Creak. The iron door, rusting with moisture, slid back with a noise that grated on the nerves.
The old beggar stammered out a name.
“I guess I got it right. It’s strange. Your face wouldn’t have been the same back then.”
The old man, who had been lifting his buttocks halfway, could not withstand his strength and fell back down.
“Oh, the lord went in person?”
Fermos had been looking through the royal records in the King's office all this time. He had kept his promise to Liene to find the culprit. Then he discovered something interesting. In fact, it was more surprising that Liene didn't know about it. Of course, he had no intention of breaking his promise, but Fermos was cautious. He thought he should consult Black first before telling Liene about this. So when he looked for Black, he heard that he had gone in person to bring the old beggar.
“Hmm, it seems like we’ll have to talk about this separately... No, no. I shouldn’t have guessed things like this. Got it. Just go... Oh, wait. What about finding your cousin? Did you find him?”
“No. It seems like he’s having a hard time because he knows the way so well.”
“Oh, you guys. What have you been doing without even learning the way?”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Everyone said they would do it. But how can you be like a person who has lived here all his life? And you’re not wearing priestly clothes. People who don’t know why they’re being chased hide you and stuff.”
“Damn. This is going to take a while.”
“Yes. Wouldn’t it be better to offer a bounty?”
“That won’t do. It’s too much our style. Just as you said, he’s a human wearing priestly attire, so if you treat him roughly in front of others, you’ll be cursed by your lord.”
The mercenary sighed in annoyance.
“Things here always seem complicated.”
“What can I do? There’s not even a single thing that separates the leader of a mercenary band from royalty... Oh, wait a minute.”
“...Adjutant?”
Fermos, who had been speaking for a moment, turned his head as if nothing had happened.
“Oh, no. Anyway, catch him quickly.”
“I will run until my shoes wear out.”
“Please do so.”
Fermos gestured and sent the mercenaries out.
“Royalty...”
His eyes, overflowing with thought, left the air and turned to the old royal records.
“Only the records before the year of the coronation have been lost. My lord said that Nauk was originally his.”
Fermos' fingers tapped the page where Liene had said she had disappeared.
“One plus one is easy. The missing records must be about my lord. Princess Liene has not seen them yet... Should I tell him this? My lord does not want it to be known. What should I do...”
Complicated thoughts passed over the face that was mumbling to itself.
It was no use pretending to stay in bed. Instead, her back started to hurt even more, so Liene finally threw off the blanket and got up. Madam Flambard, who was putting the boiled and ironed cotton cloths neatly into the closet, jumped.
“Princess! Aren’t there guards outside?”
“This much is okay. If Madam doesn’t raise your voice too loudly, they won’t know.”
Mada. Flambard glanced at the closed door with an embarrassed look on her face.
“I’ll be careful. But doesn’t your stomach hurt?”
“I feel much better than usual. The medicine seems to be working.”
“How would you know what kind of medicine it is?”
“I guess it’s a sedative or something because I feel so drowsy. Thanks to that, I’ve been lazing around since morning without doing anything. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve done that.”
“...I don’t know about anything else, but that’s a good thing you did. The Princess has gained weight recently.”
“No way. It looks like I’ve grown a bit since then.”
Sometimes, whenever she looked at the loose sleeves, she felt that her wrists had gotten a little thinner, but Liene held back her whining.
“It would be stranger if I didn’t lose weight... But, what can I do? Because of today’s events, it’s become even harder to reveal anything about the child.”
“...That’s right.”
Liene was thinking the same thing at the time. She thought that if she lied to him like this and found out the truth later, he would feel even more betrayed.
“It would be better not to talk about it.”
Liene's voice became smaller as if she was talking to herself.
“I don’t know about that, Princess.”
“Even Madam came with me. I don’t think the anger will only affect me.”
“That... What good would it do for someone like me to turn things around? I just feel sorry for the Princess... and I feel the same way about him.”
“...”
When Liene didn't say anything, the woman continued speaking cautiously, keeping an eye on her.
“It seemed like you weren’t very determined. No man in the world would say that about another man’s child, Princess.”
"I know."
“That’s why I...”
“That’s why it’s scary.”
