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Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu (Light Novel) - Volume 1, Chapter 5: The Sorrowful Days Gone By
Volume 1, Chapter 5: The Sorrowful Days Gone By
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
Ryner Lute was lying down in his room. It was the same as always: a room entirely barren, save the bed. Though Kiefer’s trinkets were still all over the place…
He didn’t know where she was anymore. She’d been taken away by Roland’s Magical Knights on the battlefield.
Ryner gazed at the trinkets littering his room from his bed and sighed. “Don’t leave stuff all over someone else’s room… Cleaning up is such a pain…”
Then he turned back to face the ceiling, closing his eyes just a hair.
Estabul surrendered, so the battle ended easily. The reason was simple: the Magical Knights had been defeated by a single person. The second they retreated into Estabul, things became chaotic for them. They soon issued a surrender to Roland.
Magical Knights were a country’s strongest military division. It could be said that they themselves carried their country’s pride on their shoulders. If a single person could defeat fifty of their Magical Knights, there was no way they could win the war.
Right now, their country was filled with joy. They were saved so quickly from a war they all thought would last years.
And the hero that saved them… was none other than Sion Astal.
Of course, the truth of the matter was that Ryner was the one to defeat the Magical Knights, but… when the rumor that a single person had defeated the Magical Knights began to spread, Sion quickly introduced himself. There were even rumors that Sion had royal blood going around now… whether that was true or not, it let Sion climb remarkably high in a short amount of time, to the point where people were even calling him the successor to the throne. So, like Kiefer, Ryner hadn’t seen him around at all.
Compared to Sion, Ryner had lost everything in that short period of time. Even though the war was over, before he realized it, not a single one of the people around him were left. Tyle, Tony, and Fahle had already passed away.
“Geez… going to class tomorrow will be such a pain… I should rest…”
The door to Ryner’s room suddenly opened.
“Hey, Ryner.” That was Sion’s voice.
Ryner didn’t raise his head. “Mm?”
“Don’t ‘mm’ me. Geez. You need to run. Right now.”
“Huh? The hell, who do I gotta run—”
“The army is coming here soon to capture you,” Sion cut him off, strangely exasperated. “The higher-ups learned about your Alpha Stigma, and came to the conclusion that they couldn’t leave you at large. If you’re still idly lying around by the time they get here, they’re going to imprison you.”
Ryner let out a dumb noise without thinking, then sat up. “What the hell? They think the one who defeated Estabul’s Magical Knights was you, so why’re they coming for me…”
“It’s true that they’re using my name for that, but they know that you’re an Alpha Stigma bearer, so it soon got out that you’re the one who defeated Estabul’s Magical Knights.”
Ryner became more and more frazzled the more Sion spoke. “Hey, wait. Isn’t that strange? They know you’re not the real hero here. Why’d you get so big in the military then?”
“Well, it’s… it’s just so that I can remain in good standing with the people. The military doesn’t have the people’s support, right? So they’re raising a hero to get that support. Do you understand? In reality, the military knows that you’re the one that annihilated Estabul’s Magical Knights. So they’re afraid. They’re retaliating in fear. But they don’t want to lose such a strong power, so they won’t kill you. They’ll keep you locked up like an animal.”
“An animal…?”
“Yeah. That’s what they called you.”
“Hmmm.”
Ryner looked like he was thinking on it… or rather, looked like he might not be thinking of anything at all, expression idle as always. He nodded to himself as he spoke, like a carefree older person out in the country might. “But Sion, why do you know about this? Guess it’s ‘cause you’ve gotten all important.”
Sion wrinkled his nose at Ryner’s carefree demeanor. “The army will be here soon. Hurry and grab your things—”
This time, Ryner was the one who cut Sion off. “Hey, I have something I wanna ask you.”
“Hm? What?”
“You’re one of those upper-crust military men now, so I figure you probably know.”
“Know what? Spit it out, or—”
“What happened to Kiefer?”
That shut Sion right up.
Ryner’s expression didn’t change. He wasn’t surprised, and he didn’t move from his spot on the bed. He didn’t seem to have any motivation to escape.
Seeing that, Sion forced a smile. “She was imprisoned. I’ll make it simple: she was sent to Roland as an Estabulian spy. She wasn’t alone, though; she came with her sisters, one older and one younger. Their purpose was to relay information about Roland to Estabul for the sake of the Magical Knights’ trap, but… Roland’s military isn’t that naive. They saw through her shortly after she entered the country. They killed her older sister and held her little sister hostage, and made use of Kiefer themselves. They turned her into bait for the Magical Knights of Estabul. But her little sister had already served her purpose, so…”
“Hmm,” Ryner said while nodding. He looked bored.
“…Hey, you… don’t intend to run, do you?” Sion asked.
Ryner’s tired face scrunched up in a scowl. “Well, see, running away is a real pain. I’d always be on the run, right? No way I’m doing that. I hate that kind of thing.”
He said it like it wasn’t a problem at all…
Ryner lay back down on his side. “Anyway, I’m gonna nap or whatever. Then I can think.”
The door opened a second time. Armed guards stormed in, one after another. “Ryner Lute. You’re under arrest!”
Only Ryner’s eyes moved. “Wow, they really were fast,” he said. He lacked tension down to the voice.
Sion stood by the door, disappointed, arms folded across his chest. “Didn’t I tell you they were already on their way?”
“Mm… I wonder if it’ll be easy to nap in my cell?”
“Who knows.”
“Well… I’ll go and be caged like an animal for a while then. Haha. They’ll give me three meals a day and let me nap, so I’m actually really looking forward to it. See you later, Sion~!”
With light movements, Ryner let himself be taken out of the room. Just what was he thinking? He was on his way to jail…
“Yeah. Later,” Sion whispered, a little sad.
---
The scene is the Eris family’s dojo.
It was Sion’s second time in that strangely wide space.
The first time he was called to the Eris family, this is where he was led. All the other times, he went straight to the garden to talk with Ferris and Iris.
As Sion understood it, there was another, smaller dojo on Eris lands as well - children of nobility were directed to that one. Apparently, entry to the larger dojo was forbidden to those who weren’t a part of the Eris family.
Sion naturally regarded that information with doubt - why, then, was he led there?
The first time, a butler told him that visitors must first meet with Lucile, no exceptions. But when he asked Ferris later, she said that they didn’t have a custom like that, and that she didn’t understand why Sion was in there or what Lucile was thinking either.
