MTO C83

Chapter 83

 

When the townspeople finished their meal, they began returning one by one to their homes. Those who had lost their dwellings in the fire decided to stay for the time being in inns or with nearby neighbors. All expenses incurred from this arrangement were to be borne by House Eglence. The same applied to the cost of medical care for the wounded and the reconstruction of buildings.

Kaidan approached Michel, who was mingling among the townsfolk. By now, he was cradling yet another unfamiliar child in his arms, rocking the little one gently to sleep.

Despite spending the entire day mediating between quarrelsome adults and then running about all night to fight the fire, not a trace of fatigue could be seen on him. It was a mystery how that slender body could harbor such inexhaustible strength.

“Saint.”

At the sound of Kaidan’s voice, Michel turned around. Seeing him, his face lit up, and he promptly handed the child to a man who seemed to be the father. Then, after darting quick glances around them, he moved close to Kaidan and whispered confidentially.

“Did you eat the soup with Brother Jared?”

Why he had to say that while standing so near was beyond Kaidan’s comprehension, but he answered obediently nonetheless.

“Yes.”

“H-How did it go?”

Michel’s brows knit anxiously together, his face set in comical seriousness. Even so, soot streaked across his cheeks robbed him of any dignity the expression might have carried. Evidently no one had told him about the smudges. If anything, they seemed darker than before.

Had he really been walking around the townsfolk with that face? Kaidan grimaced, wondering what they must have thought.

…Or perhaps, seeing him looking as soot-stained and weary as they themselves, they had found comfort instead.

“He’s decided to return to the castle.”

“Really?”

Michel sighed in visible relief, hand pressed to his chest. Smiling faintly at the sight, Kaidan drew out a handkerchief and handed it to him.

“Your face is a mess.”

“Ah—thank you.”

Michel took it without complaint and began scrubbing at his face with such vigor that Kaidan winced, worried he might scrape the skin raw. The more he wiped, however, the worse it got—the soot merely spread wider. Even when Kaidan tried to point out a missed spot, Michel seemed incapable of wiping the right area.

“Here? Oh?”

At last, Kaidan snatched the handkerchief back. Pouring a little water onto it from his canteen, he stepped closer, grasped the back of Michel’s head, and began wiping his face himself.

Michel squeezed his eyes shut but did not pull away. Once he realized Kaidan’s touch was gentle, he even started talking idly again.

“See? I told you everything would work out after you had some soup! People just need full stomachs to have room in their hearts. Oh, by the way, weren’t the black eagles amazing earlier? They were dropping water from the skies like flying wells—oh, it was glorious. Ah, by the way, you didn’t get hurt anywhere, did you, Kaidan?”

Chatter, chatter. Kaidan understood only half of what he said, but made no effort to stop him. He simply focused on cleaning Michel’s small face. His features were delicate, his skin unusually soft for a man’s—it almost made Kaidan uncomfortable. He examined his work carefully, checking that no smudge remained. With his eyes closed, Michel’s white face appeared calmer, more solemn than usual.

Perhaps that was why an odd, unexplainable feeling welled within Kaidan. How could a man who looked so frail throw himself unhesitatingly into battle with monsters—or into a blazing fire? It was enough to make him wonder if Michel’s sense of fear had been struck numb by lightning.

“You were dragged into trouble because of me,” Kaidan murmured impulsively, still watching his face. Michel, eyes closed, lifted his brows faintly as if to ask what he meant.

“I mean this whole incident. Because of my childish quarrel with Woolsley, you and the children suffered for nothing. You’ve worked hard.”

How many times now had he shown this man his pathetic side? He finally understood why Michel worried about him—seeing him behave so miserably must make him uneasy living in Eglence Castle.

Kaidan felt a need to show Michel something steadier, worth relying on. After all, he was his esteemed guest. But how?

“Hey, that’s not how you say it.”

Before Kaidan could even form a thought, Michel interrupted. He frowned slightly, puzzled by the remark; then Michel smiled in playful reproach.

“What you say right now is, ‘Thank you.’”

“…”

“Go on, repeat after me—‘Thank you.’”

Urged by that gentle yet insistent voice, Kaidan parted his lips—but nothing came out. His throat locked tight, and the first attempt failed.

Still, he did not give up. After a pause, he tried again, his voice low but clear.

“Thank you.”

He had managed to say it. And Michel’s smile bloomed, his cheeks lifting higher than before. When he opened his eyes, his face shone with undiluted brightness.

“You’re most welcome.”

Behind that innocent grin, a faint light began to dawn—the endless night was finally retreating, and the first pale glow of morning spilled across the sky.

Perhaps it was the sudden radiance that made Kaidan avert his gaze; he could no longer look directly at Michel. It was time to return to the castle.

“Let’s go.”

“Wait a moment.”

Just as Kaidan stepped back, Michel caught his arm and reached toward his face. Kaidan thought to move aside, but his body froze; he couldn’t even breathe properly.