“He’s more... Yes? What do you mean?”
“What are you hoping to gain by doing all that?”
"Princess..."
The woman blinked as if she had never thought of that.
“When those things build up and build up and I completely open my heart, I worry about what I’m going to do then.”
“How could you have such... bad thoughts?”
“Don’t you think so, Madam? You saw with your own eyes how that man’s men scribbled the letters on the floor.”
“Well... it could be that the subordinate did something on his own. Or maybe my old eyes just saw something wrong.”
“...”
Liene laughed silently. She couldn't figure out if Madam Flambard was saying the same thing she was thinking. She just wants to believe that she's just being suspicious. She wants to believe that the man did nothing wrong and that she's just narrow-minded and dark inside and can't trust him.
“The old man in front of the temple will tell you anything.”
“I hope you understand that I will meet you in the audience room rather than the synagogue, as I am not feeling well.”
“I understand. With that small body, you had to carry a beast’s child. How hard must it have been on your body?”
“...”
Liene, who was trying to keep a calm expression, twisted her face as if she was going to make a sound. Yes, these were the people. The people who came today were two of the six families that signed the Treaty of Liseberg. Those six families were basically like clones of Klinefelter, although there were differences in degree among them.
“I guess the foul-mouthed habit of not discriminating between social status has become a virtue of the elders of the Great Council without my knowledge. Or is this just a new way of mourning Linden Klinefelter?”
“What, what did you say?”
The head of the Elaroiden family raised his voice.
“Where did you hear that kind of speech...!”
“Let me just say that back to you. Think about who started talking dirty first.”
“Ha...! In just a few years!”
Elaroiden's eyes widened, but nothing was threatening about them.
“Princess. Did you call?”
It was thanks to Tiwakan, who appeared immediately with the hilt of his sword clanking as soon as a loud noise was heard.
Step step.
The sound of footsteps was also clinging to the dampness. The black hair of the person who entered the room tilted his head to the side as if the iron door was too narrow, and shook slightly.
“...”
The man sitting on the floor slowly raised his head. Then he opened his eyes very wide with a look of surprise on his face.
“...!”
Perhaps he was resentful of having only one eye. He had been crouching on the floor, leaving his chair behind, and he was about to stand up, forgetting that he was uncomfortable. To get a better look at the person coming in.
“Gai... Gainers... Fe, Fer... Fernand Gainers...”
“...”
The man sitting on the floor slowly raised his head. Then he opened his eyes very wide with a look of surprise on his face.
“...!”
Perhaps he was resentful of having only one eye. He had been crouching on the floor, leaving his chair behind, and he was about to stand up, forgetting that he was uncomfortable. To get a better look at the person coming in.
“Gai... Gainers... Fe, Fer... Fernand Gainers...”
The old beggar stammered out a name.
“I guess I got it right. It’s strange. Your face wouldn’t have been the same back then.”
The old man, who had been lifting his buttocks halfway, could not withstand his strength and fell back down.
Crush, crush.
Black came up to the old man, pulled out the chair he was not sitting on, and sat down. Then, their eye level became much closer.
“I remember your face too.”
Slow words flowed quietly through the humid air.
“High Priest Manau.”
“...!”
It wasn't just Black who had his identity revealed. The old beggar also had a name to hide.
“Was it 20 years ago that your body became like that?”
“...”
“No, I should ask, 21 years ago.”
Black added a soft soliloquy to the silence of the old man who was once the high priest of Nauk. The old man could no longer bear it and nodded in response.
“I remember your face too.”
Slow words flowed quietly through the humid air.
“High Priest Manau.”
“...!”
It wasn't just Black who had his identity revealed. The old beggar also had a name to hide.
“Was it 20 years ago that your body became like that?”
“...”
“No, I should ask, 21 years ago.”
Black added a soft soliloquy to the silence of the old man who was once the high priest of Nauk. The old man could no longer bear it and nodded in response.
Twenty-one years ago, it was the day Black lost his own blood relatives and left Nauk. On that day, the high priest Manau lost one eye, one arm, and one leg. His cousin Klima lost his biological father and his two-year-younger brother. It was a secret that it all happened on the same day.