“……”
Sion was, once again, led to that dojo.
“He must have… taken quite a fancy to me…”
When Sion looked around, he saw nothing but the airy dojo. But it was possible that it was just like last time and Lucile was right before his eyes.
A clear but entirely toneless voice rang out from behind his back. “Hm. Sion.”
It was Ferris - the peerless beauty with a coldly indifferent expression, like always.
She stared at him with almond-shaped eyes. “Why are you here?”
“Eh? Ah, I thought I’d come see you and Iris, but I was led here—”
Sion stopped. Ferris’ eyes had narrowed. It was really only a minute amount, but they’d changed. It was the first time he’d ever seen her expression change according to her feelings, and his words caught in his throat.
“I see,” she said as she surveyed the dojo. Then, with an even voice - “Show yourself.”
A weak shadow appeared in the dojo… no, in Sion’s consciousness. Little by little, it took the form of a lone man.
Lucile Eris… the head of the Eris family.
He had the same glimmering golden hair as Iris, and an unbelievably handsome face plastered over with a smile.
“Welcome, Sion Astal. It goes without saying that I congratulate you from returning from certain death unharmed. And then you went on to become successful to an extent no one else could… Did you already talk to Ferris?”
Though he’d appeared suddenly like some sort of apparition, Lucile spoke like he was gossiping. Well, Sion was already used to the strangeness of the Eris family, so he wasn’t particularly surprised…
“Yes. Ferris was working while I was away, so I came for her report…”
Sion recalled his meeting with Ferris after he’d returned to the battlefield. Soon after he’d called on the Eris family, she’d said these words to him: “What, so you lived. Boring…”
Sion didn’t speak for some time. He just forced a smile. “Ah, well, sorry for leaving you with so much to do. I should be the one thanking you…”
“Naturally. I have no words for someone who’s outlived his welcome.”
“Mm…”
At that, Sion’s smile became even more forced.
Lucile watched them, smile never leaving his face. “You two can do pretty good work together. Haha. I’m happy.”
“Enough,” Ferris said. “Get to the point.”
“Ahh. Right. Then let’s get to it. Sion, today I thought I’d have you come here so I could hear about your feelings.”
“Feelings?”
Lucile nodded. “I have a number of questions for you. They are questions to judge if you’re suitable or not. I want you to answer them.”
“What…? Suitable? For what? Well, I don’t mind answering… is that all you want?”
Lucile nodded again. He was in strangely good spirits. “Yes. That’s all I want. That’s all I brought you here for. But my questions have a condition.”
“Condition?”
“Mm.” Lucile’s expression changed completely. He closed his eyes, his face became horribly, horribly calm… and he spoke indifferently. “I will ask you a question. Then, if your answer isn’t to my liking, I will kill you. Relax, it won’t hurt. I’ll separate your head from your body. You won’t even feel it. You’ll just die.”
Die…?
Sion grimaced.
He couldn’t comprehend it. The Eris family was full of incomprehensible things so he should really be used to it by now, but this time…
What was Lucile saying all of a sudden? He’d ask a question and kill if he didn’t like the answer? What kind of a condition was that? If he didn’t accept it, he’d never hear the question…
Why?
Why did Sion have to answer such a dangerous question?
Lucile spoke as if to answer his suspicion. “It’s because this is the Eris family, Sion.”
In an instant, Sion’s eyes narrowed. He understood everything from Lucile’s answer.
It was because it was the Eris family.
Their lineage first and foremost served the king, and the head of their family was testing Sion to see if he was suitable or not.
Sion studied Lucile thoroughly, then smiled. “I see,” he whispered.
“Worthless,” Ferris said. “Even though you went out of your way to throw your life away on the battlefield, this is where it fell.”
Sion ignored her. He didn’t have to hear her out. He wouldn’t hesitate. He’d already decided his path back on the battlefield, when he’d been faced with two choices - lose everything, or move forward.
If he attained this power, he could kill them all.
His brothers, his sisters… and the king himself.
“Sure,” Sion said. “I’ll hear it. Tell me and see… Lucile Eris.”
Lucile smiled. “Haha. I thought you’d say that.”
Sion closed his eyes.
He couldn’t back down. He’d kill everyone standing in his way. He’d do anything to accomplish that.
Even if… it meant he’d become a devil himself.
---
It was dark.
Ryner stood in the dead center of the dark room. He was surrounded by seated people with even faces he’d known since childhood. They were all old and lacked vitality to the point that they looked dead. Right now, fear was tugging at the corner of their dead faces…
Ryner looked across the crowd, then spoke. He sounded sleepy. “So this time you’ll keep me in jail like I’m some pet? Geez, what a pain. It’s not like I was gonna go berserk on the academy.”
“Silence, monster!” The white moustached man sitting directly in front of him yelled. “Who told you that you could talk!?”
“Monster… huh. Fine, fine. Your blood vessels will burst if you yell too much, Master.” The man who’d just yelled had been the headmaster at the orphanage Ryner grew up in.
One after another, their voices rose in anger.
“The unnecessary things you’ve done have caused that Astal lad to rise.”
“If only you and Astal had died on that battlefield.”
“Do you understand how much scolding we’ve had to endure as a result of you living?”
“You’re the root of both those problems! It’s troublesome when lowborn mutts like you guys make it big!”
Ryner listened with the same listless expression as always. “Did you just come here to nag at me? Oh, wait. I get it. Your stress just melts away when you come sit by your cute pet, right?”
“Don’t fuck with me!”
One of the men threw the ashtray he’d kept on his desk at Ryner. It slammed into his head, blood leaking through the fresh wound. A single line of red blood flowed down his forehead…
The old men scoffed at it. “Red blood? Are you trying to imitate a person, even though you’re a damned monster?”
“……”
Even though he was a damned monster…
Ryner had been raised on those words. He was already at the point that he felt nothing when he heard them.
It was just annoying.
More importantly…
“Huh? My head kinda hurts right now…”
It was pouring blood, so that was pretty damn obvious! But when he said it, the old men just got mad again.
“You can’t play us for fools, you fucker!”
“You’re making fools of yourselves,” Ryner said easily, mellow as always. “You’re always idiots when it comes to me. So get down to business already. These chains are like, gonna hurt when I’m trying to eat, and I’m not really into it, so it won’t feel good…”
The men were at a loss for what to say to Ryner, whose tone made it clear he was just fucking with them. Silence returned to the room.
