Chapter 64

Taking a deep breath, I slowly exhaled.

I rubbed my wrists, which still bore the marks of the bindings, as if to hide the trembling of my hands.

In my room at the mansion, Quincy and I faced each other alone.

"Well, don't you have something you want to ask?"

Quincy smoothly brought up the topic, as if he was unaware of the heavy atmosphere.

After being treated, I was questioned by Luke in a separate room about what the kidnappers had done to me and what I had told them.

Eugene was also moved to another location, treated, and questioned.

After that, Luke went out to report my safety.

The Mencius Knights, led by Fran, were guarding the mansion.

A member of the group was also stationed in front of my room at Tristan's order.

Quincy, who was usually nowhere to be found in the mansion, was by my side tonight.

"…Do you know who they are, Quincy?"

"They are members of the Blackberry Thieves. Their leader is Mary with the Thorns. If they want something, they'll do anything to get it."

I had heard of the Blackberry Thieves.

However, they were not known to have caused major incidents in the Kingdom of Albion.

Mary wanted to use my skill to create soldiers as she desired.

I didn't think they were just a band of thieves.

Hearing this, Quincy smiled.

"The Blackberry Thieves are just a front. Behind the scenes, they're causing trouble all over the place, targeting countries."

According to Quincy, the members of the thieves' group span across countries.

The exact scale of their organization is unknown.

"From Princess Daria's questions, it seems they were either hired by someone in the Empire or a noble from a country opposing the Empire. They were probably ordered to kidnap you and bring you to them."

Quincy said that their approach to Sir Corder and the explosion at the guild were all preparations to kidnap me.

As Thorn said, Mary seemed to have planned the kidnapping quite meticulously.

"If they're offered enough money, they'll take the job. To nobles who only see people as pawns, mercenaries and thieves are not much different."

Quincy said this with a mocking tone.

Why did they, after all this preparation, not bring me to their client?

"So, what did they tell you?"

"What do you mean…?"

Quincy approached me, who was sitting in a chair.

"You told Luke about the skill and Princess Daria, right? Didn't they also ask you about me?"

Quincy's gaze pierced me.

I took another deep breath and looked back at Quincy.

"…You said that to nobles, mercenaries and thieves are the same."

"Yeah."

"But you're different, right? You've been keeping the late king's orders."

Quincy's face twisted in a complex way.

It looked like he was trying to hold back a laugh or suppress his anger.

"Of course. My clan keeps their word."

Quincy's face quickly returned to its usual serious expression as he said this calmly.

There was not a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"Mary warned me not to trust you. She said, 'Would you entrust your guard to someone who can be kidnapped so easily?'"

"…Huh."

"But I trust you. So, I didn't tell Luke anything."

Mercenaries take jobs if they're offered enough money.

But I think they have a certain sense of pride in their work.

Mercenaries are indeed a free profession, but if they fail a job or abandon it halfway, they naturally lose credibility.

Thieves, on the other hand, break these rules without hesitation.

There's no trust or loyalty. If you get cheated, it's your own fault for being weak.

Mary and her group also abandoned their job and didn't take me away.

Quincy is different.

He has protected me as the late king ordered.

"I don't want to think about it, but… if Quincy let me be kidnapped, it was probably because of the late king's orders, right?"

I don't understand the late king's intentions or the reason for letting me be kidnapped, but that's probably it.

"You're awfully calm. You were looking pretty bad just a moment ago."

Quincy said he had never seen me look like that before.

I can't be calm.

I looked up at Quincy with a resentful gaze.

"For example, what would you have done if I had been killed or taken away?"

"That wouldn't have happened."

The corners of Quincy's mouth turned up.

I heard that Luke and the others were detained by a decoy carriage right after we were kidnapped.

Quincy's mercenary friends were apparently searching for us, but anything could have happened in that time.

However, Quincy's expression was calm in response to my question.

"…You don't mean to tell me that Melz is also a mercenary?"

Quincy nodded with a smile.

I thought he was from the Beastman District, but he was Quincy's ally.

"He's from the Beastman District, but he was also my ear. Two others were hiding in the attic, too."

Melz and the other mercenaries followed the other carriage after Luke and the others lost sight of me, and they kept an eye on the situation.

They assumed Mary wouldn't kill me, but if anything had happened, they would have stepped in, Quincy said.

If that's true, why didn't they help when Eugene was attacked?

"…What about Eugene?"

"My job is to protect you, right?"

Quincy stated the obvious coldly.

"Hah, you're looking pretty bad again."

I had unconsciously clenched my hands again.

I don't know what Quincy means by a "bad" face, but I feel angry.

"…I'm not angry at you, Quincy. I'm angry at myself for being unable to do anything."

Quincy neither confirmed nor denied whether he let me be kidnapped because of the late king's orders.

It's pointless to ask Quincy if he let Eugene die.

I was the one who couldn't do anything and got Eugene involved.

"Well, you should understand now. You can't just be a guild employee forever."

I already knew that, even without Quincy saying it.

I can't stay the way I am.

As Mary said, there are many people who want to use me.

With such a kidnapping incident, I can't imagine living a normal life.

Even though I knew this, I deliberately changed the subject.

"…Melz told me that Mary wanted to know who you are. I couldn't answer because I haven't seen your status."

"Hey,"

Quincy started to say something, but the conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Luke and Alice, whom I hadn't seen in a while, peeked in.

"…Noah?"

Luke looked puzzled, sensing the heavy atmosphere in the room.

"What did you say to Noah?"

Alice, who should have known nothing, asked Quincy.

Quincy laughed it off and said to me,

"You don't have much freedom left, do you?"

"I know."

Luke told me to rest today, so I lay down on the bed.

I hadn't eaten since noon, but I wasn't hungry.

I couldn't talk to Alice, even though I hadn't seen her in a while, and the door to my room was closed.

What can I do with the little freedom I have left?

My head was full of thoughts, with Quincy's presence lingering in the back of my mind.

Sleep didn't come easily.

Thank you for waiting.

Did I manage to clear up some of the mysteries...?

It was quite complex, and the writing didn't go as smoothly as I had hoped.

I'll try to update sooner next time.

2015/01/12 Revised