11. A bird that flew over the nest – 08
“…Are you trying to return to the Estelle duchy now?”
“I have finished all of my business in the Duke of Decaraznan, so I will have to go back now. Moreover, since the timing is the timing, I think it would be shameless to continue serving as a diner as it is.”
He sighed softly when he saw Cain maintaining a respectful attitude towards Duke Dekaraznan, but at the same time maintaining a dignified attitude even in front of one of the most powerful people in the empire.
To be honest, the duke only felt very regretful about sending Cain like this. He was a confident and polite young man, which is hard to find these days. In my heart, I wanted to have them continue to stay in the Decaraznan dukedom and have deeper exchanges with the minor dukes Fersen and Noel, but according to Cain’s words, the current Dekaraznan dukedom’s surroundings were not so easy that the duke’s personal feelings took precedence. .
“…Right. Little Duke, you are right. I guess I put my thoughts too far ahead. Certainly, the current Duke of Dekaraznan is not a very good environment for you to stay here with peace of mind.”
As if to personally prove the duke’s grievance, even at this moment, several people behind the duke, not fully aware, are busy running in all directions until the soles of their feet are on fire, and the sight is coming into Cain’s eyes very well. was And where is that? Cain knew all too well why they were running around like that.
“…Huh, to think that such a bizarre incident would happen in the Duke of Dekaraznan…”
Needless to say, the ‘strange incident’ that the duke grumbled about was an incident in which the members of Count Cernard’s family, who were staying in the duke’s family, disappeared without leaving a trace. If it was not a bizarre incident, it was an incident that I couldn’t understand from one to ten to the extent that I couldn’t figure out what kind of event to refer to as ‘bizarre’.
First of all, a warrior who reached the level of a master broke through the impregnable security and guards of the Duke of Dekaraznan’s mansion and, after fooling around with the knights, kidnapped the only daughter of Count Cernard’s family. A space distortion barrier was installed, which was hard to believe was magic, and the party escorting Lady Sernard went missing without leaving a trace.
Thanks to this, the Duke of Dekaraznan, who had the duty to protect Lady Sernad while she was staying here, couldn’t help but feel like she was going crazy. Whether it was finding the kidnapper and negotiating, the case would only proceed if the kidnapper was found first, but the kidnapper who kidnapped Lady Sernard had quietly disappeared without leaving a trace, without leaving any demands or explanations. There’s no way that would be the case, but as if kidnapping Lady Sernard was his own purpose.
“…The identity of the beast is still unknown. They were so meticulous that they didn’t leave a single piece of evidence at the scene of the crime. No matter how much we think about it, our judgment is that the identity of these guys is highly likely to be a group of heinous and cruel criminals who have committed such crimes as if they were eating. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be possible to kidnap others with such a neat skill?”
“…Well. After listening to it, it seems like a valid reasoning. dismissal.”
Cain, who could be said to be the leader of the ‘heinous and cruel group of criminals’ described by Duke Dekaraznan, had no choice but to make a mysterious expression at the Duke’s words.
Of course, Cain himself thought that what he had committed was not kidnapping, much less a heinous crime, so he was proud of himself. He was also a bold man who could understand that something could happen. Furthermore, isn’t the Duke of Dekaraznan’s position a pure victim who does not take any responsibility for this case?
“And this is just my speculation, but I’m thinking that beasts are a bunch of evil and terrible ancient black magic.”
“Dark magic!”
Cain unknowingly agreed with the Duke’s words in a loud voice. Isn’t the appropriate response that bursts out in conversation with others from ancient times arousing the other person’s motivation to continue the conversation?
“Of course, what I am talking about is not the standardized black magic of modern times, but the primitive and terrible black magic that is said to have sacrificed people in the distant past. It’s not that they want money, and that doesn’t mean that they don’t even have the will to negotiate with you, so when you try to guess why they kidnapped Lady Sernard, you can’t help but be suspicious of them.”
“Sacrifice!”
