That evening, Ran passed through the Orvik Gate amidst a group of mercenaries.
'A double life as a security chief and a broker, huh.'
He admired it inwardly. Ran pulled his hood deep over his head and blended in with the group.
At some point, he heard children's voices ahead. As if waiting for this moment, they all started saying similar things.
"Mister Mercenary! Shall I shine your shoes?"
"Need a place to stay? I can find you a room!"
"Mister! Delicious restaurant! Come eat before you go!"
The children shouted like chicks waiting for food from a mother bird.
Ran, who had been walking silently, stopped in his tracks.
A boy grabbed his trouser leg. The boy had a baby, who looked as if she had just begun to walk, strapped to his back.
"Mister, shave here. I'll hold the mirror for you."
Compared to the other children, his voice was especially small. His expression, too, was dispirited. The baby on his back giggled with no idea what was going on. That laughter seemed to weigh heavily on some part of the boy.
"Don't people usually shave in the morning?"
Ran, looking disinterested, took the boy to a corner.
He took out five silver coins from his inner pocket. The boy's eyes widened. The most one could get in a whole day's begging was two copper coins, and even that only if one was lucky. More often than not, one left empty-handed.
Ran put the silver coins into the small pouch tied to the boy's waist.
"Don't hang around here. Give this to a coachman you know in the village. Learn how to tend horses, whatever it takes. If you manage to learn to ride as well, even better."
He pointed to the gate. Mercenaries were still coming through. Most of them were on horseback.
"If people want to go into the mountains, they'll have to leave your horse somewhere anyway. That'll be your job."
The boy, mouth agape, looked that way, then back at Ran. He nodded his head vigorously.
Ran smiled faintly and ruffled the boy's hair. He gently poked the chubby cheeks of the baby on the boy's back. The baby, who had been smiling brightly, suddenly looked like she was about to cry.
Ran hurriedly moved on.
His steps carried him toward the church.
* * *
Scrrrk.
The confessional booth opened.
A priest's voice came from beyond the partition.
"As Asriel shines His light upon our hearts, let us trust firmly in His mercy. Confess truthfully the sins you have committed."
The confessional was so cramped it was hard to stand straight. Even so, Ran stretched his knees and stood hunched. He leaned slantwise toward the partition.
"I have killed far too many people. So many that forgiveness is difficult."
"We live in a sorrowful age where one must kill to survive."
Ran was turning his dagger over in his hands. In the small cell, a cold gleam flickered.
"This isn't the era I wanted. I did nothing to make it this way. So, do I have no sins to confess?"
"Just because you're soaked by the rain doesn't mean you can blame the sky. Some, however, try to avoid the rain."
"It was a barren field, not a single shade anywhere. Someone beside me even splashed a puddle of rainwater on me. Even so, is it my fault I couldn't escape the rain?"
"No. Brother, you tried hard enough. You are here, confessing your sins to the Lord."
"Amen."
Ran tapped the partition with his dagger's tip. He opened his eyes, half-closed in thought.
"To be honest, I am also a priest."
"? Pleased to meet you, brother."
"I have come from a very far place."
"Is this the end of your path of repentance?"
"It is. Perhaps, do you have anything to confess, brother?"
Shhhk.
Ran pushed his dagger through the opening of the confessional.
Silence settled in.
"If you have sins, let me take them from you. I will bear them."
They were close enough that, if not for the partition, their breaths would meet.
Ran looked into the unseen space beyond.
The other's breathing was steady, unwavering.
"I am fully prepared to pay for my sins."
The priest on the other side continued.
"I love a woman. So, I have decided to set aside my shepherd's staff."
Ran had entered Orvik under the condition of helping Armand assassinate the High Priest.
Before that, he wanted to be sure. As an inquisitor, he had always needed cause and clear evidence to mete out punishment.
Ran listened intently to the other priest's voice.
"She is a pitiable woman. She has so many wounds already, she's exhausted to her core. I can't bear to hurt her anymore. I must stay by her side."
"The Lord does not condemn love between man and woman as a sin. Why commit apostasy?"
"I am the cause of all her suffering. She had to endure endless suspicion and misunderstanding because of me. Now it's my turn to summon my courage."
At some point, the positions in the confession had reversed.
Ran listened as a priest to the other's confession. As an inquisitor, his senses were on edge.
The man spoke only the truth.
* * *
At the same time, joyous laughter filled the guest room of the Orvik manor.
Lady Margherita and her two daughters, along with Camus and Viola, sat around the dining table.
Toby and Iel waited in a separate guest room outside the reception chamber.
"If you'd like, why don't you have some?"
Armand offered Iel a small box. Inside were snacks. He treated Iel with the polite manners befitting a grown lady.
Toby narrowed his eyes.
"She usually doesn't just eat anything. She's not the type to accept random food."
"Please be careful what you say. The Lady herself specially arranged for these refreshments for the guests in the waiting room."
"Then can I have one—?"
Armand slapped Toby's hand away.
"Where do you think you're—tsk."
"Tsk? Is there no limit to how much you'll look down on me for being a kid?"
They stopped as a woman entered the room. She was a beauty by anyone's standards.
"Armand!"
"Oh, lady Judith."
Judith's face brightened. The two embraced lightly. Judith didn't even look at Iel or Toby.
"Why are you still here? Haven't you eaten?"
