Justice Does Not Yield (1)
Lately I get the feeling that the distance between Lia and me has closed by a ridiculous amount.
Far more than before, even.
To put it bluntly, we've gotten so close our breath almost brushes.
"Hey, could you pass me that cup? I'm thirsty."
"Ah, sure."
"This is a new tea we just brought in, by the way. Want me to pour you one too?"
"Nah... I'm good. Anyway, here."
"Thanks, Claus."
When I handed her the cup, Lia gave my chin a light stroke by way of praise. Her touch was soft and felt nice enough, but something about it left me awkward, so I let my eyes wander the room for no real reason.
They naturally met the gazes of the men standing nearby. The bodyguards who always watched over us dipped their heads the moment our eyes met. Maybe they still found my presence in this mansion uncomfortable.
More likely, though, it was the sight of Lia sitting on my lap while she handled her work that felt so strange. Ever since the day we ran into Ru at the shop, my knees had become Lia's newly designated seat.
"Aren't you uncomfortable, Lia?"
"Hm? About what?"
"Sitting like this."
"Ah. Is it because the others are staring?"
"No, it's not that..."
"Right. Then that's fine."
Before she even finished hearing my answer, Lia waved the people out of the room. Then she scooted even closer, settled herself, and rested her head against my chest.
"It's more comfortable than I expected. Warm, too. And more than anything, I like hearing your heartbeat behind me."
"Oh yeah? Never really thought about it that way."
"At least I do. Why, are you uncomfortable right now?"
"Not really. If you're comfortable, I don't mind."
"You're so cute."
She pushed up one corner of her mouth and blew a soft breath against my nose. The sudden little gust stabbed at my eyes, and I nearly teared up without meaning to.
For the once-rigid Lia to act like this... Did that mean her personality had softened that much? I worked up the nerve to lightly stroke her hair, and she even closed her eyes as if savoring the touch.
"Mmnh..."
"..."
It felt a bit like taming a stubborn cat. Maybe not the perfect comparison, but that was how it landed for me. Which was probably why even Lia's whispered words sounded like a cat's soft purring.
"Resting like this isn't so bad. I'll raise your rank, so will you do this for me more often from now on?"
"I'll just do it. What's so hard about it?"
"For something you say is nothing, you seem pretty good at it. Did you used to do this a lot for that woman, too?"
"That woman? Uh... for the record, you're the first."
"Ahaha. How awful."
Lia burst into a peal of laughter as if something about it were hilarious. Then, her voice suddenly dropping lower, she laid bare what was on her mind.
"Leaning on someone else like this... it's the first time in my life. As you know, there was almost no one around me I could trust."
"Yeah, well... I can believe that. Nothing but guys like that around you."
"Of course, our master helped cultivate that distrust, too. He drilled it into me until his tongue wore thin—always think of other people as tools."
"Sounds like you had a rough time because of that master of yours."
"In that sense, you and I have a lot in common. Honestly speaking, you suit this side far better than the kingdom. Don't you think so?"
From the embrace still fragrant with her scent, a pair of clear eyes popped up with the question. I debated what I ought to say to this little cat, then simply nodded without much fuss.
"This life does suit me better than I expected. And these guys don't seem like such bad people, either."
"I told you. With time, you'd come to understand us. More and more people in the organization are starting to trust and follow you. That, and you've done a lot for us already."
"Mm. That so."
"Which brings me to this. When I said earlier I'd raise your rank—I didn't bring it up for nothing."
Lia suddenly rose from her seat and walked over to the desk. Then she took a single sheet of paper from the shelf.
"Since you arrived, the citizens' support for us has nearly doubled, and the master of that cave—always such a headache—is gone. The boost in the members' morale is just a bonus. It's a remarkable set of results."
"I didn't really do anything."
"I'm curious how much more you could accomplish if you started working properly. In that spirit, I'd like to make you a proposal."
"A proposal?"
"Won't you come meet our master with me?"
For a moment I couldn't grasp what she meant and tilted my head. Understanding that, Lia gave my shoulder a light pat.
"Don't think of it as too much of a burden. You're just meeting one old man. But that old man is still one of our elders, so if we want to entrust anyone with a heavy responsibility, we have to introduce them first."
"An introduction, huh. More than that—entrusting me with a heavy responsibility means..."
"I want you to become my person, officially. Of course, it's a formality. You just take a few oaths... receive a mark... and if you'd rather, we can skip the mark."
"Hmm. But I only came here to help you for a little while. And more than anything, this place is..."
"As you said—full of criminals. A band of thieves. But look at what you've accomplished. Does this still look like a den of crooks to you?"