Cain unknowingly trembled at the hands of a group of unidentified criminals who kidnapped Sarah and tried to use them as a living sacrifice. In Cain’s ears, the pitiful voice of Sarah, who was still crying out her name anxiously at this moment, echoed in Cain’s ears as she intuited her fate to be sacrificed as a living sacrifice after being kidnapped by the wicked black magicians. Cain’s hands were shaking as he imagined Sara’s appearance. He only wanted to find the heinous beast that kidnapped Sarah and implement justice by tearing her torso in half.
“Don’t worry, sir. Didn’t an old saying say that the net of heaven is wide and wide, but the wicked never escape? The same would be true of the terrible black magicians who kidnapped Lady Sernard. Even though they look like they are rare now, I believe that if the Duke of Dekaraznan, one of the four major dukes of the empire, sincerely tries to find them, they will inevitably reveal their magic.”
At this moment, recalling the pitiful sight of Sarah screaming somewhere, when Cain said that with sincerity, Duke Decaraznan gave Cain a genuinely impressed expression.
“To throw so much comfort at the helpless us who couldn’t do anything even with the beast in front of us. If everyone in the world were half as good as you, nothing like today would have happened. Thank you, Duke Estelle.”
“What, it really is just too much praise for me. dismissal.”
Watching Cain reply without changing his face color, Duke Dekaraznan slowly began to open his mouth as if he had made up his mind.
“By the way, did you ever hear about it from my daughter? If so, could you give me an answer right here and now?”
“…what story are you talking about? I don’t remember hearing anything special from Lady Dekaraznan, but…”
When Cain replied with an expression of incomprehensibility, Duke Decaraznan waved his hand at Noel, who was standing behind him and quietly listening to them.
“Come here, Noel.”
“…Yes, Father.”
When Noel stood next to Duke Dekaraznan with a shy expression like that of a young lady, Aria, who had been silently standing behind Cain until now, suddenly became ferocious.
‘It’s detestable.’
He couldn’t fool Arya’s eyes, in case he fooled anyone else. When she followed Sarah, hiding under Cain’s command, she didn’t even wag her tail at Cain, as if she didn’t know the feeling of shame, so she threw her body at him without hesitation like a prostitute in the red light district. Wasn’t it a woman But now that he’s here, he’s showing such a shy expression as if he didn’t know anything. Isn’t it true that he is running to the extreme of pretense!
‘As expected, I must be by Cain’s side.’
That’s how Arya was once again convinced of her use. If he wasn’t confident, Cain might fall in love with the cunning tricks of such an unlucky woman. With that thought in mind, Arya lamented over her overly merciful hands at the time when she hadn’t fired an even more powerful flash and shattered that woman’s head.
“It seems that your daughter is too shy to tell you the truth. What I would like to suggest to you is the matter of your engagement to my daughter. I have heard that you are not engaged to anyone. If you say it’s okay, I want to unite you and my daughter. What do you think about this?”
At Duke Decraznan’s remarks, Noel’s face slightly blushed, and Aria began to suffer from a temptation as she gazed at Noel’s flirtation.
‘Should I destroy the Dekaraznan dukedom entirely?’
It could be said that right now was the right time as Cain had yet to answer Duke Decraznan’s question. Of course, it was not an easy task because there was a wide barrier against magic in this area to prevent reckless use of magic, but it was not enough to stop Aria, who became infinitely sincere. If there is no way to fix it, isn’t it an easy task to drop a huge meteorite in the vicinity?
Cain, who may or may not know that Arya is in agony, looks at the faces of Duke Dekaraznan and Noel alternately, and then responds to them in a determined voice.
“It’s a truly undeserved proposal for me, but I’m sorry, but I’ll pretend I didn’t hear the Duke’s proposal.”
The answer Cain gave to the duke was a clear intention of refusal.
“Can you explain why?”
As if he had expected Cain’s refusal, the duke asked him the reason in a calm voice, and Cain just said this with a wry smile.
“It’s not a well-known fact, but it’s because I have a woman who promised me a future.”
“…Well, come to think of it, you were the main character of the scandal that stirred up the continent.”
