“Do you know him?”
When I asked urgently, the blacksmith shook his head.
“No, that’s not it, but it feels somehow familiar. It looks a bit like someone, but who is it...?”
A man who had been furrowing his brows and thinking deeply suddenly clapped his hands together.
“Oh! There’s a kid who often comes to our blacksmith shop to play, and I just copied him.”
"Kid?"
“Yes, he lost both his parents at a young age and is living in a nearby orphanage. He often comes to our blacksmith shop to play. His adopted brother became a knight, I heard? So he says he will follow in his brother’s footsteps and become a knight too. Whenever he has time, he comes to look at swords and leaves. He is a very annoying guy.”
The Crown Prince and I locked eyes quickly. Although we hadn't said a word, I could sense that we were thinking the same thing.
'Does the assassin have any brothers?'
The Crown Prince, who had been quietly looking at me, asked the blacksmith.
“Where is the daycare center that the child is staying at?”
“Oh, that’s a bit complicated to explain in words. If you need it, I can draw up a map... Huh?”
He continued to speak while bowing, but suddenly his eyes widened.
“You’re right there! That’s the kid!”
We followed where he was pointing.
A young boy was peeking through the crack in the blacksmith's door, looking at me with a puzzled expression.
‘...Blonde hair and blue eyes.’
Although he was wearing tattered clothes and had a shabby appearance, his appearance matched that of an assassin perfectly.
“Did you really have brothers?”
As I was muttering while staring at the child, the blacksmith gestured toward the child.
“Hey, Marca. Come here.”
“...Me? Why?”
The child's face became wary as if he sensed that the atmosphere was not good.
But when the blacksmith suddenly got annoyed, he came closer, hesitantly.
As the child approached, the blacksmith held out a detailed drawing of the assassin's face and asked,
“Look at this picture. Isn’t this person your older brother? The one who became the knight?”
"Uh?"
For a moment, a strange light appeared in the eyes of the child who had been moving around in anxiety.
“That’s right! He’s my brother!”
“Is he really your brother?”
“Yes! I told you. My brother looks so much like me! Look, we really do look alike, don’t we?”
The child shrugged his shoulders and chuckled for a moment, but then his expression turned defensive again as if he sensed something strange.
“But why do you have a picture of my brother’s face? Are you looking for my brother? Why? Who are those people?”
“Hey, you punk! Those people! What kind of nonsense are you talking about! These people...!”
He was about to explain our identities while scolding the child for his rudeness when he suddenly stopped and froze.
It seemed that they had only just realized that they did not know our true identity.
He hesitated and mumbled, perhaps feeling burdened by having to ask about his identity first, before speaking vaguely.
“Anyway, they are very high-ranking people!”
“What is that...”
When the child pouts with a bewildered expression, he coughs awkwardly and speaks again.
“Anyway, it seems like these people are looking for your brother. Be honest when they ask you questions.”
“Why are you looking for my brother? Who are you?”
There was a hint of rebellion on his face as he looked at us with wide eyes.
“Oh, that’s right.”
What should I say?
I looked at the child with embarrassed eyes and carefully held the child's hand.
“I don’t think this is the place to talk about this, but should we move for a bit?”
But the child was startled, shook my hand away, and hurriedly hid behind the blacksmith.
“No! My brother told me not to follow people I don’t know! Why would I trust and follow people who can’t even reveal their identities?”
“Hey, why is this guy here! I’m sorry. He’s still young and doesn’t know anything....”
The blacksmith kept bowing his head on behalf of the child.
But that was only for a moment, and soon he rolled his eyes and asked cautiously.
“I... but it seems like what this guy said isn’t wrong. Excuse me, but may I ask for your identity?”
It was a natural attitude.
Why would you send a child to people you're meeting for the first time?
But I couldn't open my mouth to answer that question right away.
It was because of a pact with the Crown Prince as a condition for joining the Western journey.
“Since the Princess’s will to go to the West is so strong, I have no choice but to allow you, but you must never reveal your identity. No matter how strong your defenses are, if it becomes known that the Saintess is out of town, crowds will gather, and that will inevitably create an opening. When you call me, please call me by my name, not by my identity.”
So I took off my saintly attire and disguised myself as an ordinary nobleman.
'What should I do with this?'
As I was looking at the Crown Prince with an embarrassed expression, the child snorted.
“Look, you can’t speak?”
Judging by the way he was gripping the blacksmith's clothes even tighter, it seemed he was already convinced that we were suspicious people.
“Declan.”
I grabbed the hem of the Crown Prince's clothes as if to ask, "What should I do?"