Before I knew it, Lia had come up behind me and turned my chair so I could face the window. The cityscape spread out beneath my feet. The streets and people I had been decorating and cultivating all this time.
Not long ago I'd still been fretting over how I was even going to eat. Funny how things turn out.
And looking down on the world from this tall building made me feel, somehow, like I had become someone a little important. Of course I knew better than anyone that I had no right to feel that way, so I soon sank into deep fretting.
"Mmm..."
"Just keep working the way you have been. Make people happy, and turn our organization into a better place. That's all I need."
"Mm..."
"Do you know how many people trust you now? I'm one of them."
"Mm... mmm..."
"Or just think of it as ending your temp job and becoming a full member of the organization. It probably won't mean much, but your pay would be higher than it is now..."
"I'll do it."
"Hm?"
Ending the temp life. Full-time member. Raise in pay. That combination made my lips move on their own. Once the answer was out, I felt so shamelessly mercenary that I awkwardly tacked on a few words.
"...Thinking about it, it doesn't seem so bad. Making people happy, changing the organization culture... that whole whatever-it-is."
"Thank you for understanding. I believed you'd answer that way, but I'm still glad."
"Mm. Ahahaha."
"Then I'll pass that along to the elders as well. Of course they already know about you, but formality is formality."
"So when we go, what exactly am I supposed to do? I was about to write a letter to my master soon, so..."
"May I sit again?"
At that soft, gentle voice, I opened my arms without thinking. Lia immediately settled onto my lap and leaned into me once more.
The warmth of life returned to the chest that had briefly felt empty, and something about it felt a little cozy. Lia, breathing like a creature that had never known the sun, whispered in a low voice.
"It's warm. Feels like sunlight only reaches right here."
"I run a little hot."
"I'm getting a bit sleepy. Is it all right if I sleep like this?"
"If you want."
I answered with careless ease. And in place of the "interesting" she used to say, Lia spoke the expression she had come to use far more often.
"How cute."
Cruel as ever. The Black Lady's second-in-command.
"Urgh."
A single white-plumed ornament set in the middle of the plaza. Ru shuddered as she stared at that bold display piece. The people of the city still seemed not to have noticed, but it was a clear provocation aimed squarely at her.
We know you entered this city. So either flee or confess before we find you. That was how the White Knight read it. What an arrogantly self-satisfied challenge.
"I really should have smashed it without leaving a trace."
But she could not simply destroy something her father had made for her. Bringing it into the city had already been far too dangerous. The only option left was concealment.
She had thought she had hidden it where no one would ever find it. Had she been too careless after all?
Or could it be that the dragon of the northern mountains had...
"...Ugh."
Infiltrating enemy territory alone had been far too reckless, hadn't it. And yet it was the only way to capture the Black Lady while keeping the damage to a minimum. If you wanted victory, you had to accept a certain amount of risk.
Besides, there was no need to look at the situation in pure despair. They still had not realized the White Knight's true identity. If they had, they would have moved to seize her at once instead of staging a provocation like that.
There was still a chance. But that window would not last much longer.
"I need to secure that man as quickly as possible."
The Black Lady's closest confidant—Claus. If she could only arrest him, she would gain a massive advantage in this fight. After several days of reconnaissance, she was more certain of that than ever. He was an irreplaceable asset to the Black Lady right now.
But what means could she possibly use to secure him? On that question alone, Ru still had no answer. He was always surrounded by bodyguards or the city's citizens.
Should she wait for an opening and force her way through with raw power? It was the method she was most confident in—and at the same time a hopeless idea. This was the heart of the Black Lady's territory, and any violent action risked drawing out the dragon of the northern mountains.
Which meant she had to somehow catch a moment when he was alone. The problem was that even when he went to the lavatory, the escorts stuck to him.
If she thought about what situation would leave him with no choice but to be alone...
...
Next time, why don't you try seducing him with that frail little body of yours?
"...Ugh."
In the middle of her fretting, the words of the girl she had met at the shop floated up. Coming from a girl so much younger than herself, it had been a rather improper suggestion—and yet right now, in this moment, it kept circling through her mind.
But how could a knight stoop to such a thing? No—before that, as a lady she had never so much as casually shown her body even to her own father, let alone a stranger. How could she possibly...!
"I'd rather just fight and die..."
No one had forced her into it, and yet the White Knight writhed alone under the weight of guilt. Was that truly the only way left? But—but!
"Kh..."
At last, worn out by her own struggle, she flopped onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Then, as if she had settled on something, she muttered through a face soaked in sweat.
"...But if it is for the kingdom."