Chapter 67

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“Did you say, you’re Takumi? Indeed, your “black” hair and eyes are quite fascinating. Were you born in Ritzheim?”

“No, I wasn’t born in this country.”

“Oh! Where did you come from then?”

The old man, who we’re in charge of, is getting really talkative and keeps pestering me!!

After departing the royal capital, we were heading towards Wazlow City, but the old man kept stopping the carriage for various reasons, like “My stomach hurts, I’m tired, I need a break, I want to see that scenery.” He stopped the carriage over and over again.

We were supposed to spend a night in a walled city on the way to Wazlow City, but we were delayed, and due to the multiple stops, the sun had begun to set.

At sunset, nocturnal monsters become more active. Gazelle decided it was dangerous to push on in these circumstances.

If something were to happen to the old man, the carriage, or the cargo, it would be the responsibility of the Black-winged Knights. If mishandled, it could even become a political issue.

So we changed our plans and decided to stay overnight in a village on the way to Wazlow City.

Fortunately, the village, larger than Tomi village we had visited before, had a proper inn.

Well, even if we had to camp, we had brought the necessary equipment. But staying in an inn is always preferable.

We were carrying our baggage into the inn, but then…

“My birthplace is a small island country, so even if I tell you the name, you probably won’t know it.”

“Hmm. What about your parents? Did they also have black hair and eyes?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“How wonderful! Where are your parents now? Can you contact them?”

Ah, enough already!

Why does this old man keep talking to me!?

His two male attendants just stand there, smirking, and say nothing!

“My parents… they are not here anymore.”

“What, how boring. They’re dead? You really got my hopes up.”

Wait, wait!? Don’t just kill off my parents like that!

They’re both alive and well in the other world!

As I was wondering whether to correct him, I heard my name being called.

Looking, I saw Iris beckoning to me from the back door of the inn. Relieved to leave the scene, I headed over.

“What’s up, Iris? Is something wrong…?”

“Oh, they are just so annoying!”

Iris managed a difficult feat of whispering angrily. He’s unusually angry, his eyes narrowed.

“You’ve come to help because you saw I was in trouble. Sorry, I couldn’t handle it well.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Takumi! Even during the breaks on the way here, those people kept talking to you over and over again… You must be tired, poor thing.”

Iris patted my head, comforting me.

Yeah, that’s right. That old man keeps coming over to talk to me every chance he gets. I think it’s because my black hair and eyes are rare… but I can’t respond in an interesting way, so it must be boring to talk to me. 

“Thanks for caring. So, what’s next?”

“We’ll stay at the inn tonight and depart in the morning! Let’s get rid of them and deliver them to Wazlow City as quickly as possible! Takumi, use the room at the back. It’s the farthest from them and you’ll share it with Gazelle, so it’ll be the safest!” Share a room with Gazelle!?

Well, that might take some getting used to…!

But I can’t complain to Iris, who’s thoughtfully arranged this for me.

“Understood. What about the lookout around the inn?”

“After we’ve finished putting away the baggage, we’ll gather and decide. Please come to the dining room when you’re done.” After nodding to Iris, I decide to quickly take my belongings to the inn. There’s not much to unpack, so we all finish quickly and gather in the dining room.

Three members of our group, excluding Gazelle, Felix, and Iris, will take turns guarding the area around the inn.

I’m scheduled for just after midnight, so I plan to have dinner and take a short nap beforehand. Thankfully, it’s not too cold. But the late-night watch is a bit gloomy.

What if a ghost appears… I wonder if the Heart Sutra will work on ghosts in this world?

“Takumi. Are you alright now?”

“Gazelle? What’s up?”

Since there’s still some time before dinner, I was thinking about going back to my room for a bit when Gazelle called out to me.

“It’s not a big deal, but… can we talk for a bit?”

“Of course, I don’t mind.”

So as not to disturb the others and the other guests, we moved to a table in the corner of the dining hall and sat down. Then, Gazelle asked me with a serious look on his face.

“……Are you okay? I know you’re not the type to get upset over something like that, but…”

“Upset? Oh, you mean the comment about my parents?”

It seems he was worried about what the old man had said to me earlier, asking if my parents were already dead. Gazelle is kind.

But I’m okay!

I was surprised when the conversation proceeded on the assumption that my parents were dead, but it wasn’t that unpleasant.

I answered poorly, and misunderstandings can happen to anyone!

“I’m fine, don’t worry about me. Thanks for your concern.”

But more than that, I’m happy that Gazelle cared enough to check on me during the mission. I smiled and thanked him, and he smiled back, seeming relieved.

“I’m sorry. I knew what they were like, and I should’ve kept you out of this mission, even if I had to force it.”

“No, it’s my fault for not handling it well. Don’t worry about it. But is it enough just to keep watch on the inn?”

“Hm?”