Saying that, Duke Dekaraznan briefly glanced at Arya, who was standing quietly behind Cain.
“Is that lady also one of the protagonists of the affair rumors with you?”
“…Well, that’s not wrong. you’re right.”
The moment Cain nodded in affirmation to the duke’s words, Arya felt her heart swell. No matter what the inside story was, at this moment, it was as if Cain had acknowledged Arya as a ‘woman’, not as someone he needed to take care of!
‘Unlike women, my father is a decent person.’
Arya, feeling excited for some reason, decided to show mercy to the Duke of Dekaraznan. Had it not been for Duke Decraznan’s remarks, such words would not have come out of Cain’s mouth easily.
“If your opinion is so firm, it wouldn’t be polite to recommend more than this. please forgive my rudeness Little Duke Estelle.”
“no. I am sorry that I gave you a rude answer compared to receiving an undeserved offer.”
Surprisingly, the duke did not invite Cain twice and backed away, and Cain also showed respect to the duke and stepped back.
“…Ah, Duke. It’s just a slang word to the last, but I have something else to tell you…”
“Something?”
In response to the duke’s question, Cain whispered something in a very small voice, and then he lowered his head again and climbed into the carriage prepared in the back. Eventually, as soon as the door of the carriage was closed, the carriage with Cain in it quickly became a small dot and began to disappear from sight. Then, while staring blankly at the back of the carriage, which was gradually disappearing, Duke Dekaraznan opened his mouth as if he was really sorry.
“I am really sorry. An upright young man like that is rare in the world these days. It would be great if we became a family.”
“…that’s what I mean. Really, I’m sorry.”
Likewise, Noel, who for some reason could not take his eyes off the back of the carriage as it was moving away, also agreed lonely with the Duke’s words.
For some reason, a sigh escaped from her mouth. Originally, recalling the old adage that first love never comes true.
****
“…Sir, are you planning to return to the Estel duchy right now?”
Across from the coach seat where Aria and I were sitting, a woman with black hair and black eyes, with a somewhat unfamiliar face, was asking me such a question.
It goes without saying that her true identity was Sarah. As much as she is now treated as missing in the world, she is in a position where she cannot easily reveal her appearance, so Arya changed the color of her eyes and hair with magic. And with that alone, the impression of Sarah Cernard from the past had disappeared everywhere. The only woman present here is Sarah, a new servant of the Estelle family.
“maybe? Well, there’s nothing urgent about it, but there’s nothing more to see around here.”
“Then, instead of going straight to the Estel duchy, would it be okay to stop by Istad on the way?”
“…Ystard? Why are you there?”
Ystad is one of the trading cities located in the middle of the empire, and it is a city that must be passed by on the way back to the Duke of Estelle, so Sarah’s proposal was not unheard of. Anyway, going back to the Estelle duchy wasn’t in too much of a hurry.
“I heard that there will be a festival in Ystad in a while. If the wagon runs at this speed, it looks like it could arrive just in time for the festival. Could you please give me your permission?”
As she said that, Sarah was staring at me with a genuinely earnest gaze.
“…Well, it doesn’t matter much.”
It’s a city on the way, anyway. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to stay there for a few days and enjoy the festival leisurely.
But, that was the time.
“…Ka, Cain-sama…”
Next to me, Arya was tugging at my collar with her face dyed red.
“what’s the matter?”
When I asked her a question with a puzzled expression, Arya for some reason lowered her head more than before and said this in a creeping voice.
“…Well, Lord Cain did that to me. The other day, if I successfully finish the job, I heard that you will grant me one wish…”
“…Ah, it was.”
I remember now. No matter how much it was, it wasn’t enough to entrust Sara’s escort without any free time, and she even asked her to subdue Sernard’s hounds, so when this task was over, Arya promised to grant her one wish.
“it’s okay. I’ll listen to anything I can hear. You can speak without hesitation.”
When I smiled at Aria and said that, she took a deep breath and opened her mouth to me with a determined expression.
“…a date.”
“yes?”
“On the festival day in Istad, I want to go on a date with Cain-sama alone.”