Chapter 16

I’m sure that my contact with Tsuku-san has been informed to the knights or rather the captain. I’m not sure what to make of it, but I’m sure it’s a good idea. I’m not sure what to do, but I want to tell the captain how I feel with my own words.

“I’m not betraying you, I’m not giving up on you.”

My heart ached. I’m helpless. I can’t do anything on my own.

I exhaled loudly, and Sumuno, who had been napping in the shade of a tree, woke up and called sharply.

“Maruno, someone’s coming.”

“What ….?”

The sound of footsteps echoed, and I braced myself.

“Maruno?”

“Fagany-san?”

It was Fagany-san who appeared in the garden. I noticed that he had relaxed his shoulders when he saw me. Fagany-san looked overwhelmingly relieved and broke into a smile.

“Wow, that’s great! You’re really back!”

He hugged me with such force that I choked on my breath.

“Ugh, it’s so painful …….”

“I’m sorry.”

When I was suddenly released from the suffocating hug, I heard Sumuno’s giggling voice and I stared at him. Following my gaze, Fagany-san’s face tensed up.

“Oh, Fagany-san…”

“I heard. This is the soldier from the neighboring country, right?”

“…… Yes.”

“I’m Sumuno. Nice to meet you!”

“…… You’re a little easy going.”

Fagany-san laughed and took Sumuno’s hand.

“I’m Fagany. Nice to meet you.”

Fagany-san said that he came here in place of the captain who was about to start moving after talking to Tsuku-san.

“I’m really glad that Maruno came in contact with me before my stomach broke! Oh, it was scary!”

“…… Is that so?”

I can’t imagine the captain being scary. I coughed and urged Fagany-san to continue.

“So, what’s going on?”

“I came here today because I wanted to check something.”

“Check something?”

“Yes. You’ve heard from Tsuku that I’ve been going back and forth between the fort and the headquarters, right? For some reason, there’s always a dog and a boy hanging around in front of the knights’ garrison at the fort. I talked to the boy, and his testimony caught my attention.”

“A dog and a boy……?”

I nodded my head at the familiar words, and Fagany-san nodded his head.

“Yes. The boy told me that on the day of the invasion, on the way to evacuate, a small brown-haired man helped him find his dog.”

“Oh! Could it be Peak? Thank God, they’re safe!”

“It’s you, isn’t it? That’s what the dog’s name was.”

The shock of what happened afterwards had completely erased it, but I did see him. I’m glad he’s okay.

“In the event that you’re not sure what to do, you’ll be able to find out by yourself.”

“What?”

“And then he testified that the brother who saved him was being bullied by the knight order members. He told me that he wanted to make sure that his brother – probably Maruno – was safe, but he couldn’t ask the knights who were torturing you anything, so he just kept wandering around, not knowing what to do.”

I widened my eyes. But thank goodness he hadn’t seen all of it. I wondered what I would do if he had been traumatized. Fagany-san peered at me with a serious look on his face.

“Maruno, I want you to go back to the fort city and meet the boy. If Maruno’s testimony and the boy’s story match, we can clear Maruno of suspicion and punish the members of the knights he reported. It will also make the captain’s job easier.”

I blinked at the solution that had come to me. It certainly seemed that the mess within the Order would be settled. Sumuno clapped his hands.

“Oh, good for you!

“…… Um, what about Sumuno?”

“The fact remains that he killed a …… member of the knight. You can’t just let him go scot-free. I’m sure the Order will have to take him into custody at some point.”

I turned my head to Sumuno. That’s not an option.

“Then I’ll go to the fort city by myself.”

“I’m so glad! I’m so glad I got to see Maruno before I got a hole in my stomach.”

As I looked at Fagany-san desperately grasping my hand and appealing to me, I felt curious. If I say I want to see the captain in a bad mood, he’s going to get mad at me.

When I arrived at the fort and got off the carriage, I felt a jolt in my lower body with the sound of light footsteps.

“Big brother!”

“Oh!”

“Oh, thank God! Thank you for the other day, big brother!”

“Uh…… yeah, you’re welcome…….”

As I endured the shock, Fagany-san, who had gotten off earlier, laughed out loud.

“I knew it was Maruno! Good for you, boy!”

“Yes, thank you too, big brother.”