Then they started to speak, horribly disgusted for some reason. “Well, whatever. We came here today to convey the king’s instructions. In return for your imprisonment, one wish of yours will be granted. Though he said it was unnecessary to grant the wish of a lowly being such as yourself, our king is a deeply compassionate man, and so he will grant it. Be thankful, and quickly, tell us what you desire.”
Ryner scrunched up his face and looked across the old men’s faces. “Deeply compassionate… but I’m gonna be imprisoned in the end, right? Ah, right… the king must be really scared of what the Alpha Stigma did the other day, so he’s giving me a wish so I’ll behave. He’s a real naive and ignorant guy, isn’t he~?”
The old men glared at him. “Don’t get cocky - just spit it out!”
“Hmm.” Ryner nodded to himself. “Well, if you’ll grant anything, then I have this huge dream… see, I want a giant pillow so I can sleep anywhere in my cell.”
How exactly was that a huge dream?
Then Ryner’s expression changed, like he’d thought of something. “Ah… I’ve got it. Let’s go with that.”
---
It was cold.
Made of stone of iron bars, it was a space composed of despair.
“Wow,” Ryner said as he studied the inside of the prison for the first time. “It’s more comfortable than I expected. I think I’ll be able to sleep well here.”
Even in this situation, he wasn’t nervous at all, and only made frivolous comments. This block was one person per cell, so it was actually pretty luxurious.
The other prisoners came in all ages, male and female, but they were all gloomy compared to Ryner. They stared at him with powerless eyes as if mocking him.
Ryner waved at each and every one of them, greeting them with a “best regards!” until the jailer slapped his back.
“Hurry up and walk. Geez, this is the first time I’ve seen a guy this happy to be in jail.”
“Hmm. But like, in jail you get three meals a day plus naps. I’d think lots of guys would be happy about it.”
The jailer laughed. “The hell? You’re a funny guy… I’ve never heard that kind of logic. See, everyone here’s a heinous criminal, so lots of people come in shivering. We’ve got first class war criminals and serial killers and the like. It’s easy to think they’ll kill you through the bars and give yourself a stomach ache…”
At his talkative jailer’s urging, Ryner continued forward. “Sounds like you’ve got lots of troubles of your own, Uncle Jailer.”
“Yeah. See, these are single room cells ‘cause the prisoners were forming factions. But they’re still dangerous like this. Oh, by the way, what’d you do? It had to be pretty bad to make it in here…”
If he told him, their friendly conversation would cease and the jailer’s face would go blue.
Ryner answered easily. “See, I took too many naps and my boss ended up hating me…”
“Huh? Naps?”
“Yeah. He said that if I like naps so much, I should spend the rest of my life napping in jail. I was fine with that, too…”
For some reason, the jailer patted Ryner’s shoulder, shaking his head and sighing. “You really are an unlucky guy to get put in here for that… Your boss must’ve been quite the remarkable person… a real pitiful guy. Alright! Leave your life here to me. I can’t do just anything, but if you have something you’d like I can get it for you.”
“Whoa, seriously? Lucky!”
He and his trusting jailer reached Ryner’s cell.
It was the same as the other cells - stone walls, iron bars. The only difference between this cell and the others he’d just passed was that this one still had a prisoner. A red-headed young woman sat crouched within.
“Huh?” The jailer murmured. “That’s strange. Why’s there a person here…?” He retrieved a paper from his shirt pocket to check.
“Ahh, Uncle, Uncle, it’s fine. I have some business with her, so could you give us a little time?
The jailer read through the paper carefully. “Ah, you’re right. Hey, this is an order from the top brass at the military… the hell, just who are you?”
“Umm, I’m their pet.”
“Hah?”
“It’s fine. Open the cell, okay? You can come back in about thirty minutes.”
“Y, yeah. I will,” the jailer said meekly. Orders from the military’s top brass worked surprisingly well. Ryner smiled bitterly and entered his cell.
After confirming that the jailer had locked the cell and left, Ryner sat beside the girl. She didn’t move a muscle. Maybe she was sleeping.
Ryner gazed at her listlessly for some time. At her dirty clothes and hair. She hugged her knees in her sleep, face against her kneecaps, like she didn’t want anyone to bother her. Ryner couldn’t see the girl he knew in her.
After observing her for a while, Ryner smiled maliciously and bonked her on the head. “Hey, Kiefer! If all you do is nap, your grades will drop!”
“Wah!”
Kiefer raised her face in an instant. She turned to Ryner, startled, then looked around to confirm where she was. “Huh? Huh? This is a cell, right? Wait, why are you here!?” She yelled. Her loud voice echoed throughout the prison…
Ryner covered his ears and wrinkled his nose. “Kiefer, you’re way too loud.”
“Oh, um… sorry… but what’s the meaning of this?”
“What’s the meaning of what?”
“I mean, why are you here…”
“Ah… umm. Where do I start? What a pain…”
“If you’re trying to say that explaining why you’re here is a pain, I’ll knock you into tomorrow.”
“I-I get it, okay,” Ryner said as if he hadn’t considered taking a little nap first. He shrugged, then clapped his hands together. “Alright. There’s something I have to tell you, Kiefer. That’s why I came here.”
“…Something you want to tell me?”
“Yeah. Umm,” Ryner said, continuing in his usual detached tone. “First of all, your little sister was killed a long time ago.”
Kiefer paled like the blood had left her face altogether. Her teeth began to chatter. “W-why do you know about that…? Only the higher-ups in this country’s military should…”
Kiefer’s words trailed off. She stared at Ryner, her red eyes losing her cooling emotions. “I see. So you’re one of Roland’s pawns, too. Did you come here to torment me for being a traitor, or did you come to kill me?”
Ryner didn’t reply. He just watched Kiefer with mellow eyes…
That made Kiefer mad. “Why? Why do you guys have to torment us so!? Can’t you just kill me and get it over with? I didn’t want to hear that my sister is dead, and I… didn’t want to hear it from your mouth, Ryner. So you always knew everything, did you? You thought it was funny, didn’t you? I told you I loved you… and you laughed at what a stupid girl I was, didn’t you?”
Tears welled up in her cold eyes that saw only despair. Even though her eyes were so cold, they still managed to spill tears.