Manau, whose chin was shaking, suddenly slammed his head on the floor.
Thud!
A painful sound echoed through the basement. His forehead was torn open and blood flowed out. Manau's messy hair was soaked with blood.
“Kill me. Kill me, please...”
The stammering speech suddenly became normal. At the same time, Manau's voice could be heard clearly. Perhaps Manau had been pretending to stammer on purpose to hide his own voice.
“That’s difficult.”
Black watched the past high priest, half-broken, with a broken forehead and a voice that sounded like he was about to cry, without moving. His expression was completely emotionless. Ten years ago, he might have felt something. But not now. As he had told Liene, he had forgotten most of the emotions from twenty-one years ago.
To him, they were things that were not worth remembering. In a battlefield where life and death intersect in the blink of an eye, other things were truly important. More than feelings that had been stale for twenty years.
“Princess Liene will come to you. Then tell her what you know.”
“...?”
Manau raised his head.
“What are you talking about...”
“Literally, what you know.”
“...”
The eyes shaking madly were asking if that was really true.
“She is misunderstanding something.”
Black spoke slowly, his voice empty of emotion.
“I came to get Nauk, not to destroy her. No matter how much I tell her, she doesn’t believe me, and I’m starting to get a little annoyed.”
“Who on earth would believe that? That’s impossible. It can’t be possible...”
“That’s why I didn’t find my name.”
“...?”
“If I reveal my name, most people will act like you.”
“..."
Manau chewed over Black's words endlessly.
“My name is Tiwakan, and that is enough. I think the only name you know is Tiwakan.”
Not looking for the names of the past meant forgetting the past and burying it. Manau could not understand this at all.
“Can you forget...?”
“I already forgot.”
Thud, Black stood up, pushing the chair away.
“As I recall, you weren’t a very smart person, but you survived for 20 years while hiding your identity, so I guess you’re smart. Nauk’s future will be determined by how you talk to Princess Liene.”
“...”
He could see it. If Black's name was revealed, what would happen? Likewise, if his name was revealed, what would happen to Nauk? Manau nodded as if dropping something heavy.
"All right."
“Just be polite. Or tell her the name I used when I left Nauk.”
“I will do so.”
After hearing the answer, Black turned around without saying anything. Just as the sound of footsteps stopped at the door, Manau shouted.
“But don’t kill her!”
“...Who?”
Black turned his head for a moment.
“Klima. He is Henton’s first son, although his name has been hidden since he became a vassal.”
“...”
Black's previously indifferent face distorted slightly.
“He had a lot of blood on his hands from being manipulated by Klinefelter... but Gainers’ son must not kill him.”
“I'll take care of it.”
Black said only that and left the basement first. After a while, Tiwakan's mercenaries came in and woke up Manau. Manau had been crying without stopping, burying his face in his hands.
“Kill me. Kill me, please...”
The stammering speech suddenly became normal. At the same time, Manau's voice could be heard clearly. Perhaps Manau had been pretending to stammer on purpose to hide his own voice.
“That’s difficult.”
Black watched the past high priest, half-broken, with a broken forehead and a voice that sounded like he was about to cry, without moving. His expression was completely emotionless. Ten years ago, he might have felt something. But not now. As he had told Liene, he had forgotten most of the emotions from twenty-one years ago.
To him, they were things that were not worth remembering. In a battlefield where life and death intersect in the blink of an eye, other things were truly important. More than feelings that had been stale for twenty years.
“Princess Liene will come to you. Then tell her what you know.”
“...?”
Manau raised his head.
“What are you talking about...”
“Literally, what you know.”
“...”
The eyes shaking madly were asking if that was really true.
“She is misunderstanding something.”
Black spoke slowly, his voice empty of emotion.
“I came to get Nauk, not to destroy her. No matter how much I tell her, she doesn’t believe me, and I’m starting to get a little annoyed.”
“Who on earth would believe that? That’s impossible. It can’t be possible...”
“That’s why I didn’t find my name.”
“...?”
“If I reveal my name, most people will act like you.”
“..."
Manau chewed over Black's words endlessly.
“My name is Tiwakan, and that is enough. I think the only name you know is Tiwakan.”