“What about the carriage? There’s cargo, isn’t there?”

“Oh… They said the two servants would watch it. And that it would be fine since the Knights are watching the inn.” 

Gazelle shrugged as he answered, but I tilted my head at his words.

“Only two people? Even if the Knights are watching the inn, shouldn’t they be more cautious with cargo that was purchased all the way from the royal capital… Is there something else?”

Hmm? Maybe the servants take turns sleeping in the carriage.

Sleeping in the carriage sounds tough, but I’ve overslept on a train in my previous world and ended up at the wrong station. So it’s not impossible.

… Does the old man trust the Black-winged Knights enough to think that just two people watching the cargo will suffice?

Well then! If that’s the case, he might be a pretty nice guy after all!

That thought makes sense of his eagerness to talk to me earlier. Maybe he was intimidated because the other Black-winged Knights looked so cool, and he chose to talk to the most plain-looking and free rookie, me. Sadly, it explains his behavior.

I nodded to myself, while Gazelle in front of me seemed to realize something. He began to speak in a hushed voice after contemplating something.

“——Indeed, you’re right. I’ll send someone to the royal capital right away. It means we’ll be one short for watching, is that okay?”

“Huh? Isn’t it fine?”

I’m not sure what’s going on, but it seems one of the members has to make a quick trip to the royal capital. That’s tough.

“Well, Takumi, if anything bothers you, just say it right away.”

“Thank you. I’ll try to handle it better myself.”

After that, Gazelle and I stood up to leave. As we were about to leave the dining hall, we ran into Felix, who was coming in.

“!”

Seeing Felix up close again, I hesitated for a moment, wondering what to say.

Felix also hesitated, his amethyst eyes wavering, but quickly looked away. “I’m sorry to bother you at such a busy time, Commander Gazelle. Have you seen Iris?”

“He went towards the well at the back of the inn.”

“Thank you.”

Felix briefly bowed his head and turned away from us. Gazelle frowned at his cold attitude.

“What’s with him? …I knew he was avoiding you, but has he been like that all the time recently?”

“……Yeah, that’s how it’s been. I want to apologize, but I can hardly even talk to him…”

I slumped my shoulders, and Gazelle comforted me, patting my head.

“I can pretty much guess what’s bothering him… but to ignore cute Takumi like this, he’s a hopeless guy.”

“Ga, Gazelle… I’m not cute, you know.”

“What, are you embarrassed?”

Gazelle laughed heartily, rubbing my head and cheeks even more.

Being called cute was a little, no, quite embarrassing, but thanks to that, I felt better.

Gazelle must have been concerned about me, feeling down. A warm feeling spreads gently in my chest.

Afterward, I rested for a while in the room assigned to me, had dinner prepared in the dining hall, and tried to take a nap before my shift started for the night watch… but I couldn’t.

“According to the reconnaissance, there are twenty enemy shadows; don’t let your guard down! There might be bandits lurking! The first and second squads will guide the villagers to safety, and I’ll head to intercept with the third squad!”

“Sir, yes, sir!”

Bandits attacking the village? Talk about bad timing!

That was just as I was about to take a nap in my room.

As I was getting into bed, a few bandits invaded the weakest part of the village, setting fire to the straw and timber that was piled around. Luckily, a patrolling member of our group noticed the small fire, and they managed to prevent it from spreading, but the bandits had already invaded the village.

In a dimly lit rural area, the darkness of night sided with the bandits.

Therefore, the villagers without fighting ability were evacuated to the edge of the village under the guidance of our knights, led by vice-commander Felix.

Another member and I were left to guard the old merchant and his two servants. The rest, led by Commander Gazelle, headed to intercept the bandits.

For some reason, Gazelle initially tried to assign me to guide the villagers to safety, perhaps considering the way the old man had been annoying me earlier.

However, the old man insisted on having me as his guard when he heard about the bandits’ attack. I didn’t want to cause a fuss by refusing.

Well, having someone he knew nearby probably made the old man feel safer.

Although his behavior earlier was a bit irritating, he probably meant no harm.

“Takumi, be careful, okay? Don’t do anything reckless.”

“Yeah, you too, Gazelle.”

But then, dealing with mere bandits should be no problem for Gazelle, Felix, and the others, right? The real issue is me. I have to protect the old man properly…!

Gazelle silently nodded at my words, exchanging glances with Felix, Iris, and the other members. Everyone else silently nodded back at Gazelle.

Huh, am I being left out here?

More shocked by this unexpected situation than the news of the bandit attack, I headed to the inn’s dining hall on the first floor.

The innkeeper and his family had already been evacuated, so only the old man, his two male servants, the other member, and I remained. These servants also acted as guards, carrying swords at their sides. And yet, one of them stared at me with an even deeper smirk.

Amazing. Being able to smile in this situation… he must have great confidence in his abilities, how reassuring!