“Or did you come to avenge Tyle, Tony, and Fahle? Did you decide to kill me because you can’t forgive me? You had to make sure I was despairing to the bitter end, didn’t you? Or is that just not enough yet? Come on and say what you’ll do to me! I know that just killing my sister isn’t enough! There’s nothing I can do about it, it’s hopeless, I… I…”
Kiefer crumbled to the ground, crying in earnest.
Ryner stared at her for a while, then sighed. “Uu… what a pain.” He flopped down on the floor beside her, and spoke apathetically. “You don’t get it, do you… Why do we even have wars? I don’t care about territory or anything like that at all…”
Ryner’s words didn’t mesh with what Kiefer had been saying at all. She raised her head.
He ignored her and continued. “Tyle, Tony, and Fahle died meaningless deaths, huh? I tried to tell them that naps are what’s really important. But they ended up dying for something pointless instead…”
“Wh, what’re you saying—”
“I really don’t get it… War, huh… Why do we do it? It’s something motivated guys cause. Then they get the unmotivated guys all mixed up with it…”
Ryner suddenly sat up. “So it’s good to be unmotivated, right? If we all just napped, you wouldn’t have to cry, Tyle and the others wouldn’t have to die, and your sister wouldn’t die either, right? I wouldn’t get yelled at by you, and even that girl from a long time ago would… I… I’m not like Sion. Changing the country’s a pain, so I never thought of it, but… if we all just napped, nobody would get hurt… do you think there’s a place where nobody gets hurt?”
Ryner looked at his blood-stained hands. Had they moved according to someone else’s will back then, or…?
Ryner ran those hands of his through his bed-head. “What’re you gaping at? Did I say something weird?”
“No, um… It was just sudden…”
A voice entered from outside the cell. “Heey. Ryner Lute, your thirty minutes are up. What should I do?”
Ryner smiled sweetly. “Ah, coming.”
He stood, forcing Kiefer to stand with him.
“Okay, Kiefer. Come here.”
“Wha… huh? What?” Kiefer babbled, perplexed.
Ryner brought her to the cell’s door and pushed her out through it.
“Huh? Wait, Ryner—”
The cell closed with a clank, cutting Kiefer’s words off.
She was outside the cell. He was inside.
“…What’s the meaning of this?”
“Congrats on your release,” Ryner said, relaxed as always.
“Huh? Re…lease?”
Ryner was amused at her astonishment. “And for me, contrats on my imprisonment. I’ve finally found a place where I can nap all the time. It even comes with three meals a day!”
The jailer laughed. “You’re the only one who thinks of it like that.”
Kiefer couldn’t believe them. “W-wait. What is this? Why am I free? Why is Ryner—”
“Ah, well, in order for Ryner Lute to be honestly detained, he requested that Kiefer Knolles was released. That’s what my orders and report say, anyhow. Wow, Ryner, you’re quite the fiend to be doing trades with the military like this. Seriously, what did you do? ‘Took too many naps’ has to have been a lie.”
“I’m telling you, it’s the truth.”
“Liaaar. Well, we’ll be spending lots of time together from now on. You can tell me at your own pace.”
“What a pain…”
Ryner didn’t seem to mind being jailed in the slightest. Kiefer drew closer to him. There were bars between them so there wasn’t much she could do, but… with a warbling voice she spoke. “Wh-why…? Why would you do this for me…? How can you be so kind to me…? I… I betrayed everyone. I got Tyle, Tony, Fahle, and everyone else killed…”
“That’s not true,” Ryner said, tired. “People don’t kill people. Monsters do, Kiefer. The monster is war. The monster is countries. Greed is a monster, too. And I’m also…”
Ryner stopped and smiled at her.
“But you’re human, Kiefer. So you don’t have to worry. Do you understand? Anyway, I’m gonna make this the Napping Kingdom. I’ll reign as king, and you’ll do your best outs… uwah!?”
Kiefer captured his face between her hands from the other side of the bars. He tried to pull his face away from the bars, but Kiefer steered him.
“Hey, Kiefer!? I’d hate to get caught between the bars… mmph.”
Kiefer’s lips met Ryner’s halfway through his sentence.
They were silent for some time, aside from the jailer’s whistle. Before long, Kiefer’s hold wavered and they seperated.
Ryner didn’t say anything, listless as always.
Kiefer looked at him, her eyes a little wet. “I understand why I fell in love with you now. You’re so unmotivated that I didn’t feel like I had to be cautious at all… that’s what I thought, but that was wrong. It’s because you’re really kind, and that’s something I can guarantee. In truth, you’re strong, too… and I feel at ease when I’m with you. So… so, you’re not a monster. I guarantee it. I won’t forgive you if you call yourself a monster again.”
Ryner still didn’t speak.
“You’re not a monster or anything like it,” Kiefer said. “I don’t think you’re a monster at all. I’m alive, see? So thank you, Ryner. And… I’ll definitely…”
Kiefer turned, and was led to the exit by the jailer. Her eyes weren’t filled with despair anymore. She spoke with a strong resolve. “I’ll be going now.”
Whether the jailer understood any of that or not, he looked like he’d enjoyed it. He nodded to her and led her away.
Ryner stared at them in awe until they were entirely out of sight. Then he sighed. “She really kissed me until I couldn’t breath… I thought she was trying to suffocate me…”
It was impossible if that was what he truly thought or not from his weak expression.
---
Several days later.
“Heeey, Unkie Jailer. You got a minute? Do you?”
Today, just like the days before it, an apathetic voice resounded through the jailhouse.
The jailer’s reply was tired. “Hey, you… I don’t really care but do you think you could stop calling for me so many times a day? If you need something, just ask once. To top it all off, by the time I get here, you’re always napping…”
“What, didn’t you tell me you’d do whatever, whenever for me?”
“Even that has its limits. All you want is stuff like a super special giant pillow or five meals a day. Those’re impossible.”
“Mm, what did I want to order for today again?”
The jailer sighed. “Another order…? Well? What do you want today?”
“Pencil and paper. Are you familiar with the Roland Empire’s Royal Special Military Academy? See, there’s a book I wanna check out from the library there.”
“A book? Ah, that’s something I can do.”
“Seriously? Nice. See, a long time ago there was something I wanted to research, but it was a pain so I gave up. But I have a pretty amazing amount of free time now, so I thought I’d give it another try.”
“Geez, you don’t need to boast. What exactly do you want me to get?”
“I only want one book though?”