"I'm fine. My duty is to protect the Lady and her daughters."
"That's so like you, Armand. Thanks to you, I'm always at ease."
After a quick greeting, judith left again. Toby tilted his head in puzzlement.
'Wasn't he supposed to be the security chief? If you didn't know, you'd think he was a knight of the house.'
No matter how close a knight was to the family, nobles never acted so kindly.
Though noble society, once steeped in empty formalities, was shifting toward practicality, it was odd for the security chief to take responsibility for escorting important guests and overseeing manor security.
'Well, I do act like a friend around my lord, too.'
Just then, another woman came in. This was Evia, judith's younger sister by a year, also strikingly beautiful.
Evia also exchanged familiar greetings with Armand and returned to the guest room.
By this point, Toby felt quite envious of Armand. Two beautiful noblewomen had gone out of their way to greet the security chief in person. Armand's natural composure suggested this happened all the time.
'What on earth is this guy's deal?'
He was starting to feel hungry, and it irked him. Grumbling, Toby eyed Iel.
Iel was just staring down at the box held between both hands.
'Poor thing.'
As the daughter of Duke Igraine, she used to be treated with honor wherever she went.
In the past, at least.
Now, being discovered could get her into serious trouble. No one knew what would happen if anyone learned that the duke's daughter, currently locked away in her domain, was here. Camus had emphasized again and again how much care Iel required.
Iel was even wearing a white bridal veil to hide her striking features as best she could.
Just then, Toby looked at her with pity.
"Armand."
This time, the voice was sultry, much richer than before.
Toby and Iel looked in that direction at the same time.
"A-ah, marge? No, my Lady!"
Armand hastily corrected himself.
Lady Margherita's beauty stood out even in middle age. There wasn't a single flaw to be found in her slender figure and lustrous, fair skin.
"You may turn in for the night now. You must be tired."
"No, my Lady! It's not every day we receive guests from afar. I must do my best to serve!"
Toby, too, stared blankly at Margherita. Now that he saw her, it seemed Judith and Evia had only inherited a fraction of her charm.
'Count Orvik, what on earth were you thinking to leave this lady behind?'
Suddenly, Toby gulped. Lady Margherita's hand slid down Armand's shoulder and back, all the way to his rear.
It wasn't a mistake or accident; the touch was bold and unhesitant.
'Whoa! What the—?'
She didn't seem to care at all that others were watching. Toby quickly looked away—only to see that Iel was watching, too. He turned Iel's head in another direction as best he could, regardless of propriety.
"Ahem, ahem."
Armand cleared his throat. His face was flushed red to the point of bursting. Lady Margherita had already left.
Toby scowled.
"Now that's a bit much, isn't it?"
"Hmm, don't get the wrong idea and spread weird rumors, please. The Lady is just especially affectionate, that's all."
Armand struggled to control his expression. His true feelings were different. Now that things were like this, he wanted all of Rel to hear the rumor.
'Finally, I know how she truly feels.'
This was the first time Lady Margherita had shown him affection in front of others.
To be honest, he'd always been confused—her tone, her gaze, each little gesture.
'Like a lover, yet not. Always on that ambiguous line.'
At times, she was a solemn lady of the house. At others, a captivating older woman.
He'd suffered alone, unable to push her to speak her true heart, because of the insurmountable barrier of their statuses.
'Does that mean I'm going to be a stepfather to Judith and Evia now?'
Now, all was clear. The weight of responsibility already pressed on him.
Armand calmed himself. Once the heat cooled, the task before him came into sharp relief.
'I must get rid of the High Priest as soon as possible.'
A beast blinded by greed was targeting Margherita. A memory flashed by: Margherita's anxious face when she was with the High Priest.
Armand bit his lip.
'Why now, when there are guests...?'
Recently, the mood in Orvik had been unsettled. With the lord's seat vacant, the territory's people felt a vague anxiety.
And now, important guests had arrived after so long.
If a single unfortunate incident caused a scandal, the chaos would only worsen.
'Now that Ran is here, this is the perfect time—damn.'
Armand paced the corridor, his mind racing.
The gathering concluded. Nobles from both families were leaving the guest chamber.
"Escort the guests to the manor. Everyone, move to your assigned posts."
Armand directed his subordinates deftly. He was positively brimming with elation.
Armand and his guards surrounded the departing nobles, escorting them with precision.
Lady Margherita and her two daughters came out to the manor's front gate to see off Camus and her party.
"Won't you stay a bit longer?"
"We can't be away from our lands for long, but thank you for your warm hospitality, my lady."
Margherita and Camus exchanged parting pleasantries.
From afar, the urgent clatter of hooves was heard. Armand immediately stepped forward to protect the nobles.
"C-Chief! Something's happened!"
It was a gate guard. As soon as he dismounted, he was gasping for breath.
Armand chided him quietly.
"Are you out of your mind? Do you know where you are, raising such a fuss?"
"Oh, Chief! That's not the issue! T-The Emperor's Imperial Guards just arrived! A-And..."
Armand's eyes widened. He glanced quickly toward Margherita before pressing the guard.
"Speak slowly and clearly. The Imperial Guard arrived—so what?"
"T-They say they're searching for the crown prince's killer hiding in Orvik! They're turning the mercenaries upside down! It's chaos!"
Armand froze.
Behind the guard, the sound of more hoofbeats grew closer.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
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