Pale, slender fingers brushed softly along his cheek. Beneath the faint burnt scent clung a trace of sweetness that still lingered in the air.

“You’ve got soot on you too, Kaidan.”

Michel held up his sooty fingertips as if for proof. In his violet eyes, light flickered brighter than any flame.

Thump.

Suddenly Kaidan felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest. He clutched his left side, grimacing, and Michel’s expression shifted to alarm.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“…It’s nothing.”

“Don’t say that. Are you sure you’re all right?”

“Yes.”

“Oh dear, you must’ve overexerted yourself. You need to go back to the castle right now and rest—truly rest, understood?”

Kaidan nodded vaguely, hoping only that Michel would step away.

“Saint!”

Just then someone called for Michel. He hesitated, unwilling to leave Kaidan’s side, but Kaidan quickly urged him on with a push between the shoulders. Michel repeated several times that Kaidan must rest as soon as he returned, then dashed off toward the townsfolk calling for him.

Left alone, Kaidan pressed his hand over his chest. The pain he’d felt moments ago seemed to vanish with Michel’s departure; yet his ribs felt strangely hollow—an emptiness lingering inside. Perhaps he truly did need rest.

Kaidan’s eyes lingered on Michel’s retreating figure for a long while before he finally turned away.

The wicked dragon went to slumber, and at last the long-awaited spring fairy arrived. After a grueling winter, the residents of Eglence Castle were granted a short reprieve. The Duke of Eglence himself had issued an unprecedented decree: all work was to halt, and everyone was to rest. Each person received a modest holiday allowance and a stern warning—that anyone caught working during their leave would be severely punished.

The maids who had spent their days sweeping and polishing the castle returned home to their families for the first time in ages. The stable hands took turns sharing days off. The cooks prepared vast quantities of food so no one would need to cook for a while, then laid down their utensils.

The knights of Eglence could not rest entirely, bound as they were to patrol routes and guard duties, yet even they looked noticeably healthier once freed from their daily dawn training.

Thus a peaceful week passed. One warm morning, under the radiant spring sunlight, the knights gathered at the training grounds wearing faces of resigned gloom.

“Sigh… if he made us rest an entire week, how much harder is he planning to work us now?”

“Just thinking about drills again makes it feel like I never rested at all…”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Everyone knows you spent the whole time at the tavern with Miss Rose.”

“Ahhh, those were the days. Like a dream come true.”

Even as they exchanged their foolish banter, they sighed heavily enough to sink the ground. Their week of rest had been sweet as honey—but now that their bodies were refreshed, the thought of the ordeal ahead made their hearts quail all the more.

Their captain, no doubt, had also rested well. What kind of training awaited them now, they dared not even imagine.

Just when the urge to flee became almost irresistible, a figure strode into the boisterous training yard.

“Oh? Sir Jared!”

All eyes turned at once. Contrary to expectations that the captain himself would lead their drills today, it was Jared who appeared.

On the night of the great fire in the town square, the knights had witnessed Jared’s valorous deeds and quietly hoped for his return to the order. Yet, from that night onward, no one inside or outside the castle had seen him. Even the commander had said nothing, and most assumed Jared had left Valois for good.

His sudden appearance now was like an unexpected gift.

“Sir Jared! When did you come back?”

“Does this mean you’re taking over training again?”

“Why so late? We’ve all been waiting for you!”

The knights erupted in cheer and laughter. Some were even moved to tears from relief and joy.

Surrounded in an instant by broad-shouldered, bellowing men, Jared raised a disapproving brow.

“Attention!”

His thunderous voice cracked through the yard, and every knight straightened sharply, though not one could quite suppress the smiles tugging at their lips. Jared clicked his tongue at the sight of their grinning faces.

“What are you all grinning about? I saw how sloppily you’ve been behaving lately. Knights of the realm with less discipline than fledgling eagles, honestly…”

“Ah, we’ve missed your scolding, Sir Jared! Please, chastise us more!”

Jared shot the man a glare sharp enough to pierce armor—but the knight’s eyes gleamed, utterly sincere. Looking around at them as though surrounded by lunatics, Jared could only sigh.

“Fine then. You won’t be leaving this yard on your feet today. Twenty laps around should be child’s play for you lot, eh?”

“Yes, Sir!”

“Good. The last one to finish will be eagle feed—now run!”

At his command, the knights broke into motion, sprinting madly, kicking up clouds of dust as they charged like boys at play. Their massive frames thundering across the training ground made them look less like soldiers than a stampede of bison.

“Idiots, the lot of them,” Jared muttered, shaking his head as some of them, faces aflush, waved at him mid-run. These fools were the future defenders of House Eglence? God help them. It would seem his retirement was still a long way off.

Yet as Jared’s sharp eyes followed the rampaging men, a faint smile touched their corners, soft and unnoticed.