The Pure White Knight (2)

"The blue seal is the one the mayor of Beimesher stamped himself. Everything else was handled by proxies. There's no huge difference between the two, but they're still different, so it's better to sort them that way."

"Ah, right."

"If you think you'll get them mixed up, you can just hand everything over to me… ah, that one's wrong."

"Oh, really? Sorry."

"It's fine. More importantly, this side here is for…"

"…"

Lately I'd been getting the feeling that the distance between Lia and me had gotten closer.

Not as a figure of speech—literally, physically closer. At some point my place of work had become Lia's room, and my seat had been moved right beside hers. The increased importance of the work assigned to me was the natural consequence.

But what surprised me even more was that not a single person raised any suspicion over this outrageous personnel reshuffle. With favoritism this blatant, the natural reaction should have been someone picking a fight the way Jeff used to—yet for some reason, nothing of the sort happened. In its place, strange rumors about me began to circulate.

"Yeah. That guy in the Wailing Cave…"

"…and he did it alone, too. Without anyone's help."

"I heard he did it on purpose. To tighten discipline in the organization."

"From what I heard, after it was over he tried to chew out the team leader's eyeballs…"

"…"

What the hell even is the Wailing Cave, you bandit bastards.

It was probably related to that business last time, but somehow even though I'd done a good deed, all I'd managed to pile up was a bad reputation. A few people even discreetly averted their eyes whenever I walked by.

"…This part needs your full attention."

"Ah, sorry. What were you saying?"

"It's fine. You'll get used to it as you go."

Through all of that, the only person whose opinion of me had actually risen was Lia. Maybe that short time we'd spent together last time had helped. Her expression had grown a little brighter than before, and her overall impression had softened.

Of course, the work I'd been doing all this time had played some part as well. I'd thought I was just loafing around, but apparently Lia's evaluation of me was different.

"And this is something even I haven't dealt with before—the number of people relocating to this city has surged. Most of them are citizens who originally lived in the nearby towns, but quite a few seem to be coming over the mountains as well."

"All of a sudden? You never know what you'll see next."

"It's entirely thanks to you. One of the dangerous monsters that used to live nearby is gone now, after all."

"Was that thing really that dangerous?"

"By ordinary people's standards, yes. Though it is strange that there's been no reaction from the mountain side."

"Hm?"

"It probably wasn't a very pleasant affair for them."

She had a habit of dropping cryptic remarks like that from time to time. Not knowing how to respond, I just grinned foolishly—and an oddly searching gaze came to rest on me.

"Do you go around like that all the time?"

"Like what? Smiling?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Well. Walking around with a smile like that would make it easier to win people over, I suppose."

"Mm… I don't really do it on purpose, but there's no need to go around scowling either, is there?"

"That's true. But because of it, I often ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠can't tell whether you're genuinely smiling or not."

That's probably just because you don't know how to smile yourself. Compared to my master, who was always roaring with meaningless laughter, Lia was a girl whose expression stayed locked as stiff as a stone statue.

Of course, when you thought about the bleak landscape of Beimesher as it used to be, it was only natural she'd turned out that way. But the city—and the people inside it—had changed now. Maybe this was exactly the moment to pull Lia free of that bad past.

"Hey, Lia. I know you've got a mountain of work, but what do you say we make some time and go take a look around the city together? Sitting in a room all day gets boring, doesn't it?"

"A look around the city. Well, I have only been checking how things have changed through reports, after all."

"Stop thinking about work for once and just go have some fun. How about today? Or tomorrow? The day after?"

"I don't know."

"Want to head out right now?"

"…Not today, at least."

Just when I thought I almost had her, Lia put a little distance between us again. Then she handed me a single sheet of paper and said:

"Today, go meet some people. The merchants' association and the schoolteachers. And especially the new arrivals."

"What… I just have to meet them?"

"You're going to put in an appearance and stamp your face on things. No need to feel pressured."

"Then can we go out and play tomorrow?"

"…"

When I kept pressing, Lia's lips drew in ever so slightly. After a brief moment of deliberation, she covered her face with the stack of documents and answered.

"I'll think about it."

"Ahem. Hm, hmm-hmm."

"…"

"Hmm-hmm. Hm, ahem-hmm."

"You seem to be in an excellent mood, Lord Claus."

"Oh, does it show?"

So it was that obvious after all. Well, I hadn't been trying to hide it, so it wasn't exactly strange. I'd been humming and bouncing my shoulders ever since I left the house.

But how could I not be happy? That socially inept Lia was finally thinking about going outside. Naturally, news like this had to be shared with everyone.

"I'm going out to play with Lia tomorrow."

"Pardon? M-M-Master is?"

"Yeah. We'll probably head toward the city center. Maybe even farther."

"Master and Lord Claus going out together… ah, is this perhaps a mission?"