Then, the Crown Prince, who had been making an embarrassed expression, let out a short sigh with a helpless expression on his face. Then, he lightly nodded his chin toward Sir Arthur.
“Be courteous. His Highness the Crown Prince and the Lady.”
As Sir Arthur spoke in a solemn voice, the eyes of the blacksmith and the child widened in an instant.
“What, His Highness and the Saintess? Oh my, how rude of me to not recognize such noble people... If you had told me in advance, I would have taken you to a cleaner place.”
“We is traveling incognito for some reason. Please keep the fact that you saw us a secret.”
“Oh my, of course not! Who gave me the order!”
He bowed several times and swore to keep the secret.
I turned my gaze to the child.
“Yes, now that you’ve cleared your mind a bit, can we move around a bit?”
When I asked as affectionately as possible, the child nodded slowly.
His face was still frozen.
After leaving the blacksmith shop with the child, I entered a nearby salon.
Since they were also selling desserts, I bought a few to help my child relax, and his eyes grew wide as if they were tearing.
“Hey, are you buying this for me? Can I eat it?”
“Yes, you can eat as much as you want.”
As I nodded willingly, the child who had been unable to close his mouth and exclaimed, “Wow,” carefully picked up one of the desserts.
Then, he took a small bite and let out an exclamation of admiration.
“Wow! It’s so sweet and soft! It’s so delicious!”
He was acting so childish a little while ago, but now he's acting more like a child.
“Eat as much as you want.”
I smiled happily and put another dessert in the child's hand.
The child devoured the dessert at a frightening pace.
“This is so delicious! This too! That too! Oh my, this is my first time eating something like this!”
After quietly watching the child eat so mindlessly when I thought he had filled his stomach to some extent, I cautiously got to the main point.
“You said this guy was your older brother?”
"Yes, that's right."
The child who answered mumblingly asked while swallowing the cookie in his mouth.
“But why are you looking for my brother? Did he do something wrong?”
He looked a little scared.
'I can't even talk about this honestly.'
How could one say to this innocent child, 'Your brother dared to kill a Saintess, so we are hunting down the person behind it.'
So I decided to tell a white lie.
“Nothing wrong. I just wanted to help you because it seemed like your brother was being used by bad people.”
“Use? Who would use my brother? My brother was adopted and is doing well.”
“Adoption?”
“Yes, my brother and I lost our parents when we were young. When he was twelve, he brought me to an orphanage by himself. He couldn’t raise me alone because I was too young! He was adopted after two years, and he comes to see me two or three times a year!”
My expression hardened at the child's words.
'They adopted a fourteen-year-old?'
Adoption usually involves taking in children as young as one or two years old.
Adoption of a grown boy was extremely rare, except for a girl who could be used for marriage purposes.
'Something's strange...'
I was lost in thought for a while, then I turned my gaze back to the child.
“Do you know where he was adopted?”
“Umm, I don’t know about that...”
“Why? Didn’t you tell me where your brother lives?”
“Yes, he told me that he couldn’t tell me that. I kept nagging him to tell me, but he never told me. Normally, he would listen to anything I said.”
Even thinking about it now, the child pouted as if he was still upset.
“Really? Why do you think that was?”
Why is it so difficult to tell where you were adopted?
As expected, something was suspicious.
Knock. Knock.
I was lost in thought, tapping the table with my index finger, when I met the child's eyes again.
“Can I visit the orphanage you live in?”
When I asked urgently, the blacksmith shook his head.
“No, that’s not it, but it feels somehow familiar. It looks a bit like someone, but who is it...?”
A man who had been furrowing his brows and thinking deeply suddenly clapped his hands together.
“Oh! There’s a kid who often comes to our blacksmith shop to play, and I just copied him.”
"Kid?"
“Yes, he lost both his parents at a young age and is living in a nearby orphanage. He often comes to our blacksmith shop to play. His adopted brother became a knight, I heard? So he says he will follow in his brother’s footsteps and become a knight too. Whenever he has time, he comes to look at swords and leaves. He is a very annoying guy.”
The Crown Prince and I locked eyes quickly. Although we hadn't said a word, I could sense that we were thinking the same thing.
'Does the assassin have any brothers?'
The Crown Prince, who had been quietly looking at me, asked the blacksmith.
“Where is the daycare center that the child is staying at?”
“Oh, that’s a bit complicated to explain in words. If you need it, I can draw up a map... Huh?”
He continued to speak while bowing, but suddenly his eyes widened.
“You’re right there! That’s the kid!”
