Erne cupped Judith's cheeks and turned her head to look at me.
“Look at me.”
The eyes that seemed to be wandering somewhere far away slowly regained focus.
“Erne.”
“Does anything hurt?”
If he had his way, he would have lifted up her flowing skirt and checked to see if her legs were broken. But that wouldn't be possible on a busy street.
“Oh, it’s okay.”
When a normal answer finally came from Judith, he let out the breath he had been holding.
“If you run out like that alone...”
Erne couldn't continue speaking and let out a sigh.
It was fortunate that he saw Judith running and chased after her, otherwise, Judith would have just been hit by the carriage.
As soon as Erne noticed the carriage rushing towards Judith, he pulled Judith by the waist and fell backward.
It wasn't a safe fall, but it was better than getting kicked by a horse's hooves.
There might have been a better way, but the moment he saw the carriage and Judith, his hair turned white and he couldn't think of anything else but saving her.
“You fell backward and landed on your hand. Turn your wrist.”
“I’m doing well. I’m not hurt.”
“If you’re okay, that’s fine. I’m not okay though.”
“...Is that right?”
Just a moment ago, Erne thought his heart had stopped. No, it must have stopped for a moment. Otherwise, his heart wouldn't have been pounding like this.
“I just died and came back to life.”
“I know, I almost died. I survived thanks to Erne.”
“No, not you, me.”
I almost had a heart attack, damn it.
Erne slowly got up as he watched Cain running towards him from afar.
He didn't know it, but Erne was still sitting on the floor with Judith in his arms, with Judith sitting on his lap.
Somehow people kept glancing at him. He thought they were looking at him because he almost got hit by a carriage, but it seemed like they were just sitting there muttering about whether or not they should help him.
“I was the one who almost got hit by a carriage...?”
Judith tilted her head. His voice was so sure that it was her, not him, who was in danger, that for a moment Judith wondered if Erne had almost been hit by the carriage.
However, just as he was about to ask the question, Cain arrived and started making a fuss, so he missed the timing.
“The priest missed.”
Erne pointed with a cold nod toward the street that was once again crowded with people.
As the carriage passed and Judith was examined, the priest hid among the crowd and escaped.
Judith muttered with regret.
I almost caught them all.
“Still, I caught three of the priest’s followers.”
“They mobilized so many people but they barely managed to catch the leftovers.”
“But it’s not like there were no results at all.”
The Followers standing in front of the courthouse entrance were the first to start running away and were the first to be caught.
“He didn’t rebel.”
Two other Followers distracted the guards by offering to break the vial of poison to give the priest time to escape.
But the first man to run away didn't do that.
“I searched through the bag and found a bottle of poison.”
It's poisonous but not bitter.
“I asked if it was poison to kill oneself in case they were caught, but they said it wasn’t.”
“Then what kind of poison is it?”
“It is said that it is a strong acidic poison that can cause burns if it comes into direct contact with the skin and that inhaling its smoke can damage the respiratory system.”
It was a good poison to attract the attention of the police and buy time for the priest to escape.
However, the man did not use the poison and ran away even though he saw the security forces approaching behind the priest.
“You are a traitor.”
***
“If it weren’t for Akan, I would have been caught without a fight.”
Thanks to his confidant, Akan, who happened to be driving a chariot at that moment, Shadin escaped safely. It was Akan who drove the very chariot that almost hit Judith.
Those who had each run away separately gathered at the agreed-upon location.
“It seemed like all three who went as escorts were caught.”
“One of them was a traitor. He ran away before me as soon as he saw the police.”
Thanks to that, he found out that the security force was disguised as courthouse guards, but he still found it annoying.
How can you bounce off without sending a single signal?
It was fortunate that he was paying close attention because the feeling was cheap.
“Oh, dear, this was my chance to become a noble.”
Shadin still hasn't given up on his goal of becoming a noble.
It was disappointing that the family that Viscount Wilbur had promised to give it to was a family without a title and nothing special, but he was in no position to be picky.
Once he had achieved noble status, he planned to go south and live quietly until the investigation into him died down. Quietly, but not shabbily.
It might be a little late to take down the author and bring Tia back, but there's always a priority in things.
But now it's all ruined.
“How did you know I would be there?”
He was getting irritated. Did Viscount Wilbur tell them?
There was no way Viscount Wilbur would do that. Since he was involved with him, he couldn't avoid punishment either.
There is no way the Viscount would have resorted to something tantamount to suicide, after all he had done to save his son.
“Who are you? Are you one of my servants?”
“Hasn’t there been a single servant who has seen the priest’s face?”
Just in case, he covered his face and walked around. Even if he had walked around openly, his eyes were different colors, so no one would have thought he was the traitor on the wanted poster.
Then who is it? Shadin tossed his hair in frustration.
He would have liked to run wild and scream, but if he did that on the street, he would most likely attract attention.
As he was grabbing Shadin's hair, something fell from Shadin's clothes. Akan quickly picked up the object that had fallen to the floor.
“I think the string holding my belt broke.”
It was an amulet made from goat horn to ward off evil spirits.
“I guess it got caught on my arm while I was running earlier.”
An amulet was a kind of talisman. It could ward off bad luck or bring good luck. But it wasn't that great.
For example, if you fall and hurt both knees, it would be better to only hurt one knee.
Because even that often did not work, people sometimes thought of amulets as superstitions or fakes.
But that's because it's an amulet that doesn't have a proper origin.
“I was able to escape well thanks to these goat horns.”
The amulets Shadin possesses are all real. They are real, created by sacrificing one of someone's limbs.
It was made and offered by the followers in the hope that no misfortune would come to Shadin.
