Chapter 107
Osmond entered the barracks with Joshua and the young girl.
He wiped his face upon realizing there was only one chair in the place.
“You can sit, Osmond.”
“Ah, shall I?”
Only after the boy spoke did Osmond pull the chair toward his buttocks.
He let out a sigh.
He felt as if his prestige as the Guard Captain had fallen to the ground.
It could not be helped.
He had made a deal with the boy back at Line Tower.
In exchange for getting him out of the dungeon, he had promised to cooperate when the boy ca to the castle.
If he broke the promise, the magic the boy had placed on him would activate.
He did not know what it was, but he guessed it would not be a clumsy spell.
“It occurred to later. I feel like I made a bad deal back then.”
“A bad deal?”
“Should I say the scope of the promise was too broad? It would have been easier if we had set a specific number of tis. A promise to cooperate at the castle ans I don't know how far I have to help.”
“I suppose so.”
“Damn it, I think my mind went wrong because I was locked in a cell.”
“And I took advantage of that point.”
“When I heard the news that the tower had collapsed, I hoped you were dead. But deep down I knew, I knew you were alive.”
“You must be quite disappointed.”
“It's too late to regret. Since you've appeared before .”
Osmond poured out his complaints.
Nightmares of the past surfaced upon seeing the boy's face.
He had suffered to death every single ti.
He vented his accumulated resentnt as if taking it out on the boy in reality.
“Do you feel a bit better now?”
“Not yet. I feel like pouring out a bit more.”
“It seems you are afraid of .”
“Is there a human among those related to you who does not revere you?”
“Well, if you look for one, there might be.”
Osmond shook his head.
“I was considerate of you. I protected you from Rodwell and persuaded Lady Lucille.”
“Let's be clear about this. If it weren't for you, Rodwell wouldn't have tried to kill .”
“Who knows. That man has quite a sharp intuition.”
Osmond did not argue.
Wrestling with the boy over issues that were already over changed nothing.
The present was what mattered.
And now it was his turn to help the boy.
“How did the tower end up like that?”
“Zombies ca.”
“Did a variant appear?”
“There were just too many. We couldn't handle them, and I decided to give up the hideout.”
“What about Sir Rodwell?”
“I parted ways with him. After promising to reunite later.”
“You seem to know where he is.”
“Yes.”
Osmond struggled to stand up and picked up a kettle.
The pale green tea made in the morning had cooled to a lukewarm temperature.
“Will you have a cup?”
“What is it?”
“Green tea.”
“I won't decline.”
He poured water into three teacups and distributed them to Joshua and the girl whose na he did not know.
“Who is the girl next to you?”
“My little sister.”
“Wait, are you blood related? Her aura does feel similar.”
“It's not strange if you see it that way.”
Osmond tilted his head.
The boy often used ambiguous expressions.
Each ti, it felt as if he was not a person of this world.
“Where did the other comrades go? I heard you were with a few boys and Tania Rainwood.”
“Did Lady Lucille tell you?”
“Yes, whenever I et her, the topic is always fixed. Stories about her sister, and you.”
Joshua frowned.
To Osmond, who feared Joshua, she was soone he wanted to avoid at all costs.
“I'm glad to hear she's healthy.”
“She'll co running out in her stockings if she finds out you've entered the castle.”
“How about you, Osmond?”
“I was recognized as a close associate of the Glover family for the hard work of bringing the knight order. My title is still Guard Captain, though. Believe it or not, I even have a say in things.”
He muttered in a very proud voice.
The boy listened intently.
It was the opposite of the expected indifferent reaction.
For so reason, Osmond got goosebumps.
“Congratulations.”
“What does that an?”
“Because you will be a source of strength when you help .”
“……My influence is not your tool.”
“I know. But I will use it according to necessity.”
Osmond thought the emotion he felt was subtle.
It was unpleasant yet pleasant at the sa ti.
If the boy set his mind to it, it wouldn't be impossible for him to operate in the shadows.
Yet he was honest in strange parts.
Osmond felt that was Joshua's unique way of handling people.
“It can't be helped. Either way, you are my savior. Grace exists to be repaid.”
The green tea poured into the cups was all gone.
The small talk ended there.
“Are you planning to enter the castle?”
“Yes.”
“Once you enter, you won't be able to just play and eat comfortably.”
“I know. You an I have to work, right?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have the ability to get in?”
“Is there a unit you want to go to?”
The boy nodded.
Osmond only hoped it wasn't an unreasonable place.
* * *
Osmond brought Joshua and Luna into the castle.
The reaction of the two was cold.
People who ca for the first ti usually cheered and showed interest in every corner of the castle.
But the two never took their eyes off the front.
“You can take a slow look around if you want.”
“It's fine. I've already looked around several tis.”
“This is your first ti here.”
“No, if I include this ti, I've been here more than five tis.”
Osmond's head throbbed.
He had to struggle to let the boy's words slide.
“It's a good thing for that you chose to go under Lady Lucille.”
“Did you think I would ask to be sent sowhere else?”
“I thought so.”
“To find out the situation of the castle, it's best to be under her, since she's in charge of public security.”
Osmond tilted his head.
He had no mory of telling Joshua about Lady Lucille's position.
“Did you plant a spy or sothing?”
“What talent would I have for that?”
“I just feel like it might be possible for you.”
He realized it was a ridiculous speculation even as he spat it out.
It felt as if he was becoming more weary the more he talked with the boy.
“…….”
The boy turned his head.
The boy, who seed completely uninterested in anything else, cast his gaze toward a man.
It was a knight wearing a red cloak.
“Those are the Knights of Red. Avoid getting involved with them if possible.”
The Knights of Red were an elite group.
It was a unit where only a small number of slightly more than ten people could enter out of over a hundred combatants.