"No. I said we're going out to play."

"Going out to play… ah, in that case, is it perhaps because of negotiations with an outside organization…"

"…?"

I had no idea what he was talking about, and the longer it went on the less we seemed to understand each other, so I frowned without meaning to. At that, Jeff bowed his head even lower in a thoroughly servile posture.

"I-I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠apologize. It must be classified after all. I will keep what you've said strictly confidential."

"No. You can talk about it. I'd rather you spread it far and wide, actually."

"You want it disseminated to every member of the organization? Th-then… does that mean an internal purge, perhaps…"

"Huh? What did you just say?"

"N-no. Forgive me. Even I have been thinking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that internal discipline has grown rather lax of late. I will correct it without fail."

"…Right. Well, do as you see fit."

I'd only answered that way because I was sick of talking to him, but Jeff seemed to take it as something else entirely and nodded with a deadly serious expression. Running into that mountain monster that day had clearly done a number on his mental health.

Still, considering how he used to pick fights over every little thing, it was a positive change in its own way. And these days he listened to every word I said, which made things pretty convenient.

"By the way, I have no idea what Lia likes. Does she have any hobbies she enjoys, or anything like that?"

"Yes, Lord Claus. Master quite enjoys participating in martial arts tournaments. She also takes considerable interest in clothes and shoes… and for reasons I don't fully understand, she collects fairy-tale books as well."

"What about food?"

"She avoids sweets and is known to enjoy various kinds of tea."

"Places she goes often?"

"That I don't really… no, I will look into it."

"Hm."

Asking questions like this made me feel like some general receiving a report, so I gave a rather dignified nod. Jeff, as if playing along, bowed his head with impeccable formality.

Watching him, I briefly entertained the delusion that life among a band of thieves might actually be enjoyable. Then I shook my head to clear it and reminded myself of my original purpose.

"Anyway, more importantly—I was supposed to meet the people who moved into the city today. Lia ordered me to."

"I heard. Thanks to Lord Claus's recent efforts, people from other cities have been relocating here in great numbers. I was a little worried they might disrupt the order, but fortunately they've formed a self-governing council among themselves and are managing things on their own."

"A self-governing council?"

"Yes. From our perspective, it means less work. One representative has stepped forward and even taken over various administrative matters."

I supposed that whenever enough people gathered, a leader of some kind was bound to appear. Whether that was good news or not, I couldn't say—but at least it was clear who I needed to meet.

Still, what was I even supposed to talk about once I met them? While I fretted over my lack of experience, Jeff offered a bit of advice of his own.

"First, Lord Claus should meet them face-to-face and make it clear who the master of this city is. That way they'll understand whose sphere of influence they fall under."

"So basically… just go say something nice. Welcome to Beimesher. Is there anything you need."

"There's no need for you to go to them. They already requested an audience. They should be arriving shortly."

"If they go that far, it just makes things more awkward on our end."

"Of course they should come to us first. How could they dare make Lord Claus go to them…"

"…Let's just go wait outside."

Sometimes excessive loyalty could be a burden. The thought of being cooped up in a small space with these people made me feel like I couldn't breathe, so I deliberately stepped out of the building.

And right then, a group approaching from the distance came into view. I couldn't make out their faces, but I had a strong premonition that these were the immigrants.

And among them, one woman stood out in particular. She wore a parasol so obsessively closed that not a single gap of light could get through, and she was being guided this way with the others' help. From that distinctive appearance alone, it was easy to guess she was their representative.

"Those must be them."

Jeff's words turned my guess into certainty. At the same time, the other side seemed to realize I was our representative as well, because they came straight up to me and offered a silent bow.

"Hello, everyone."

"Ah… yes."

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

The first to greet us was, as expected, that woman. When she bowed her head so tightly under the parasol that not a sliver of space remained, beautiful golden hair spilled gently down.

I wondered for a moment whether that could really be the same kind of hair a human like me possessed—but the thought didn't last long. More than any praise for her beauty, I wanted to ask a fundamental question about the structure of the human body.

That woman…

…could a person's skin really be that pale?

"You are Lord Claus, correct?"

"Yes…"

"I've heard a great deal about you."

She was quite tall for a woman. Long legs. Balanced posture. And yet the skin that was far too white created a jarring sense of dissonance. It looked as though even a fleeting touch of sunlight would scorch her red in an instant, giving her an almost sickly impression at first glance.

And it wasn't mere prejudice—her eyes, somehow hollow-looking, hinted at poor health. On top of that, her elbows and knees showed more than a few scars.

A fragile flower that could only grow inside a greenhouse.

While I defined her existence that way, she in turn looked me over from head to toe. Then she lightly pinched the hem of her skirt and offered another greeting.

"I am Louise Grisha Everdine. Please feel free to call me Ru."