Lien (1)
I turned back time just a little. It was morning. I stood at the entrance of the cross-shaped spire that rose in the heart of Sia Del.
“Please, just…”
In truth, this was already my second day loitering around the royal castle. Why? Thanks to this royal guard who wouldn’t even pretend to listen to a word I said.
“You again today? Just give up already.”
“I really was summoned here. Why would I give up? Can’t you at least believe what I’m telling you?”
“If you don’t want to get beaten and thrown out, leave while I’m still asking nicely.”
“Ah, seriously, please.”
Frustration welled up and I cried out in desperation.
“Look, can’t you just ask Her Majesty directly? Wouldn’t that settle everything easily?!”
“…You dare drag Her Majesty into this? You must really want to get beaten to a pulp.”
The guard’s expression grew deadly serious at my words. I was going to lose my mind.
“Fine. Let’s say, for the sake of a hundred concessions, that Her Majesty really did summon you. Then all you need to do is show proof of your identity, right?”
“Haa… Like I told you yesterday, the moment I arrived in the capital, everything was stolen…”
“Does that sound believable even to you?”
“…It does sound difficult, I admit.”
“Good. If you had denied it, I really would have kicked you.”
The endless loop of the same conversation was driving me insane. If I had been lying, I could have just given up. But it was the truth—what was I supposed to do?
The guard stepped closer, his face twisting with clear disgust.
“I’ll say it one more time, personally. Whether it’s the letter of introduction from the Chief Mage you keep babbling about or any other means to prove your identity—if you can’t produce even one of them, you’re not getting in. That’s all.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll just camp out here. Yeah, let’s see who wins.”
“Fine. I’ll count to three, then I’ll stab you with this spear. One, two—”
“Take care.”
I quickly spun on my heel and moved away from the castle entrance. From his stance, he really looked ready to thrust. What an inflexible bastard.
“Aaaah, seriously, what the hell am I supposed to do about this??”
I hurried through the alleys at random before finally slumping down onto the street and letting out a long sigh. The situation really was hopeless.
Let me organize what had happened so far. I picked up a pebble from the ground beside me and set it down one by one.
Tap.
First. That day, I had been forcibly dragged onto a carriage heading for Sia Del. It was definitely not my will. Nephthea had practically shoved me into the carriage and sent me straight here. She seemed to become dead serious whenever anything involving the queen came up.
Second. Thanks to Nephthea’s letter of introduction, I had passed through the capital’s gates, but immediately afterward, my wallet, identification, and the letter were all stolen. …Honestly, this part was half my fault. Since I’d been dragged here against my will, I’d headed straight for a tavern to blow off some steam. While I was drunk, I got completely cleaned out. At the time, I really thought the world was ending.
Third. And this was the present. I had been sleeping rough at the church and stubbornly banging on the castle gates for days, but it was all in vain. If I had gone straight to the castle like Nephthea said, there wouldn’t have been any problem. But because I hadn’t listened even once, everything had gone completely sideways.
Three-line summary:
Funds to return: ZERO
Means to prove identity: ZERO
Plan to enter the castle: ZERO
“Haha, I really screwed myself over perfectly.”
A hollow laugh burst out. A chuckle of pure disbelief. All strength drained from my body. I simply sprawled out on the ground. Thanks to that, only the clear, refreshing sky of Sia Del filled my vision.
“…”
A flawlessly blue sky. As I stared blankly up at it, one person immediately crossed my mind.
“I wonder if she’s doing well.”
It was Asera. Ever since I’d been forcibly sent here, she hadn’t left my head. After all, I had never intended to come to the capital in the first place. Seeing her once in that village a few days ago had been more than enough. I had long since abandoned any plans to set foot in Sia Del, the protagonist’s main stage. I had sworn I would never get entangled in her journey.
That resolution I had made back then. My existence was a variable in the original story. If I got involved, the resulting changes would be an unknown quantity I couldn’t predict.
But the problem was that damn voice that kept echoing in my head.
—You must find the method to predict it.
“What the hell am I supposed to do with that…”
It was truly a dilemma. When I thought about the Gluttony and that Eunhwa woman’s intrusion, things had already gone off the rails. Whoever that person was, they were telling me to somehow handle whatever was going to happen next.
Then what exactly was I supposed to do right now? Wander around town pretending to be a prophet? If I did that, I’d probably end up risking my life again just like with Eunhwa.
“Haa…”
Stress surged up and a deep sigh escaped me. I steadied my rough breathing and forced myself to organize my thoughts.
…For now, it was definitely right to thoroughly avoid any variables. For some reason, Asera seemed to recognize me. My heart felt full, but it wasn’t a good situation. She needed to continue her journey without any obstacles and bring this world’s story to its conclusion.
“…Hoo.”
Yes. That was enough.
I sprang up vigorously from the ground. There was no time to waste. I had no idea why the queen had summoned me, but I needed to find some way to resolve it quickly and leave this city as fast as possible. The longer I stayed here, the higher the chance I would run into Asera.
“Hm. What are you doing here?”
“?”
A low voice suddenly came from the end of the alley. I turned my head to see about three men walking toward me. Royal guards? Their clothes didn’t look like it. I smiled as if nothing was wrong.
“Ah, it’s nothing. I was just catching my breath for a moment.”
“…All alone, without any companions?”
“? Yes, that’s right.”
