45
As I left the military conference room, I was looking for a place to take off my helmet.
Due to all eyes following me wherever I went, I couldn’t find a suitable place to remove my helmet.
Even the citizens were stealing glances at me upon hearing about Wade’s appearance, as if a celebrity had shown up.
“Should I just head straight back to Pollock?”
Dealing with the aftermath was troublesome, and I had planned to stay here for a day to meet with Yumir, but in this atmosphere, I didn’t feel like I could relax.
As the carriage continued on its way, a familiar face came into view.
“Pleased to meet you, Lord Wade. I am Erina Salleon, the granddaughter of Duke Salleon.”
Erina politely bowed her head, lifting the edge of her skirt. Meanwhile, Joan, standing behind her, eyed me with a wary expression.
“Oh! Lady Erina is conversing with Lord Wade!”
“Everyone, come this way!”
The nobles in the carriage perked up.
“Come to think of it, this was Granthel, right here.”
Duke Helian had a subtle hint of a dirty personality. Holding a military council on the Salleon Duke’s territory seemed like an advertisement of Salleon Duke’s incompetence.
“Pleased to meet you, Miss Salleon. How may I assist you?”
“I’ve come to express my gratitude. Truly… I sincerely thank you. Thanks to your efforts, my father may return safely.”
Thanks to my capture of Yussis and Julian as hostages, the high-level prisoner exchange could proceed. Most likely, after releasing them, they would come back for Marquis Milias and Gilbert Salleon. Duke Helian would oppose this, trying to crush the Salleon faction.
Nevertheless, the prisoner exchange would eventually be finalized along with the ceasefire agreement.
“If that’s the case, there’s no need to thank me. I merely carried out the task assigned to me. If you wish to express gratitude, do so to the soldiers who fought at the risk of their lives.”
“Of course, gratitude should be extended to the soldiers as well. But before that, I believe it is proper to show respect to the person standing in front of you. If it’s not impolite, I would like to extend an invitation to Salleon Manor. Would that be acceptable?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I must decline.”
Visiting Salleon Manor as Wade could cause unnecessary commotion.
She didn’t seem disappointed, as if she had expected my refusal, but her lips pursed in disappointment.
Then, suddenly, her eyes sparkled.
“In that case, I will visit you personally at a later time.”
“Personally?”
“hehehe, yes. Please look forward to it.”
How on earth was she planning to visit Wade personally? Joan seemed puzzled by this, but I had a hunch about her method.
After parting ways with Erina, I found a secluded spot and removed my helmet, letting out a sigh.
“Wearing a helmet in this season is truly burdensome.”
Due to the pollen not properly being expelled from the helmet, my face was covered in sweat and pollen.
Even after removing his helmet, Eo’s face was a mess.
Nevertheless, Eo took out a handkerchief and tried to wipe my face instead of his own.
“It’s fine. I’ll do it myself. By the way, when did Yumir arrive?”
“He’s already here and resting at the inn.”
“We’re a step behind. I’ll go fetch him. Eo, arrange for a carriage to Pollock. We’ll depart this afternoon.”
“Weren’t you planning to rest for a day?”
“If we do that, it’ll become troublesome.”
“Understood! I’ll arrange for the carriage.”
After parting ways with Eo, I headed to the outskirts of the city where Yumir was waiting at the inn. It was the inn I always used when coming to Granthel, and Yumir was sitting quietly on the first floor.
Approaching me, she swiftly wiped away the remaining pollen on my face.
“Oh, my. Even with Eo, you’re still being babied.”
Well, considering I’ve known Yumir since infancy, maybe it’s only natural for her.
“You’ve worked hard, my lord. I didn’t hear the specifics, but I heard it was a splendid victory.”
“Fortune was on our side.”
It was not an empty talk. Luck was on my side this time in this war.
Having Rootger, who knew Julian Craig’s disposition inside out, under my command allowed me to envision the big picture of the operation early on.
“If it weren’t for that, this war might have been quite challenging.”
Even if it had turned out that way, we might not have used the cavalry as a shield, but anyway.
“What did Father say?”