“Ask for any number of ‘em, just spit out what you want already. I promised my kid I’d come home early to play with ‘em today.”
“Hm. You’ve got kids?”
“Yup. Seven years old. Super cute.”
“Hmmm.” Ryner sat on the floor and crossed his arms. “Hey, Uncle.”
“Mm?”
“Does your kid hate that Roland’s flirting with war?”
The jailer lifted his eyebrows. “Obviously! What kind of parent wants his kid to go to war? War is like… well, seven years ago I was in the war too… It was the worst… Friends, family, and colleagues all died. I declined a promotion to commanding officer and became a jailer instead. But I have no regrets. My kid was born around that time, and… yeah. I don’t wanna go to war.”
Ryner nodded. “Riiight. Nobody wants to go to war. Okay. I won’t let your efforts be in vain, Uncle. Make it ten books. They’re all heavy, but I’m counting on you.”
“Huh? What’s with your logic? Well, whatever. Even if you don’t tell me, I’ll go bring you your books. ‘Cause you’re the only one I have to talk to here.”
“I’ll leave it to you.”
“So, what books?”
“That’s what the pencil and paper’s for. You can’t remember the names of ten books at once, right? And they’ve all got suuuper long titles.”
The jailer grimaced. “Wait here a sec, I’ll go get them. Geez, this is why Cami’s been scolding me about getting home late recently,” he grumbled.
“Thanks~!” Ryner said, waving. It soon turned into a stretch. “He’s right… war’s no good. Ahh, it’s just a pain… I have to research that all over again.”
He’d gotten used to talking to himself remarkably often.
“I’m not even the kind of person that’s supposed to work hard… oh well, nothing I can do but do it…”
Ryner stood and looked around. There was obviously no one else here. All that he could see was cold stone and iron bars. At first he’d thought one person per cell sounded pretty luxurious, but now… he couldn’t talk to anyone but the jailer, he couldn’t move around, and his solitary cell didn’t change at all…
Even the most unruly prisoners would be calmed in a single week, and in a month, everyone… went mad, according to the jailer.
As Ryner’s mind was wracked by that atmosphere of despair and madness closing in around him, he crossed his arms. “Hmm. A month, huh. It’s not like I’ll be out of here by then. I have lots of time on my hands, so I might as well research.”
Ryner plopped back down on his side. “I’ll take a little nap in the meantime,” he mumbled and closed his eyes.
---
They all had their own paths.
They lost all sorts of things, and yet, the clock kept ticking.
That was sad, right? Nostalgic days got left behind. He gained something new, and yet he had no way to confirm that it was any better than what he left behind.
The hand just spun around and around the clock as his back was pushed farther and farther along his path.
And yet, he had the ambition to meet a better future.
It was what was stopped there.
It was what turned back to the past.
It was what napped…?
---
Well, a lot happened, but anyways…
It was calm, slow, but time passed.
---
The first year passed, and nobody had yet realized that change had occurred.
There was no longer an issue with their rival country, and time passed with a festive flair.
---
The second year was a little different. This time, the king said they’d go to war with Imperial Nelpha.
The trigger was a revolution.
The people had come to a consensus that the king should be exchanged for a new one.
The revolution was unbelievably skillful. It turned into a violent year of noble after noble going missing.
But there was no reason for Ryner to know that, imprisoned as he was…
And so, two years of this and that passed.
---
Light didn’t reach him there.
Not the light of the sun and not the light of the moon.
So Ryner ended up not knowing if it was noon or if it was day or night.
That was really tough. It was an agony beyond what others could imagine.
In any case, it was the dead of night. But there was no way Ryner was able to follow a strict wake/sleep cycle here…
“……”
He stared at the ceiling, eyes narrowed. The stone walls, iron bars, and the space narrow between them, was narrowed and cluttered even further by the documents and books laying in huge piles throughout. So many piles had accumulated over time that the floor, which was supposed to be stone, was just about invisible underneath. It wasn’t clean by any standard.
It wasn’t a suitable place for a man of his status. If his usual company saw him here, they’d surely be surprised.
And yet… this sort of thing didn’t bother him. He knew that worth wasn’t decided by that sort of frivolous thing.
Lately, he was often told that he had uncommon and strange tastes. That may be so. Because the smile hadn’t left his face since he came to this disorganized place.
He raised his arm to the filthy rusty bars. His clothes were primarily simple black, but had a noble air that made people understand his importance with just one look. He didn’t care if they got dirty here. That sort of thing just didn’t matter to him.
He understood the hundreds of piles of documents. His eyes passed over each one. “I see,” he whispered, deeply moved. “So this is the path you chose.”
Despite his words, the cell didn’t seem to house anyone. All that was inside were huge piles of books and documents scrawled over with lists of messy handwriting.
“…Seems like you were wrong about being able to nap all the time here… This place should be agonizing. I won’t forgive you for enjoying it. I was the only one worrying. Unforgivable. You’re mine. I’ll use you.” He smiled meanly. “Even if you don’t want that.”
Of course, he wasn’t given an answer. But he nodded, satisfied, and turned his back to the bars and left.
---
The next day.
That narrow space was exactly the same as the previous night. The floor was completely covered in disorganized piles of books and documents.
From within that mountain of books…
“Ah… uu… uu… uu…”
For some reason, he was groaning like he was at his limit.
“Uwah… aaah… ah…”
And—
“Uwaaaaaahhh!?”
A young man leapt from the mountain of books with a scream. His shoulders heaved with effort, and his face was that of near death.
“Hah, hah… this is bad. I’ll suffocate if I sleep buried in books,” he said, his expression earnest.
Black hair, messy from sleep, and mellow eyes.
Ryner Lute.
Though two years had passed, his unmotivated aura hadn’t changed in the slightest…
Setting aside whether that was good or bad, Ryner stretched and yawned. “Didn’t get enough sleep… better try again.”
With that, he flopped back down. He picked up a book, flipping through it. “Already researched this… no wonder I’ve lost interest. Wonder what I should research next. Guess I’ll think about it after breakfast…”
With that, he threw the book in a pile. It seemed like that was what tidying up meant in his world.
Then he waited absentmindedly for breakfast to be brought in. Apparently, in two years’ time, mealtimes were the backbones of his internal clock. “Wonder what it’ll be today. Yesterday was pretty damn gross, so I’m kinda looking forward to seeing if they can come up something even worse…”
It was a pretty dull thing to look forward to. He raised his head just a bit to look through the bars, waiting for the jailer to come bring him his breakfast. “Not yet, huh… maybe I’ll sleep ‘til he comes.”
