MTO C75

Chapter 75

“The fact that Kaidan said he has no reason to call on him again… means that if Brother Jared comes to him first, he’s willing to talk about it, right?”

Kaidan gave Michel a bewildered look, as if to ask whether he had lost his mind. But Michel stood his ground.

“Right? I’m correct, aren’t I?”

“……”

“If Brother Jared comes back, you’ll meet with him, won’t you? You’ll hear him out, right?”

As Michel pressed him relentlessly and leaned forward again, Kaidan drew his neck back to keep distance, muttering with his head turned diagonally away.

“Well, if he only repents for his mistake……”

Michel had expected as much. No matter how prickly he acted on the outside, deep down Kaidan wanted to see Jared again and reconcile.

Having finally gotten an answer, Michel snapped his fingers with delight. Now that he understood how to solve the problem, all that was left was to tackle it head-on.

“Alright then. I’ll go and bring Brother Jared back, so in the meantime don’t overexert yourself and make sure you rest plenty!”

“Wait. Where is it you’re trying to go right now……”

“I’ll be right back!”

Before he could be caught, Michel darted out of the office in a flash. But it wasn’t long before he returned to stand in front of Kaidan again.

“I nearly forgot!”

“……?”

Grabbing Kaidan’s hand before he could react, Michel pressed Jared’s gold-button into his palm.

“When Brother Jared comes, you must return this to him directly. Understood?”

“Wait……”

“Then, I’ll see you again a bit later!”

It seemed Kaidan was about to say something, but Michel vanished with even greater speed than before. Time was short if he was to bring Jared back to the castle before the day was over.

When Michel said he wished to meet Jared, two knights joined him as escorts and guides. One of them was Owen. As they walked toward the inn, Owen spoke of what had occurred in the meantime. The knights had tried several times to meet Jared, but each time they had been driven away at the door, unable to even exchange proper words.

“Then today as well, he might refuse to open the door. Last time we tried, we were all thoroughly scolded.”

Michel belatedly began to worry. What if Jared refused to even exchange words with him? But there was no other option. He simply had to try. Even if the door stayed shut, then he would speak to him through the door.

True to what he had heard, the inn Jared was staying at lay directly outside Eglence Castle. Because of the foul weather they could not take a carriage, but it was easily within walking distance. Michel had the sense that this short distance mirrored Kaidan and Jared’s relationship. No matter how far apart they seemed, they were still close enough to see each other again at any time.

Following the knights inside, Michel entered the inn.

“Sir Jared, it’s Holt. Please open the door for a moment.”

Owen first knocked on the door behind which Jared was lodging. From beyond came heavy, thudding footsteps.

Soon the door flung open and Jared burst out. His usual menacing aura was all the more fearsome today, for he had a sharp sword in hand. Owen flinched back in fright.

“How many times must I tell you never to come again……!”

Just as Jared was about to unleash a fierce shout, Michel poked his head timidly from behind Owen’s back. At that sight, Jared’s ferocity, wild like a raging tiger, subsided at once. Jared looked down in surprise at Michel, who bowed politely to him.

“Hello, Sir Jared. It’s been a while.”

Jared shifted his gaze toward the two knights standing protectively for Michel, then drove his sword down into the floor with a heavy thrust. The wooden boards trembled under the force, though his blade did not fully sheath. The gesture seemed to say he would not attack—for now.

“What business brings you here……?”

Jared asked, unable to hide his reluctance. Michel smiled brightly.

“I came because I wish to speak with you, Sir Jared. Would now be a good time?”

Jared scowled, but to Michel’s astonishment, he stepped back and opened the door wider as if to invite him in. Michel had entirely expected to be thrown out at once, so he quickly seized the chance before Jared could change his mind.

But Jared barred the way when the knights tried to enter as well.

“You two wait here.”

“What? That’s not possible. We are tasked to guard the saint……”

“Are you suggesting I would harm the saint?”

Jared’s fierce glare bore down on the knights. Though they faltered under his oppressive aura, they still stood firm, insisting they could not leave the saint alone. At this rate, the peaceful inn was bound to turn into a dueling ground, so Michel rushed to intervene.

“It’s fine! This is Sir Jared we’re talking about. If anything happens, I’ll call on you both, so please stay here.”