“He was skeptical about relocating to Reinpol immediately. Rebel is the foundation of the Illein family. It seemed like Lord Max wanted to send Lord Mac to Reinpol and entrust Rebel’s management to Miller Lord, but…”
“Right. Rebel has been completely burned down by this war.”
Even for me, the choice wasn’t easy. Despite the need to win the war, exposing my homeland to danger was a difficult decision.
I secretly hoped that the enemy’s cavalry would only plunder supplies and leave the city untouched, but they ruthlessly burned everything down.
“There’s no room for choice now. We must hurry to Reinpol for the sake of the residents.”
“Yes, Iliya will have already conveyed that message.”
“Indeed, being a mentor.”
In this war, the most trustworthy figure was my mentor.
Employing Rootger against Albad was, in fact, akin to gambling. Anton is not yet completely reliable.
Eo is impulsive, and Yumir lacks the ability to lead troops.
On the other hand, Mentor Iliya is different.
No matter the role given, he performs above average. Perhaps due to being a mercenary, he lacks the ability to strategize for a war on a grand scale or to command a large army, but excels in local or guerrilla warfare.
“Assuming that’s the case… what is Estelle doing?”
“She is resting in her room. It seems she’s not ready to wander outside freely yet.”
“Well, it might be tough in a foreign land other than Reinpol.”
“Still, she seemed delighted when she visited Rebel. Knowing it’s Lord’s hometown, she personally explored various places. She happened to have a conversation with Lady Samo as well.”
“With the Lady? That’s unexpected. How did it go?”
“Lady Samo seemed interested in Estelle being Lord’s classmate and wanted to hear about Lord’s academy life, so they talked for a long time.”
“Hmm… I can guess what they talked about. Alright. Yumir, for now, stay with Estelle in Reinpol. I will handle the aftermath and return.”
“Yes, Lord, don’t rush too much…”
Yumir abruptly cut off the conversation. She turned her gaze to the stairs leading to the second floor.
“Estelle. What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Le Myu. It seems the food at lunch didn’t sit well with me. I don’t feel well, so I’m going for a walk outside. Is it okay?”
“Then please wait in your room. I will prepare something shortly.”
“Yes… By the way, who were you talking to?”
Although I couldn’t recognize him right away as he had his back turned, I felt her gaze piercing through my back.
Realizing hiding would be futile, I turned around first.
“Long time no see, Estelle. About a month, isn’t it?”
“Oh, it’s you, Alst! What are you doing here…”
Thud! Estelle quickly descended the stairs. She seemed to have forgotten about feeling unwell, as her expression brightened.
“I stopped by on my way to Rebel. It was a chance encounter with Miss Le Myu.”
“Then you should have contacted me too.”
“You said you were resting, so I thought it might be impolite.”
“Impolite? Not at all!”
It had only been a little over a month since they last met, but her condition had improved significantly compared to before.
Seemingly aware of this, she smiled and took off her hat.
“Alst, would you take a look at this?”
“Oh… your hair is growing back.”
“I was surprised too. I thought I’d never see my hair again.”
Sparse strands of red hair were growing back.
“It may take a while to grow back to the length it used to be, but I’ll make sure to show it to you, Alst.”
“hahahaha, I’ll look forward to it.”
“But, um… if you have the time, would you like to take a walk together? I heard from Remi that Gransele after sunset is incredibly beautiful, with fireflies dancing above the river. I really enjoyed this city.”
“I’d like that too, but it might be a bit awkward.”
He didn’t come all the way to this remote inn just to roam around unnecessarily. He felt like he might run into her if he wandered outside for no reason.
However, all his efforts were in vain as she appeared.
Thud! Erina burst into the inn energetically. Personally visiting meant something like this.
She would come when he took off his helmet and became Alst.
“You’re here. Alst Ilain!”
“That person is…”
Estelle frowned.
He had a feeling that a storm was about to pass.
***
Erina found it difficult to contain her excitement. She felt that Alst had returned from war victorious solely for her.
“To grant my wish…”
At one point, Johan had said that guys play tricks on girls to hide their affection.
Thinking that way, she could understand why he pretended to forget his name as a trick.
