CH 7

2-7: Doubt

“Aaa~… I want to know……! I really want to know what he’s hiding…..!”

With a high-pitched sound, an empty glass was slammed onto the table. He pulled it up silently, pulled one of the bottles out of the rack and gently tilted it. Pushing the glass back into place, Leon rubbed his cheek against the desk, reached over and downed it in one gulp.

“That’s enough. You’re not a strong drinker, are you?”

As she said this, she realized that only the label was on the bottle and the contents had been replaced with plain water. The spacious room was already filled with the smell of alcohol and she guessed he didn’t even know what he was drinking anymore. As expected, he plopped down on the desk again when he was offered another glass.

“…… Hey, Lefilia.”

“Yes, what’s wrong?”

“What did Sage look like to you?”

Leon’s tone, which was on the verge of fainting, sounded sharpened suddenly and Lefilia stopped her outstretched hand. Leon, who should not have noticed the upset behavior added words as if to fold it up.

“When he was here, he was as strong as a monster. But he was also a good-natured, meddlesome and slightly shy guy.”

“…………”

What Leon is trying to say can be inferred. The words that were being said and the purpose for which they were being said, flashed through my mind and I felt a little angry, so I decided to remain silent.

The silence, suitable for late at night, did not last long. As if remembering something, Leon stood up and staggered to the door of the room.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“…..Are you going to accompany me to the bathroom?”

Leon put his hand on the door of the room, leaving a disgusted grunt behind him, perhaps it was because of the alcohol that his attitude was bad. Of course, the will of a drunken person is not to be respected and Lefilia followed silently.

The long, wide corridor had fallen asleep with the light of day and the only sounds other than our footsteps were the twinkling of the evenly spaced lights. As expected, I lent my shoulder to Leon, who was unsteady on his feet and threw him into the bathroom. I’m certain it’s going to be a long day, as he was saying some incomprehensible words.

“…… Fu.”

It was then that I looked up at the sky, with the moonlight on my profile. From the side, I felt the signs of people and the sound of rubbing clothes and reflectively slipped into the gap between the pillars near me and the furniture. By the time I realized that there was no need to hide, the sound of footsteps had already reached me.

Peeking through the small gap was the king, Jean Fermina. Although he stood out differently from his official duties, he couldn’t hide the atmosphere around him.

“… are you watching the moonlit night?”

Feeling an indescribable fear of thin ice slipping down her back, Lefilia turned her gaze.

“Oh… your Majesty… maybe it’s because I’m in a different …… environment, but I couldn’t sleep and got up.”

Sage Luxuria, who had been the topic of the story unfolding that had been going on at the bar, appeared as though he’d been standing there all along.

Underneath his armor, which he had indeed removed, his physique, as far as I could see under the dim moonlight and candlelight, was not so different from Leon’s. He was a sturdy man with a strong build, but not muscular. The profile of the man peeking out at me gave me a hint of innocence, but considering the fact that he was still underage, I guessed it was appropriate for his age.

From his appearance, it would be hard to imagine that he was a warrior representing his country, but after seeing him fight like a monster yesterday, I couldn’t joke about it.

“It’s not only the unfamiliar bed, but also the air that you haven’t felt in years. You can’t help it.”

“I’m sorry, you even got a room ready for me….”

“….Hmmm, Sage. You’re a little too serious. This is why you hold a deep reason not to dwell in the world of humans and that something you don’t want prying eyes to know.”

“…………”

“As I said, if your will is to share your innermost thougths, just confide in me.”

“…… What can I say, His Majesty the King is no less than Lady Christia.”

The heavy atmosphere that seemed to bite words was relieved by Sage who laughed and softened his expression.

“As a king, I pride myself on having a better eye than most, don’t you think?”

“It’s as you say…… Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go. Would you need an escort?”

“I don’t need attention. I’m just taking a walk around my house.”

“I understand…… Then….”

Sage bowed deeply and turned on his heel. The king also turned his back on Sage and started walking away.

“Hmm ……?”

Lefilia and Sage are not very acquainted with each other. Being a high-ranking Knight in the kingdom of Fermina, you often go to other countries for joint exercises and training. However, in Sage’s case, the speed of promotion until he got the title of Holy Knight was so unusual that he couldn’t even have the opportunity and at that time, Lefilia had a military base in the opposite direction to Fermina, so they could not have made contact with each other.

I had heard about Sage through rumors and word of mouth from Leon that he was an excellent knight. Now that I’ve seen him in person, I know that his reputation as a soft-spoken, serious young man is true. But then again, …….

“What did Leon fear about that knight ……?”

The fact that he appeared as if he had melted out of the darkness of the night, without a sign or sound, certainly gave me an inexplicable sense of unease. But I guess ‘his land’ is so harsh that you have to kill all signs of life so thoroughly.

Was it just a slight feeling of discomfort like a small bone stuck in your mouth when drinking alcohol?

Or is he just hiding the reason why he doesn’t put it into words?

As I stood alone in the deserted space, the door to the bathroom swung open with a sense of trepidation.

“It’s okay to come out, Leon.”

I turned to face Leon, who had closed the door behind him so as not to make a sound.

“You used me as a pawn to eavesdrop, didn’t you? It’s a lot easier to do things when you can make it seem that way.”

With a serious look on his face, Leon held up his hands and shook his head.

“It’s just a coincidence this time. I happened to be sick and heard my father and Sage talking. That’s all. Don’t always assume I’m up to something.”

“So?” Leon started to ask.

“I ask you again, what is your impression of Sage? Did you have any thoughts about him?”

This guy was pretending to be drunk a while ago. Lefilia stood firm against the desire to speak out.

“No, I didn’t feel the suspicion point that you talked about. It’s just that the strength and tranquility of his magical power is at a tremendously high level.”

“I see….”

Contrary to my convincing words, Leon scratched his hair with dissatisfaction.

“But what was that? It sounded like there’s a deep story that outsiders wouldn’t understand.”

“There’s something called a mandatory information sharing requirement and I heard that people who want to keep things secret will be hung upside down.”

In spite of the serious tone of his voice, his expression was stiff, as if he was trying to stifle a laugh.

“I’m sorry for doing that, but it’s a bad habit of yours to take on too much of everything. If you’re fine with it, I’ll at least listen to you complain.”

“…………”

As if he couldn’t think of the right words, Leon put his hand on Lefilia’s head in embarrassment and slid himself into the open door. With a giggle, Lefilia followed suit.

On the other side of the open and closed door, in a corner of the corridor that had regained its silence, the light from a candlestick flickered loudly.

Deep in the darkness, where no one was supposed to be, Sage Luxuria, who was supposed to have left, stood alone, as if looking through the depths of the dark night.

In the depths of his orange-lit eyes, there was a slight, but definite, purple light stirring soundlessly.