As Michel himself tried to ease them, the knights had little choice but to comply. But their repeated warnings not to let down his guard earned Michel another sharp look from Jared. Really, he was not a helpless child, so why did everyone fuss over him so? It seemed Kaidan’s overprotective nature had spread across the entire order of knights.

Bang.

The door shut, and Jared gestured with his chin toward a chair inside.

“Sit there.”

“Yes, sir!”

Obedient as a pup, Michel quickly sat in the chair. Jared, as though trying to treat him like a guest, fetched a pot and cups. Michel quietly watched as he poured water.

Jared had gone a week without trimming his beard, giving him a rather rough, natural appearance. Stripped of his heavy armor and clad in nothing but a simple tunic, he seemed even more detached from worldly concerns. His pale face showed the toll of sleepless nights. But his eyes, sharp as an eagle’s, had lost none of their edge.

He handed a cup to Michel.

“This is all I have to offer.”

“I was thirsty anyway. Thank you.”

In truth, Michel wasn’t thirsty at all, but accepted quickly and drank a sip. A bitter, sour taste lingered on his tongue, perhaps from the beer cup it had originally contained. Without betraying his distaste, Michel quietly set the cup back on the table.

Jared seated himself across from him.

“How is the injured boy?”

Unexpectedly, it was Jared who began the conversation. Unlike outside in the hallway, here his demeanor seemed far more awkward.

For a moment Michel didn’t realize who he meant, until it struck him that the only recently injured child was Max.

“He’s alright. His wound was stitched and it’s healing well.”

“That day I behaved abominably. I was blinded and yelled in front of the child.”

A regretful expression showed on Jared’s face. Michel now saw why Jared had driven the knights out yet allowed him in. Jared was another who felt guilt over that day.

“Of course an eagle wouldn’t just attack people. That was why I got so angry. But reflecting on it, I realized I never saw it myself, so I couldn’t know the truth. I apologize to both the saint and the boy.”

“I understand. It was a situation where anyone would lose their temper.”

“Thank you for saying so. I also apologize for my discourtesy until now. My heart was narrow, and I treated you ill.”

“Is that so?”

“……”

Michel blinked, surprised, and asked again, while Jared regarded him with blurred eyes, as if wondering how he could not have realized. Hastily, Michel laughed.

“Thank you for apologizing first.”

Jared scratched his jaw self-consciously. Seeing the conversation begin on such a note gave Michel confidence. Persuading him did not seem as difficult as he had feared.

“I came to speak because there was a misunderstanding about that day.”

“A misunderstanding?”

“Yes! In fact, the Duke never gave an order to slay the eagles. The words were distorted as they spread. The eagles are still safe within the castle walls, being protected.”

Michel carefully left out the fact they were caged, since they might soon be released and, in any case, they were unharmed.

He thought Jared would be astonished and moved to change his mind. After all, that misunderstanding had been his greatest reason for leaving the order.

But Jared responded calmly.

“I already knew.”

“…What? You already knew?”

“The knights chatter ceaselessly. I’ve already heard that the eagles remain unharmed.”

Michel had thought the men had been thrown out shamefully, but it seemed they had delivered their message after all.

“Then… then why haven’t you returned to the castle?”

“Why should I go back to those who say I’m unnecessary? If they think an old, feeble eagle is not needed, then I should disappear.”

Jared snapped, then drank straight from the jug, as if to wash down his bitterness. Kaidan’s last words had wounded him deeply. Even though Michel had not been the one to say them, cold sweat prickled down his back.

“That’s not true. The Duke needs you now more than ever. Do you know how much he struggles without you by his side, Brother Jared?”

“Then why is the saint here persuading me, and not His Grace himself?”

“Well, that’s because……”

Michel couldn’t answer at once, and Jared, as though expecting it, blew a sharp, dismissive snort.

“His Grace is too busy to leave the castle even briefly……”

“If I’m unwanted, then I’ve no desire to stay! You came all this way, but my mind is set. Go back.”

Michel hurried to explain, but the moment had already passed. Jared stood as though the discussion were finished.

Michel couldn’t possibly return to the castle empty-handed. He jumped up in haste to follow Jared.

“But you do want to go back. Isn’t that why you haven’t left Valois yet?”

“I was about to leave tomorrow at dawn.”

Michel’s words had backfired and only fueled Jared’s resolve. Jared walked toward the door as if to see them out. By now, sweat poured down Michel’s body in torrents.