“I’ve been looking for you for a while. Why are you staying in such a remote inn? There are much nicer inns in the city.”
“The innkeeper here also mentioned the same thing.”
“Oh, long time no see. Jason. Is this the first time since the bear hunt?”
The innkeeper chuckled.
“hahahahaha! It’s an honor that even a wanderer like me is remembered.”
“Would it be okay to have a chat here for a while?”
“Of course.”
With permission obtained in an instant, Erina was about to lead Alst to a table when she hesitated. She wrinkled her nose at a strange smell.
“What is this smell?”
She soon looked to the source of the smell and her eyes widened.
Before she could be more surprised, Alst quickly provided an explanation.
“This is Estelle. She’s unwell and going through a tough time.”
“Oh my… how unfortunate.”
Estelle bit her lip at Erina’s sympathetic gaze. Despite receiving countless looks of disgust, disdain, ridicule, and sympathy over the years, for some reason, the current one felt more shameful and humiliating than any others.
“Oh, you’re here too. You’re Alst’s maid, Yu… shh!?”
Alst hurriedly covered Erina’s mouth and whispered.
“For now, act like you don’t know. Just play along.”
“…”
Nod. Nod. Erina tilted her head.
As the two stood closely together, the light vanished rapidly from Estelle’s eyes.
“It seems I’ve misjudged someone. More importantly, Alce? It’s not yet time for dinner, right? If you don’t mind, would you come to our mansion? We have a sumptuous feast prepared that rivals the royal palace.”
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“Sumptuous feast….”
For Alce, who had recently only eaten tasteless military rations, it was an irresistibly charming proposal.
She was about to reflexively agree to go. Erina, seeing through her intentions, tried to intervene.
“Sorry, but the prior arrangement is with me.”
Estelle firmly stated, pulling Alce towards her.
“Alce, you agreed to take a walk with me.”
“Yes? No, I haven’t agreed to go yet…”
Upon this, Erina burst out.
“What are you doing, interrupting out of the blue while someone is persuading?”
“I was the one who first suggested to Alce to take a walk. You’re the one who interrupted.”
“Ugh…!?”
Erina, startled by Estelle’s deep gaze, then seemed to understand the situation and smiled leisurely.
“I see… I understand very well. If it’s a prior arrangement, then there’s nothing to be done. Alce, it’s fine for you to go for a walk with that lady first. You can visit the mansion afterwards. It might be late at night… but staying for a day wouldn’t be a problem, right?”
“…”
“Why are you behaving this way, Estelle?”
Sparks seemed to fly between the two as the inexperienced Yumir offered a compromise.
“In that case, how about Estelle joining us for dinner at the mansion?”
It was a splendid compromise, but Erina firmly refused.
“We can’t just let anyone into the mansion. Besides, if Estelle were to come along… the mansion staff might cause unnecessary commotion. I’m sorry, Estelle. You can understand, right?”
“I don’t want to go either. Don’t act as if you’re being considerate.”
The atmosphere became suffocating.
Both Alce, who had decided to refuse, and Erina carefully chose their words, but that was the moment.
Hee hee hee! The sound of horses approaching the inn. It was Eonia bringing the carriage. Alce shouted, seizing the opportunity.
“Come to think of it, I was supposed to leave today! There’s no point in keeping the party waiting, so I’ll take my leave now!”
“Oh, Alce…!”
Alce left in a hurry.
Erina, looking annoyed, gripped the fan as if in frustration. Estelle also glanced at Erina.
“Well, I have companions waiting, so I’ll be on my way. I look forward to meeting you next time, Estelle.”
“Indeed.”
Erina, leading the attendants who were waiting outside the inn, turned and left.
Estelle gazed at her departing figure for a while, then turned to Yumir.
“Is she referring to the Granthel family that rules Salleon?”
“Yes. She is the granddaughter of the head of the Salleon Duke family.”
“I see.”
Turning towards her room, Estelle said, “Estelle, didn’t you say you wanted to go for a walk?”
“It’s okay. More importantly, let’s hurry back to Rainfall. I’ve grown to dislike this city.”
For her, it might have been a desirable outcome. Her motivation for treatment had peaked due to this encounter.