Just as he’d been expecting, he started to hear the sound of footsteps - footsteps of the jailer with his breakfast.
Ryner hopped right up. “Good morning, Uncle!”
Their routine was two years in the making - every day, they’d talk a bit and Ryner would order various things like books and documents, but…
“……”
No reply came.
Ryner tilted his head. “Heey, Uncle? Is something wrong? You not feelin’ well? Did you have another fight with your wife?”
Again, no reply.
Strange. Ryner looked through the bars into the corridor. His usual jailer was slowly walking towards him. But something about him was weird. He was looking down like he wasn’t feeling well…
Speaking of which, he wasn’t carrying the breakfast tray he was supposed to have right about now…
Ryner tilted his head once more, then flopped back down on the floor… no, on top of some books. “What the heck?”
He waited idly as the jailer took an extraordinary amount of time to cross the small distance to stand in front of his cell.
“What’s up with you today, Uncle? Did something happen?”
He wouldn’t even look at Ryner.
Ryner became quiet, head still tilted in curiosity. If the jailer didn’t want to talk, then trying to get him to was just a pain… He lacked the motivation for it.
The jailer was quiet.
So was Ryner.
“…Uu.”
Ryner yawned after some time. “This is making me sleepy.”
“…Geez!” The jailer broke their silent game with a shout. “Why’re you being quiet now? If you get all silent like that, it’s gonna make me uneasy!”
“The hell? I was trying to have some restraint. Maybe you got all quiet ‘cause your daughter introduced her boyfriend to you or something.”
“Liar! You know my daughter’s only ten!”
Ryner laughed. “Ten year olds these days are pretty amazing. Didn’t you know that, Uncle?”
“Wh-wh, amazing!? Wh-what do you mean by amazing!? Are you including my daughter in that!?”
“Don’t all parents think their kids are amazing?”
“Not like that!” The jailer said. His expression soon grew dark. “It’s… not that…”
“Hey, you’re getting all gloomy again… Just what happened? Also, where’s my breakfast…?” That was Ryner’s real concern.
The jailer ignored him. For some reason, his eyes were wet and passionate. “It’s already been two years since you came here…”
“Uu… hey, why’re looking at me like that? I’m not into that stuff…” Sensing danger, Ryner scooted away.
The jailer ignored him. He unlocked the cell and opened the door. “When I think about it, you were the only one I had to talk to here at work.”
Of all the things to say as he entered the cell…
“W-wait a minute! Wait, wait! Think about this rationally, Uncle. You have a wife and an adorable daughter, stop! Gyah! Am I gonna be raped—!?”
Ryner carried on for some time, but finally went quiet when he looked into the jailer’s sad eyes. With a bored expression, Ryner pressed a hand down on his unchecked bed-head.
“What’s up with you, Uncle?” Ryner asked. “You’re not going along with it at all today. Making a fuss by myself is lonely. So? What happened?”
The jailer turned away from Ryner with a grave expression. “It’s difficult to say, but…”
His words trailed off. But Ryner understood. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. You don’t have to say it.”
The jailer was silent.
“They decided to give me the death penalty, didn’t they?” Ryner asked, unconcerned.
The jailer raised his head. Even while saying something so horrible, Ryner’s face was tired and apathetic as always. He grimaced.
“Can I ask you something?”
“…What?”
“Is it okay if I run away? See, I made a promise a long time ago. I said I wouldn’t die. So if possible, I’d like to survive…”
“I-I,” the jailer stuttered, then hesitated. “I can’t…”
Ryner waved his hand to cut him off. “Ahh, yeah, yeah. I get it. If I ran away, I’d be causing you trouble. ‘Cause you’ve got your precious daughter Cami to look after. If I ran, you’d be in trouble. I get it. So when’s the execution?”
“Well… tomorrow…”
“So soon!?” Ryner yelled without thinking. Well, that was probably something everyone would yell about…
“It was really sudden,” the jailer said, as if trying to explain. “I received the order just this morning.”
“Ah, it’s fine. I know it’s not your fault, Uncle. But… tomorrow, huh… that soon. So? What should I do now?”
“I have a schedule of orders for the whole day right here. You’re supposed to come along with me for all sorts of things. It kinda seems like I’m supposed to give you a day of luxury before the execution.”
“Wow… Luxury, huh…”
“First, you’re to take a bath and clean up. Then you’re to be given clothes, fed a high-class meal…”
“Hah? The hell? Are prisoners on death row always treated so well in this country?”
“No,” the jailer said, then continued gloomily. “This is different from the usual. Seems our king said he wants to be able to confirm your execution before his eyes. One must be suitably well-kempt to appear before the king, even if they’re a prisoner, so you’ve gotta do all sorts of stuff first. Tomorrow, subordinates working directly under the king will come take you.”
Ryner understood.
The king had become scared of his Alpha Stigma, so he couldn’t rest easy until he saw Ryner killed before his own eyes…
“Hmm. So this is how their pet’s life will end.”
“…Shall we go?”
Ryner became flustered at the jailer’s question. “Ah, uh, wait a sec. Is it okay if I bring the report I was working on with?”
“You can’t,” the jailer replied with a sunken expression. “My orders say to not let you take anything…”
“Seriously? I’m begging you. I’ve been hard at work on it this whole time… how about if I take it secretly?”
“I’m telling you, you can’t. I’m not the only one here now, see…”
The jailer waved his hand, and several brawny men appeared. They spoke one after another.
“This is the death-row inmate?”
“He’s kinda a lanky, unimportant looking guy, isn’t he?”
“It’d be easy enough to just kill a guy like this here without all the fanfare.”
Ryner hung his head, dejected, and sighed. “I get it. I’ll have to give up on my report, too…”
“Sorry.”
“No, it’s not your fault, Uncle.”
“Come on, then.”
“Mm.”
The two of them trudged on out of the cell, and the burley men plodded on after them. Ryner confirmed the fact, then turned back around, tired.
He’d be executed tomorrow. But with Uncle Jailer by his side, there was no way he could run away…
That meant he’d have to run away tomorrow when the king’s personal subordinates came to get him. There would probably be so many of them that it’d be overkill.
“Hmm…”
He’d win easily.