Perhaps it was thanks to this amulet that he was able to escape and avoid the gaze of the security forces earlier.
“Is that our new home?”
Shadin said, pointing to a two-story building.
“Yes, over there.”
“You only knew about Akan, right? If the guy who hit me in the back of the head and ran away tells the police where he is, we’re finished.”
“It’s a place that only I knew. Don’t worry, Priest. This is better.”
Akan held out a goat horn amulet, but Shadin didn't even look at it.
“Throw it away. It must have lost its effectiveness since you used it once. Oh, but isn’t this place a really good place to hang out? If you rent it out, it’ll go up in no time.”
Shadin was too busy exploring the new home to see Akan, frozen in place with his goat horn amulet out.
“Oh my God, what is that?”
After a fruitless search, Judith came to see Erne and Viscount Wilbur being taken away.
The Second Order and the Constabulary went in to arrest Viscount Wilbur in a deliberately noisy manner. Stella's letter was a crucial piece of evidence.
The arrest scene was intended by the Emperor to show an example of what would happen to a family that made deals with traitors.
As intended, there were many onlookers. Layla and Zark were among them.
“They are just like beasts.”
Layla clicked her tongue as the youngest son of Viscount Wilbur was dragged out.
The Viscount's son walked out unsteadily, drooling and his eyes blank.
Then, when he saw a small soldier, he clung to him closely and rubbed his body against him.
There were curses from the soldiers, and screams and sighs from the onlookers.
“Oh my, my eyes.”
I saw something I shouldn't have seen. Judith frowned. Seeing them actively trying to mate, it seemed like the magic that Viscount Wilbur wanted had worked.
It's because he came to life as if the only thing on his mind was copulation.
“I guess he really was the kind of person who could be anywhere.”
Ern's voice settled on the top of her head in displeasure.
There is no way the Viscount would have resorted to something tantamount to suicide, after all he had done to save his son.
“Who are you? Are you one of my servants?”
“Hasn’t there been a single servant who has seen the priest’s face?”
Just in case, he covered his face and walked around. Even if he had walked around openly, his eyes were different colors, so no one would have thought he was the traitor on the wanted poster.
Then who is it? Shadin tossed his hair in frustration.
He would have liked to run wild and scream, but if he did that on the street, he would most likely attract attention.
As he was grabbing Shadin's hair, something fell from Shadin's clothes. Akan quickly picked up the object that had fallen to the floor.
“I think the string holding my belt broke.”
It was an amulet made from goat horn to ward off evil spirits.
“I guess it got caught on my arm while I was running earlier.”
An amulet was a kind of talisman. It could ward off bad luck or bring good luck. But it wasn't that great.
For example, if you fall and hurt both knees, it would be better to only hurt one knee.
Because even that often did not work, people sometimes thought of amulets as superstitions or fakes.
But that's because it's an amulet that doesn't have a proper origin.
“I was able to escape well thanks to these goat horns.”
The amulets Shadin possesses are all real. They are real, created by sacrificing one of someone's limbs.
It was made and offered by the followers in the hope that no misfortune would come to Shadin.
Perhaps it was thanks to this amulet that he was able to escape and avoid the gaze of the security forces earlier.
“Is that our new home?”
Shadin said, pointing to a two-story building.
“Yes, over there.”
“You only knew about Akan, right? If the guy who hit me in the back of the head and ran away tells the police where he is, we’re finished.”
“It’s a place that only I knew. Don’t worry, Priest. This is better.”
Akan held out a goat horn amulet, but Shadin didn't even look at it.
“Throw it away. It must have lost its effectiveness since you used it once. Oh, but isn’t this place a really good place to hang out? If you rent it out, it’ll go up in no time.”
Shadin was too busy exploring the new home to see Akan, frozen in place with his goat horn amulet out.
***
“Oh my God, what is that?”
After a fruitless search, Judith came to see Erne and Viscount Wilbur being taken away.
The Second Order and the Constabulary went in to arrest Viscount Wilbur in a deliberately noisy manner. Stella's letter was a crucial piece of evidence.
The arrest scene was intended by the Emperor to show an example of what would happen to a family that made deals with traitors.
As intended, there were many onlookers. Layla and Zark were among them.
“They are just like beasts.”
Layla clicked her tongue as the youngest son of Viscount Wilbur was dragged out.
The Viscount's son walked out unsteadily, drooling and his eyes blank.
Then, when he saw a small soldier, he clung to him closely and rubbed his body against him.
There were curses from the soldiers, and screams and sighs from the onlookers.
“Oh my, my eyes.”
I saw something I shouldn't have seen. Judith frowned. Seeing them actively trying to mate, it seemed like the magic that Viscount Wilbur wanted had worked.
It's because he came to life as if the only thing on his mind was copulation.
“I guess he really was the kind of person who could be anywhere.”
Ern's voice settled on the top of her head in displeasure.
Judith cleared her throat for no reason as she looked at his arm, which was either wrapped around her shoulder or tied up.
Isn't it too close to be with Layla and Zark next to you? Even the soon-to-be-married couple are barely holding each other's arms.
As Judith tried to sneak out of Erne's arms, he tightened his grip on her arms.
Judith's back was pressed tightly against Erne's chest without an inch of gap.
“No. I have to protect you.”
“Hey, it’s safe here. There are police and the Imperial Knights.”
“There’s Miss Harrington.”
Judith looked up at Erne, his answer incomprehensible.
“Is it a nuance that I am a risk factor?”
“I meant it with that meaning, not with nuance.”
“Are you doing this to protect Erne from me?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”
It hasn't even been half a day since my heart almost stopped beating, Miss Harrington.
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