Peak, the dog next to the boy, let out a single bark. “I’m really glad to hear that both of you are doing well. Don’t worry about your mom and dad too much.”

“……Yeah.”

I patted the boy on the head and said goodbye. He took me to a small room on a hill inside the fort. A knight was standing in front of the gate.

“Oh……”

He was the one who had attacked me.

I was suddenly struck by a fierce nausea, and I winced.

“Maruno!”

I heard Fagany-san’s impatient voice echoing in the corner of my head. The sickening smell of blood spread through my brain, and I finally realized that the incident had traumatized me.

I felt sick. I’m scared. My fingertips trembled. When I squeezed my eyes shut, I felt a chill run down my spine, as if that day would repeat itself. I was scared. Really scared.

“Maruno.”

With a pleasant voice, I looked up, enveloped by a soft, pleasant smell.

“Captain……”

The captain in my eyes was blurry. The captain laughed gently as he wiped the drops that spilled from my eyes with his fingertips.

“Maruno, you’ll be fine now.”

“Oh….”

I clung to the captain like crazy. I can smell my favorite scent. The captain hugged me gently and stroked my back again and again. I felt as if my whole body was going to relax.

I wondered how long it had been before I slowly raised my head from his chest, the captain kissed my eyes and let me go.

I’m not sure how long I held onto him.

“…… Well, um, I’m sorry.”

I’m not sure what to do, but I’m going to do it.

“Um…”

“Yeah?

I took a deep breath. I’m okay now.

“It was the man outside the window, the one who attacked me.”

“I see.”

The captain looked at me with difficulty for a moment and then smiled.

“All right.”

“Captain, I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused you.”

“I’ve heard about the …… situation through Fagany.”

“But…”

“I’ve heard about the situation through Fagany. – But… – It’s unavoidable, I’m sure Maruno would have done the same if he were me. And it’s mostly my fault.”

“What?”

“I got you into this because I wanted to be together with you.”

“Captain.”

“It’s not the same,” I said, before cowering into the Captain’s embrace again.

“…… I’m Glad you’re okay.”

“……”

“I’m really sorry, Maruno. I still can’t let you go.”

I’m glad to hear that.

“Good.”

“What?”

The Captain’s embrace loosened. I pressed my head against his chest.

“I thought you were going to tell me you didn’t want me anymore.”

“Maruno……”

He cupped my cheeks in his hands and lifted my face up. My cheeks were hot. I was the only one in the captain’s purple eyes.

“Captain, I’m leaving.”

What came back to me was a long silence.

“There’s nothing I can do if I stay here, and I don’t want to just pull the captain’s leg. I’m going back to my store.”

“……”

The captain, who looked down and exhaled for a long time, muttered something.

“What is it?”

“No, I thought Maruno was like that.”

“Yes?”

“Even if I want to protect him instead of going home, he’ll probably go home.”

“…… I’m going home, aren’t I?”

He dropped a kiss on my eyes and replied, “I understand.”

“I’m pretty sure that the people behind the attack on Maruno are the Wayley. I don’t know what they’re going to do to me until I get rid of Maruno.”

I straightened my back at the words whispered in my ear.

“I’m really sorry I put you in danger. I’ll definitely come for you.”

“Don’t worry. I have a very strong escort now.”

“…… Don’t be jealous”.

“‘Captain?”

“Maruno, I’ll say it again. You’re the only one I need. I really don’t want to give you back and I don’t want to let you go. So please don’t give up on me either.”

I looked into the captain’s eyes and locked gazes with him. I smiled, loving the shimmering purple eyes.

“I’m not giving up. I’m the one who’s going to pick up the captain!”

On the way back from the fort, Fagany-san, who was riding in the carriage, was very considerate of my physical condition. He apologized for making me overwork myself, which made me feel terrible.

“Are you really going home? You should stay by the Commander’s side now that you’ve been cleared of suspicion.”

“The suspicion might be cleared up but I’m just a baggage at the fort.”

“As a member of the Order, it would be more helpful to me mentally if Maruno were here.”

I’m not sure if that’s really true.

“I’m not sure if it’s permissible for me to stay by the captain’s side, but I’m going to force him to admit it. So I’m leaving.”

“Whoa, that’s great.”

Fagany-san smiled cheerfully and said, “Good luck!”

The distance to the city, which had seemed so far on the way there, seemed so fast on the way back.