Not looking for the names of the past meant forgetting the past and burying it. Manau could not understand this at all.
“Can you forget...?”
“I already forgot.”
Thud, Black stood up, pushing the chair away.
“As I recall, you weren’t a very smart person, but you survived for 20 years while hiding your identity, so I guess you’re smart. Nauk’s future will be determined by how you talk to Princess Liene.”
“...”
He could see it. If Black's name was revealed, what would happen? Likewise, if his name was revealed, what would happen to Nauk? Manau nodded as if dropping something heavy.
"All right."
“Just be polite. Or tell her the name I used when I left Nauk.”
“I will do so.”
After hearing the answer, Black turned around without saying anything. Just as the sound of footsteps stopped at the door, Manau shouted.
“But don’t kill her!”
“...Who?”
Black turned his head for a moment.
“Klima. He is Henton’s first son, although his name has been hidden since he became a vassal.”
“...”
Black's previously indifferent face distorted slightly.
“He had a lot of blood on his hands from being manipulated by Klinefelter... but Gainers’ son must not kill him.”
“I'll take care of it.”
Black said only that and left the basement first. After a while, Tiwakan's mercenaries came in and woke up Manau. Manau had been crying without stopping, burying his face in his hands.
***
“Oh, the lord went in person?”
Fermos had been looking through the royal records in the King's office all this time. He had kept his promise to Liene to find the culprit. Then he discovered something interesting. In fact, it was more surprising that Liene didn't know about it. Of course, he had no intention of breaking his promise, but Fermos was cautious. He thought he should consult Black first before telling Liene about this. So when he looked for Black, he heard that he had gone in person to bring the old beggar.
“Hmm, it seems like we’ll have to talk about this separately... No, no. I shouldn’t have guessed things like this. Got it. Just go... Oh, wait. What about finding your cousin? Did you find him?”
“No. It seems like he’s having a hard time because he knows the way so well.”
“Oh, you guys. What have you been doing without even learning the way?”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Everyone said they would do it. But how can you be like a person who has lived here all his life? And you’re not wearing priestly clothes. People who don’t know why they’re being chased hide you and stuff.”
“Damn. This is going to take a while.”
“Yes. Wouldn’t it be better to offer a bounty?”
“That won’t do. It’s too much our style. Just as you said, he’s a human wearing priestly attire, so if you treat him roughly in front of others, you’ll be cursed by your lord.”
The mercenary sighed in annoyance.
“Things here always seem complicated.”
“What can I do? There’s not even a single thing that separates the leader of a mercenary band from royalty... Oh, wait a minute.”
“...Adjutant?”
Fermos, who had been speaking for a moment, turned his head as if nothing had happened.
“Oh, no. Anyway, catch him quickly.”
“I will run until my shoes wear out.”
“Please do so.”
Fermos gestured and sent the mercenaries out.
“Royalty...”
His eyes, overflowing with thought, left the air and turned to the old royal records.
“Only the records before the year of the coronation have been lost. My lord said that Nauk was originally his.”
Fermos' fingers tapped the page where Liene had said she had disappeared.
“One plus one is easy. The missing records must be about my lord. Princess Liene has not seen them yet... Should I tell him this? My lord does not want it to be known. What should I do...”
Complicated thoughts passed over the face that was mumbling to itself.
***
“Ah... I can’t stand it anymore.”
It was no use pretending to stay in bed. Instead, her back started to hurt even more, so Liene finally threw off the blanket and got up. Madam Flambard, who was putting the boiled and ironed cotton cloths neatly into the closet, jumped.
“Princess! Aren’t there guards outside?”
“This much is okay. If Madam doesn’t raise your voice too loudly, they won’t know.”
Mada. Flambard glanced at the closed door with an embarrassed look on her face.
“I’ll be careful. But doesn’t your stomach hurt?”
“I feel much better than usual. The medicine seems to be working.”
“How would you know what kind of medicine it is?”
“I guess it’s a sedative or something because I feel so drowsy. Thanks to that, I’ve been lazing around since morning without doing anything. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve done that.”
“...I don’t know about anything else, but that’s a good thing you did. The Princess has gained weight recently.”