At my answer, the eyes of the man standing at the front narrowed.
“Judging by your attire, you’re not from this city. Did you come up to the capital by yourself?”
Why was he asking that? Was there discrimination against people from the countryside?
“Well… I suppose? Is there some rule against coming alone?”
“Who knows.”
Thud.
“?!”
A heavy hand suddenly clamped over my mouth and nose.
“Mmph?!”
“This is exactly why you shouldn’t walk around alone.”
I struggled to break free. But I was immediately restrained. These guys clearly weren’t amateurs. They skillfully pinned down my arms and legs.
Kidnapping? In broad daylight??
“Hmm. Men aren’t worth as much… but your body looks solid, so it should be fine.”
The man groped me here and there before jerking his chin at his companions behind him. They nodded and immediately surrounded me.
“Don’t glare at me like that. You’ll learn to behave after a few good hits anyway. Take him.”
Thump.
Before he even finished speaking, a fist slammed into my stomach.
“…Mmph!”
My upper body crumpled on its own. The blow was heavy enough to rattle my mind. The men pinned me down like a piece of luggage as I collapsed to the ground.
No, after everything I’d been through, to get caught by these nobodies—
“—Sorry.”
“?!!”
A cold voice dropped from above my head. The direction was from the roof of a building in the alley. Someone was looking down at us indifferently with the sun at their back.
“Normally I’d drag this out, but right now I’m in a really bad mood.”
An overwhelming pressure that instantly crushed the commotion. Between the glaring backlight, my eyes met the figure on the roof. Fluttering pale pink hair. A red-and-white knight’s uniform. An iron rapier.
Lien.
—?! Why is she here??
I wasn’t the only one surprised. The men also wore considerably flustered expressions. But soon, as if this were a familiar situation, they let out a bold laugh toward her.
“Wh-what the—! A knight? Fine, how much to pretend you didn’t s—”
“Look away. Unless you want to die.”
An unrelenting threat was immediately driven home. The killing intent radiating from her completely crushed the men’s momentum. I could even hear someone swallowing dryly beside me.
“Tsk! Damn it… Let’s go! Of all the rotten luck.”
The man clicked his tongue and obediently released me from his hold. Looking at him now, his eyes were meekly lowered. He must have been pretty scared.
But even that seemed to rub her the wrong way.
“No.”
“…?”
“It’d be better to just cripple them halfway.”
“Wh-what…?”
Tap—
Lien lightly leaped down from the roof and drew the rapier at her waist, raising it high. A knight. Even if you brought a hundred men like these, she was someone who could skewer them all like kebabs with a single tree branch.
“There’ll be less trouble this way, right?”
“H-hey!! No matter how much of a knight you are, summary execution is going to be hard to justify, isn’t it?!”
—Whoosh.
A blazing flame bloomed at the tip of the rapier. As if she hadn’t heard the insects’ words from the start.
“I told you earlier. I’m in a bad mood.”
“W-wait—!”
Screams burst out instantly. At the same time, blazing petals scattered before my eyes like inferno.
“Wow, that was really something…”
It didn’t take long for the situation to end. On the ground lay dying embers intertwined with the collapsed men. Soon after, royal guards who had heard the commotion came rushing over. They were currently listening to Lien’s report on the already concluded incident.
There was something strangely bothering me. Her expression and manner of speaking were far too different from what I remembered.
“B-but…! If you report it like this, you might end up in trouble, Knight-nim…!”
“It’s fine. Just put it under my name.”
“You could even get disciplined…!!”
“I said report it.”
…Was she always like this? The Lien I remembered was always bright and energetic, staying by the protagonist’s side. She must have been a huge emotional support for Asera up until now. She had been fine when I saw her ten days ago. Had something happened in the meantime?
“Hey, you.”
While I was spacing out, Lien approached me first and spoke.
“Ah. Th-thank you. I… I owe you one.”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Um… No major injuries, just a few scratches. It’s all thanks to you appearing at just the right time, Knight-nim.”
Did my answer please her? Lien scratched her cheek with a slightly bashful look. Only then did a bit of her usual self show on her face.
“Umm… Sorry. I don’t usually go this rough… There was just something unpleasant going on.”
Something unpleasant? The casually tossed remark caught in my ear. Should I ask?
“Even knights are human, so that can happen. Have you had a hard time lately…?”
“…Ah, my close friend is a bit—”
A friend? Despite her bright personality, Lien barely had any close people. That was because she had deliberately cut herself off from others, all for Asera alone. In other words, there was only one person that could refer to.
“…”
The expression of Lien, who had spoken without thinking, darkened. As if an unpleasant memory had accidentally surfaced.
…No way.
“Sorry, that was unnecessary. I’ll be going then—”
“Just a moment.”
The best option here was to part ways quickly. Getting involved with her would drastically increase the chance of running into Asera. Even so.
“Why? Got something to ask?”
“Is that person’s name Asera, by any chance?”
“? Yeah, that’s right. Ase—”
Drop.
The answer fell to the floor. Along with the air in the entire alley.
“Hey.”
The eyes staring at me had widened in shock. Lien’s brow twisted ferociously. It was on a completely different level from the expression she had shown those men earlier.
“Who the hell are you to know Asera.”
“…”
“Don’t shut your mouth. Speak.”
It was the worst version of her face I had ever seen.