaning against a tree trunk, watching me. His golden eyes, glowing as if seeded with starlight, gleamed softly in the dark.
"And you, Your Majesty—wandering about alone at such an ungodly hour. Aren't you being far too reckless yourself?"
"What is wrong with a grown man taking a stroll on his own?"
Straightening his posture, Kaiden closed the distance between us with long, effortless strides.
"You don't even flinch when I show up anymore."
"I have decided to assume that popping out of nowhere is simply your preferred pastime."
"My word. You seem to think I have entirely too much free time on my hands."
Oops, caught.
Feigning contemplation for a brief second, I countered, "Do you not?"
"If I said no, would you believe me?"
"If you ask me to believe you, I will."
It was a bantering exchange devoid of substance. Kaiden chuckled softly, shaking his head as he steered the conversation elsewhere.
"Fine, let's say I'm an idle man, then. So idle that tailing the escort of another empire's prince has become my hobby."
Reaching inside his coat, he produced a clean towel and draped it over my head. Then, with practiced ease, he began to rub the moisture from my hair—just as I often did for Edwin after his bath.
"Wait, what in the world are you—"
Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined a day where the king of a foreign realm would dry my hair for me. Least of all in the middle of a monster-infested subjugation territory where danger could erupt at any second.
"Your Majesty, wait—please, hold on! Give me the towel; I can do it myself."
I flailed my hands, attempting to slip away from his grasp. But caged between his broad, muscular arms, any real resistance was futile.
"Hold still," Kaiden said, his tone remarkably earnest. "Drying wet hair happens to be another hobby of this idle man."
Where under the heavens did someone pick up such a bizarre hobby? Stunned by the sheer absurdity, I couldn't even formulate a retorting barb.
Fine. I'll just wait for him to get it over with quickly.
Resigning myself, I stood still and allowed him to finish.
Quite a few moments ticked by.
Just when does he plan on stopping?
With this much rubbing, my hair should have been bone-dry by now. Yet Kaiden continued to fuss with the fabric atop my head.
I can't see his expression because of the towel.
Owing partly to his towering height and partly to the towel draping halfway over my face, his features were obscured from view. All I could glimpse was his tightly set jawline.
"Your Majesty, that is quite enough..."
Just as I was about to tell him I had to return to Edwin's side, his voice cut through the silence.
"Clever work."
It was noticeably deeper, carrying a subdued gravity that hadn't been there a moment before.
My fingertips twitched, and my mouth snapped shut.
"I was rather intrigued to hear that unidentified masked figures suddenly emerged behind my knights and lured the magic beasts elsewhere."
Beneath the edge of the towel, Kaiden's lips curved into a slow, faint arc.
"And I was even more intrigued to learn that the place they lured those beasts was the Second Prince's camp."
The rhythm of his hands over my head began to slow.
"At first, I wondered if they were disruptors dispatched by the guild or the Holy Kingdom. But once I received the report that you were spotted in the Second Prince's camp, the truth clicked into place."
His pleasant baritone whispered the conclusion like an intimate secret.
"That the one daring enough to disobey my command was none other than the Third Prince's escort."
"...I haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about."
Kaiden chuckled softly at my denial, yet he didn't pull his hands away from my head.
"The Third Prince's camp was situated at the very tail end of the imperial army's formation."
Put charitably, it was the safest position; put bluntly, it was the place least likely to see glory or distinction on the battlefield.
"And the forces of the Third Knight Order under the Third Prince are vastly outnumbered compared to the other orders."
Kaiden was right. All told, the fifteen knights of the Third Knight Order and roughly a hundred imperial soldiers under their command amounted to less than a quarter of the expeditionary strength commanded by the other imperial princes.
"Yet by deliberately luring the beasts toward the Second Prince's camp, you managed to leverage the troops stationed there as well."
One corner of Kaiden's mouth tilted in an appreciative smirk.
"And that wasn't all. By having the Third Knight Order swoop in to save them from the beasts' ambush, you cast Edwin and his men as champions of justice in the eyes of everyone present."
A firmer weight settled into the hand resting atop my head.
"Far too cunning for a mere nanny, wouldn't you say?"
"...I believe I already informed you that I am not a nanny here."
I reached up and seized Kaiden's hand where it rested on my head. My intention was to pull it away, but his sheer physical strength didn't budge an inch.
Now I've gone and become an insolent wretch who grabbed a king's hand without permission.
I tried to withdraw my hand, but that proved equally impossible. Kaiden entwined his fingers around mine, holding on firmly.
Trapped in his grip, I had no choice but to push through with my words.
"I harbored no intention of disobeying Your Majesty's decree. It was merely a calculated gamble to adapt to an abrupt shift in the battle plan, so I would be grateful if you showed some generous understanding."
"So you are blaming me in the end."
I offered no reply.
Kaiden fell silent for a beat before murmuring, "Never mind. I have no intention of holding it against you."
Then why on earth did you come here?
Had he not stormed out here because he was furious over what I'd orchestrated? I fully expected him to lash out, demanding to know why an ally would disregard his orders so brazenly.
"There is something I wish to know."
I stared intently at Kaiden's lips through the gap in the towel. After a brief hesitation, his mouth parted slowly.
"Where did you get the name 'Kyle'?"
A sudden, inexplicable chill slithered down my spine.
At the same time, the memory of Kaiden shedding tears over the very spot where I had burned to death flashed before my eyes.
"...Why would you be curious about such a thing?"
"If that is difficult to answer, I will rephrase the question."
The towel obstructing my vision finally slid away.
I was forced to meet his gaze directly—a gaze burning with an intensity so fierce it was almost suffocating.
"Do you happen to know someone named Kyla Angel?"
He had followed up with a question that was infinitely harder to answer.