Their role was to assist the Lord from the closest position.
“They are the elite group of Saint Stalia, right?”
Osmond was no longer surprised.
Whatever the boy knew, he was ready to accept it naturally.
“Yes, they are the ones closest to the Lord, led by Sir Owain.”
“What is the reason I shouldn't get involved?”
“Their authority within the castle is imnse. It's safe to say they are next after the Lord and the Countess.”
“Do they kill people if they don't like them?”
“Yes, I have actually seen it happen.”
The things Osmond had seen back then suddenly flashed through his mind.
It was sothing he did not want to talk about in detail.
He shook his head and strove to shake off the thoughts.
“Shall we change the subject?”
“That would be good for .”
“Let's talk about the Countess.”
Osmond clicked his tongue.
He tried to brush off a difficult topic only to have an even harder topic brought up.
“The rumors aren't good.”
“Rumors?”
“Sothing happened in the west of the city recently. Zombies appeared. There's talk that the Countess was involved in it.”
“Do you think so too, Osmond?”
“Among those who died in that incident was soone who opposed the Countess. He was a follower of the vanished Vale Glover. Ah, I'm sorry. You wouldn't know a person nad Vale. He is the eldest son of the deceased Lord. In terms of legitimacy, he was above the current Lord.”
Despite it being quite an interesting story, Joshua's reaction was still cold.
“It's surprising that there is soone who follows him even though he's not present.”
“Regardless of Vale being a good person, the current Lord is too young. He's only ten years old. For the vassals who had been supporting the family since before the incident broke out, there was a lack of legitimacy.”
“On top of that, Vale vanished at just the right ti, so there must be people who suspect the Countess.”
“Yes.”
After walking for a long while, they reached the vicinity of the castle.
The guards recognized Osmond and bowed their waists.
“If you go straight like this, it's the castle, and if you turn to the opposite side—”
“There are the barracks where Lady Lucille stays.”
“……Joshua, even if you know everything, I think it would be better to pretend you don't as much as possible.”
“Don't worry. I'm not like this with others. I don't act in a way that draws suspicion.”
“Then why are you doing this to ?”
“Because I consider Osmond to be on my side. I don't treat my people with lies.”
Ahem, a dry cough involuntarily ca out of Osmond.
For so reason, he didn't feel bad.
“Looking at it now, Osmond doesn't have much loyalty to the Glover family.”
“……The reason you think so is?”
“I can feel it in your voice.”
“Is it an intuition?”
“When speaking of the Countess and her guard unit, Osmond's expression was dark.”
Osmond's brow furrowed.
Since he wasn't in front of a mirror, he couldn't know what his expression was like.
He just felt anxiety in a corner of his heart.
“Zombies appeared. People died. In a normal group, people should gather to discuss counterasures. But I haven't t the Countess once since that incident happened.”
“I see.”
“……We're almost there. Go on your own from here. I have to go back.”
“Thanks, Osmond.”
“It’s nothing, so don’t ntion it.”
Joshua watched the departing Osmond.
He felt heat in his hand.
Luna was holding his hand.
“This city is too quiet.”
Joshua looked around the surroundings.
He saw people tending to vegetable gardens in a nearby place.
They were working as if being chased by sothing.
“Indeed.”
“Is it because the world is in this state that they've lost their laughter?”
“I’m not sure.”
Joshua headed toward the barracks without letting go of her hand.
A soldier was yawning in front of the barracks.
“……Where did you co from?”
“I am a new recruit who entered this ti. I plan to apply for the security unit.”
“I haven't heard the news though?”
“I have a recomndation letter from Osmond, the Guard Captain here. Take a look.”
He took out the parchnt from his bosom and showed it to the soldier.
The soldier rolled his eyes as if surprised.
It was not a common occurrence for a captain to write a recomndation letter.
“Th-Then, do you want to wait inside for now? The Captain left for patrol and will be back in about 30 minutes.”
“I will do that.”
He passed the soldier and entered the security unit's building.
There were no people inside.
Inside the spacious interior, a few tables and chairs were placed.
He took one of them and waited for a while.
“Damn it!”
Suddenly, a loud voice was heard from outside the building.
He stood up and looked out through a gap in the window to see Lucille huffing and puffing.
“People died! This is a disgrace to the security unit. Yet they won't even let us investigate properly! Do you think this makes sense?”
Her fiery personality was still the sa.
As was her sense of responsibility for a task once taken.
Among those standing by Lucille, people he had t at the tower were also visible.
“The Countess wasn't in a mood to reproach us either.”
“That's the problem? It ans they want to cover it up and move on.”
The subordinates broke into a cold sweat.
They seed to want the incident to end like this.
They had struggled to reach the castle.
As long as they weren't in danger, they didn't want to uncover flaws.
He understood it well enough.
From the perspective of ordinary people, Lucille was a type difficult to understand.
“……Damn it.”
Lucille clicked her tongue.
Because she lacked power, she had to overlook the scandals of those with power.
She felt that was absurd.
“Endure it. Then everything will be fine.”
“Is it right that everything becos fine if I endure? There's no guarantee we won't be next.”
“Th-That is.”
“……No. What fault would you guys have.”
She cald her anger.
Then a subordinate who had been watching from behind cautiously stepped forward.
“Lady Lucille, there is sothing sent by the Guard Captain.”
“From Osmond?”
“Yes, he wrote that he wants to recomnd a boy to the security unit.”
Lucille examined the recomndation letter.
“So where is that boy now?”
“I told him to wait inside.”
“That's strange. To think there is a case where Osmond recomnds soone.”
Joshua pulled away from the window.
Then he focused on the door being thrown open.
Her face appeared beside the wooden door, and their eyes t.
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