To put it bluntly, Ryner was confident that he could get away even if they sent fifty or sixty Magical Knights after him. He’d had that kind of power since the orphanage…
And, above all… he had his eyes.
Ryner tapped the jailer’s shoulder, yawning. “Hey, Uncle. No need to be so down. Let’s spend today well. First was a bath, right? Wonder what it’ll be like. Super luxurious? Think it’ll have pillows?” He spoke with an extremely cheery tone.
That luxurious time, too, soon passed…
---
The next day.
Ryner had spent the night in a strangely gorgeous inn. He looked up at the sky with narrowed eyes. Sunlight was shining brilliantly, incessantly, from the heavens.
“Wow, this is really the absolute best weather to get executed in,” Ryner said to himself without thinking.
The jailer, who’d been checking out of the inn behind him, went dark again.
Ryner smiled wryly. He moved his arms and legs about and stretched to put his body in order.
This would be his first time seriously moving in two years, but he had no choice but to run from the king’s personal army. So he had to at least stretch this much…
“Mm, mm. Alright. Y’know, these pretentious clothes are unexpectedly easy to move in,” Ryner said as he flapped the bottom half around to straighten it out. He’d been handed these strange clothes last night.
They weren’t just any clothes. He was given white armor with a navy blue robe. The strange part was the armor: it was a special battle outfit, the likes of which was only ever given to Roland’s Magical Knights. It wasn’t just easy to move in - it also excelled in defense.
He didn’t understand why he, a death-row inmate, had been given it but… he had, but he wore it thankfully. It was like he was going to war anyway, so this combat uniform would probably come in handy.
“But—” Ryner started, then yawned. He felt like yawning again and again. “It was my first time sleeping on such a high-class bed. I didn’t end up getting much sleep…”
“Liar,” the jailer said. “You fell asleep before me. Because it’s today, I wasn’t able to sleep at all…”
“Huh? Why couldn’t you sleep, Uncle?”
“Well… you’re…”
Ryner smiled at the jailer’s dark eyes. “Ah, right. ‘Cause I’m gonna die.”
“Hey… don’t say that so easilyyy,” the jailer said, amazed.
Ryner shrugged. “I’ve got nerves of steel. I’m not scared of death, see?”
Though he didn’t actually plan on dying easily.
The jailer nodded in admiration. “I… I’m proud of the fact that we’re friends.”
“Eh? Ah, um, really? Ah, ahahaha…”
Unused to being admired, Ryner’s voice quickly went dry laughing. This would be the last of their easygoing conversations.
The words faded between them, giving way to an oppressive silence.
The time had come at last…
Ryner was urged towards the front of the royal court where the king resided.
The jailer stopped. “This is where I hand you over to the king’s direct subordinates.”
“Mm.” Ryner nodded and looked around. There was a huge courtyard in front of the refined royal court. There, a single woman was expecting them.
With how scared the king was of him, Ryner had been expecting him to send more of a crowd capable of tormenting and killing him. There was no way this one woman could do that…
“A lone woman?” The jailer whispered. “And an unbelievably beautiful one, at that…”
He was right. She was so beautiful that it was eerie. She had long, silky golden hair and an unbelievably handsome face. She wore stylish, easy to move in leather armor. Her delicate arms rested on a longsword he could only assume was for decoration at her waist.
For some reason, she was looking at them so expressionlessly that it was like she was already dead. She spoke evenly. “Mm. I assume the blockhead here is the criminal called Ryner?”
Nobody answered. Nobody could answer.
In front of a beauty of her grade, they forgot their words altogether. That went for the jailer, too, and the group of three that’d been hustling around with them since yesterday.
Only Ryner was still looking around restlessly to confirm an escape route with the same listless eyes as always.
If anyone’s reaction was strange, it was Ryner’s. There was such a magnificent beauty right in front of his eyes, and yet he didn’t steal glances.
She spoke with a voice that was ultimately cold. “Good work. I’ll take over from here. The rest of you can leave.”
The three men made to respond. “Ah, er, but there’s no way we can leaving something this dangerous to a lone woman…”
“I’ll say it again. Get out of my sight.”
She had no mercy…
The three men couldn’t hide their shock. They left, dripping sweat.
“So, Ryner,” the jailer said. “Looks like this is where we part…”
Ryner nodded. “Yeah. Thanks for everything. See you later.”
“‘See you later,’ you say… Ah, right. When I die, I’ll go visit you.”
“Right, right. Now, then.”
His curt responses just gave the jailer the wrong idea. He responded through tears. “You always took me into consideration, too… I get it, you don’t want a gloomy goodbye, so… see ya!”
He ran off at full speed.
Ryner watched him disappear into the distance, and then confronted the strangely expressionless woman. He studied her with mellow eyes. “Hey, beautiful.”
“What, you sex maniac?”
“Huh…?” How else was he supposed to react but with shock? “Um…”
A long silence fell between them.
Then Ryner tried to recover it. “So, uh. If possible, do you think you could explain why I’m a sex maniac?”
“It’s your face,” she said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Hah!?”
“Also, your personal history. I’ve already heard all about you.”
“Hey, wait a sec. What ‘personal history’ exactly are you talking about!?”
“You don’t need to know.”
Uu… She sure was curt. This was tough.
He was overwhelmed by her in a different sense, too - while they continued to idly chit-chat, they began to move. His eyes remained weak-spirited as always, but he stealthily raised his hand. “Ahh, see… it’s my bad, but I’ve got a favor to ask of you.”
She immediately moved her gaze to his movements. But he hadn’t meant for it to come off particularly nimbly.
Ryner smiled internally. “Sorry, but I need you to let me escape,” he said. As he spoke, his hands danced around in the air at an amazing speed, drawing a circle.
In an instant - no, in half an instant he’d constructed a complete magical circle.
“I wish for thunder—”
She watched him, expression unchanging. “Hmm. So you’ve got the motivation to kill me.”
Ryner ignored her words and finished his incantation. “—Lightning Flash!”
A brilliant light was born in the center of his magic circle. He aimed it at the woman.
“…Huh?”
Ryner couldn’t understand it.
Her form grayed, and then… with a whistling sound, her sword aimed straight for his chin.
“Uwah!”
Ryner promptly bent his body to dodge. As he did, her sword moved in an arc, ripping through his magic circle and absorbing the lightning, then swung in a straight line. Ryner flipped over, flinging himself to the right.
In the next instant, a strange sound he’d never heard before resounded. Her sword shot lightning at the place he’d just left, gouging out a hole.