“No way. It looks like I’ve grown a bit since then.”
Sometimes, whenever she looked at the loose sleeves, she felt that her wrists had gotten a little thinner, but Liene held back her whining.
“It would be stranger if I didn’t lose weight... But, what can I do? Because of today’s events, it’s become even harder to reveal anything about the child.”
“...That’s right.”
Liene was thinking the same thing at the time. She thought that if she lied to him like this and found out the truth later, he would feel even more betrayed.
“It would be better not to talk about it.”
Liene's voice became smaller as if she was talking to herself.
“I don’t know about that, Princess.”
“Even Madam came with me. I don’t think the anger will only affect me.”
“That... What good would it do for someone like me to turn things around? I just feel sorry for the Princess... and I feel the same way about him.”
“...”
When Liene didn't say anything, the woman continued speaking cautiously, keeping an eye on her.
“It seemed like you weren’t very determined. No man in the world would say that about another man’s child, Princess.”
"I know."
“That’s why I...”
“That’s why it’s scary.”
“He’s more... Yes? What do you mean?”
“What are you hoping to gain by doing all that?”
"Princess..."
The woman blinked as if she had never thought of that.
“When those things build up and build up and I completely open my heart, I worry about what I’m going to do then.”
“How could you have such... bad thoughts?”
“Don’t you think so, Madam? You saw with your own eyes how that man’s men scribbled the letters on the floor.”
“Well... it could be that the subordinate did something on his own. Or maybe my old eyes just saw something wrong.”
“...”
Liene laughed silently. She couldn't figure out if Madam Flambard was saying the same thing she was thinking. She just wants to believe that she's just being suspicious. She wants to believe that the man did nothing wrong and that she's just narrow-minded and dark inside and can't trust him.
“The old man in front of the temple will tell you anything.”
“I hope you won’t say things like the princess thinks.”
Me too. Earnestly.
Me too. Earnestly.
Bang bang.
That was when she heard a knock on the door.
“Princess. Someone is asking to see you.”
That loud and refreshing knocking sound was a habit of Tiwakan’s mercenaries. Liene, who was surprised, laughed bitterly and shook her head.
“Go and open the door. I’ll pretend to be lying down.”
“Yes, then. Lie down.”
But there was no need to lie down. Those who came to see Liene were people who could not be welcomed while lying down in bed.
That loud and refreshing knocking sound was a habit of Tiwakan’s mercenaries. Liene, who was surprised, laughed bitterly and shook her head.
“Go and open the door. I’ll pretend to be lying down.”
“Yes, then. Lie down.”
But there was no need to lie down. Those who came to see Liene were people who could not be welcomed while lying down in bed.
***
“I hope you understand that I will meet you in the audience room rather than the synagogue, as I am not feeling well.”
“I understand. With that small body, you had to carry a beast’s child. How hard must it have been on your body?”
“...”
Liene, who was trying to keep a calm expression, twisted her face as if she was going to make a sound. Yes, these were the people. The people who came today were two of the six families that signed the Treaty of Liseberg. Those six families were basically like clones of Klinefelter, although there were differences in degree among them.
“I guess the foul-mouthed habit of not discriminating between social status has become a virtue of the elders of the Great Council without my knowledge. Or is this just a new way of mourning Linden Klinefelter?”
“What, what did you say?”
The head of the Elaroiden family raised his voice.
“Where did you hear that kind of speech...!”
It had been several years since the Great Council had been called in Nauk. Liene had just been crowned and was sitting on the throne. Liene, who had suddenly had to shoulder all sorts of things, seemed frightened and cowered. It was hard to even look straight at the six nobles who had been urging her to become regent.
The Liene they remembered was probably the young girl who had been holding back tears and saying in a trembling voice that she would protect her crown. That was why they had a hard time accepting Liene, who was sitting at the head of the table and speaking to them leisurely.
“Let me just say that back to you. Think about who started talking dirty first.”
“Ha...! In just a few years!”
Elaroiden's eyes widened, but nothing was threatening about them.
“Princess. Did you call?”
It was thanks to Tiwakan, who appeared immediately with the hilt of his sword clanking as soon as a loud noise was heard.
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