“…S, seriously…?”
Her movements were unbelievable. They were just too fast.
She'd actually managed to rip through his spell before it fired at her. There was no way a normal human could do that. And that was without even going into her swordsmanship…
She’d done all that in a single breath, never making anything that resembled an expression. As he watched her, she flipped her golden hair over her shoulder.
“…Don’t tell me you’re really just one of the king’s direct subordinates,” Ryner mumbled. The fact that he’d been able to avoid her attack was a miracle. And there was always the possibility that she was going easy on him…
If she’d intended to kill him, she could’ve easily just cut through him instead of his magic circle and done him in then and there…
“Well, it’s worth a try… if I’m not serious too, then I’ll be killed.”
“Oh? Was that not serious?”
“It was around 70%.”
“Hm… I see. So that’s why he wants you.”
“Mm? Who?”
“It’s nothing. I shall be serious as well,” she said and drew her sword, then took a battle stance. “Let’s go.”
“Ah! Ah, wait a minute! I’ll be in trouble if we start now!”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re being kinda unfair. See, if we’re gonna go all out, we’ve gotta prepare first. Also, no sneak attacks.”
“…Hm. And?”
“I said wait a minute. I’m doing my best to endure how much of a pain this is, umm.” He began to draw letters of light in the air before him. It was magic he’d copied from Estabul’s Magical Knights. Once he’d finally completed his writing, he spoke. “I dedicate the words of our contract - give birth to the beast of malice sleeping within the earth!”
Ryner’s body began to shine.
“Alright, I’m prepared. Bring it on.”
Their battle started back up.
Ryner had accelerated.
The woman charged towards him. He drew another magic circle with unexpected speed.
She noticed. “Mm,” was all she said, and she herself picked up speed as well.
Ryner let out a surprised “huh?” and his hand stopped. “S-seriously!?”
His movements should’ve been rapid. This was a power he’d gained from the battlefield from Estabul’s Magical Knights, strong enough to be known as grim reapers.
And yet, this woman’s speed… would soon overcome his own.
She had to be using some kind of magic. Something that drastically improved her physical capabilities. Something better than what those guys from Estabul had.
If that was the case…
Ryner stared at her, a pentagram rising in his eyes. He’d see what spell she was using, analyze it, and use it himself. Right, no matter what type of magic it may be, he could see it and analyze it with that pentagram.
Method. Composition. Properties. Power.
He’d quickly ascertain them all and analyze it…
“……”
She wasn’t using any magic…
“Huh!? You shouldn’t be able to move like that without—”
She easily caught up to him and swung her sword as if to cut his head into two equal pieces.
“Kuh!”
He managed to complete a magic circle in response. “I wish for rain clouds - Leveling Rain!”
Fluid gathered and compressed itself in the center of his magic circle; it burst open, sending rapids towards her.
She regarded it with composure. She changed her target from Ryner to the ground and thrust her sword in, using it to swing her own body up.
It was truly a splendid sight to behold. Her body spun above the splashing water, almost like she was dancing in midair, as she flew towards Ryner’s chest.
He fell back on his butt, but her sword rose back up and towards the nape of his neck.
“Mm. Is this the end?”
“…Umm… ah… yeah.” Ryner raised both arms in surrender.
She was so strong that it was unreal. One didn’t typically think a human could do that kind of thing…
She wordlessly kept her sword pointed at Ryner’s neck. It wasn’t like she could kill him, but she couldn’t put her sword away, either.
Ryner, who had completely given up, watched her with exhausted eyes. It’d been a long time since he’d done his best, and now everything was back to being a massive pain. If he decided against working hard, then there was no way he’d up and shout “one more time!” or anything like that.
She spoke with the exact same emotionlessness she’d had since this all started. “You were going easy on me.”
“Huh? Why do you figure?”
“Earlier, if you had used fire magic instead of water, it would have had a wider area of effect… there would be a possibility that I’d get caught in it. And yet, you didn’t… why?”
“Uu… I don’t like it. ‘Cause you might’ve died if I did that, right? Plus, it’d suck to burn such a pretty face… since you’re as beautiful as you are and all,” Ryner said without hesitation, tired as always.
She stared at him and was quiet for some time. Whatever her intentions might be, she sheathed her blade. “Hm. I see. My beauty’s enough to bring the world to its knees, so it’s no surprise your sex-crazed mind was unable to focus on the battle for dirty thoughts, unable to make good judgments… I see, so that’s how it is.”
She said all that with a straight face… Ryner was at a loss for words for a moment. “Hah? Enough to bring the world to to its knees?”
She turned her back, completely ignoring him. “Stand. Let’s get going. The king is waiting for us.”
“Even if you say ‘let’s get going,’ there’s not a single guy alive that’d honestly follow along to his death sentence…”
“If you don’t want to come, then don’t. But you’d probably really regret that.”
Her words left a horrible aftertaste. She began to walk at a brisk pace.
Ryner groaned. He understood that it was a trap. It sounded strange, like it was just something she said to get him to appear before the king.
Ryner spoke, softly, words only meant for his own ears. “Don’t listen to her, Ryner. Now’s your chance. If you run now, you won’t be executed.”
But in the end…
“…Augh! No! Hey, wait! You coward! What do you mean by regret? That wouldn’t make anyone go from ‘I wanna run’ to ‘there’s no way I can run,’ you know.”
…No matter how you look at it, a guy who says that was definitely planning on running.
She turned back to face him. “Regrets are regrets. If you run, the king will hear about it and expose your embarrassing past to the world.”
“…Embarrassing past? The hell’s that supposed to mean? I can’t recall anything particularly embarrassing—”
She cut him off, laughing like she took him for a fool. “Is that so? You’ve been an old digger since you were six. I suppose you don’t think being a homewrecker is embarrassing. Let’s go. Then you can decide what to do.”
She walked with the same brisk pace from earlier and disappeared within the royal court.
Ryner just stood, amazed. Her words swirled around and around in his head.
Homewrecker. Old digger since he was six.
They were nostalgic words. Words he should’ve never heard again. And yet…
He’d been brought here for his death sentence.
What did it mean? What was happening?
Those words frantically spun around in his head, leading him to a single answer.
“…Seriously? That’s how it is now? The hell? Hey, w, wait up!”
He ran to catch up after her, flustered.
The path they were on… should lead to the king of their country.