We followed where he was pointing.
A young boy was peeking through the crack in the blacksmith's door, looking at me with a puzzled expression.
‘...Blonde hair and blue eyes.’
Although he was wearing tattered clothes and had a shabby appearance, his appearance matched that of an assassin perfectly.
“Did you really have brothers?”
As I was muttering while staring at the child, the blacksmith gestured toward the child.
“Hey, Marca. Come here.”
“...Me? Why?”
The child's face became wary as if he sensed that the atmosphere was not good.
“Well, if you want to come, come!”
As the child approached, the blacksmith held out a detailed drawing of the assassin's face and asked,
“Look at this picture. Isn’t this person your older brother? The one who became the knight?”
"Uh?"
For a moment, a strange light appeared in the eyes of the child who had been moving around in anxiety.
“That’s right! He’s my brother!”
“Is he really your brother?”
“Yes! I told you. My brother looks so much like me! Look, we really do look alike, don’t we?”
The child shrugged his shoulders and chuckled for a moment, but then his expression turned defensive again as if he sensed something strange.
“But why do you have a picture of my brother’s face? Are you looking for my brother? Why? Who are those people?”
“Hey, you punk! Those people! What kind of nonsense are you talking about! These people...!”
He was about to explain our identities while scolding the child for his rudeness when he suddenly stopped and froze.
It seemed that they had only just realized that they did not know our true identity.
He hesitated and mumbled, perhaps feeling burdened by having to ask about his identity first, before speaking vaguely.
“Anyway, they are very high-ranking people!”
“What is that...”
When the child pouts with a bewildered expression, he coughs awkwardly and speaks again.
“Anyway, it seems like these people are looking for your brother. Be honest when they ask you questions.”
“Why are you looking for my brother? Who are you?”
There was a hint of rebellion on his face as he looked at us with wide eyes.
“Oh, that’s right.”
What should I say?
I looked at the child with embarrassed eyes and carefully held the child's hand.
“I don’t think this is the place to talk about this, but should we move for a bit?”
But the child was startled, shook my hand away, and hurriedly hid behind the blacksmith.
“No! My brother told me not to follow people I don’t know! Why would I trust and follow people who can’t even reveal their identities?”
“Hey, why is this guy here! I’m sorry. He’s still young and doesn’t know anything....”
The blacksmith kept bowing his head on behalf of the child.
But that was only for a moment, and soon he rolled his eyes and asked cautiously.
“I... but it seems like what this guy said isn’t wrong. Excuse me, but may I ask for your identity?”
It was a natural attitude.
Why would you send a child to people you're meeting for the first time?
But I couldn't open my mouth to answer that question right away.
It was because of a pact with the Crown Prince as a condition for joining the Western journey.
“Since the Princess’s will to go to the West is so strong, I have no choice but to allow you, but you must never reveal your identity. No matter how strong your defenses are, if it becomes known that the Saintess is out of town, crowds will gather, and that will inevitably create an opening. When you call me, please call me by my name, not by my identity.”
So I took off my saintly attire and disguised myself as an ordinary nobleman.
'What should I do with this?'
As I was looking at the Crown Prince with an embarrassed expression, the child snorted.
“Look, you can’t speak?”
Judging by the way he was gripping the blacksmith's clothes even tighter, it seemed he was already convinced that we were suspicious people.
“Declan.”
I grabbed the hem of the Crown Prince's clothes as if to ask, "What should I do?"
Then, the Crown Prince, who had been making an embarrassed expression, let out a short sigh with a helpless expression on his face. Then, he lightly nodded his chin toward Sir Arthur.
“Be courteous. His Highness the Crown Prince and the Lady.”
As Sir Arthur spoke in a solemn voice, the eyes of the blacksmith and the child widened in an instant.
“What, His Highness and the Saintess? Oh my, how rude of me to not recognize such noble people... If you had told me in advance, I would have taken you to a cleaner place.”
“We is traveling incognito for some reason. Please keep the fact that you saw us a secret.”
“Oh my, of course not! Who gave me the order!”
He bowed several times and swore to keep the secret.
I turned my gaze to the child.
“Yes, now that you’ve cleared your mind a bit, can we move around a bit?”
When I asked as affectionately as possible, the child nodded slowly.
His face was still frozen.
After leaving the blacksmith shop with the child, I entered a nearby salon.
Since they were also selling desserts, I bought a few to help my child relax, and his eyes grew wide as if they were tearing.
“Hey, are you buying this for me? Can I eat it?”
“Yes, you can eat as much as you want.”
As I nodded willingly, the child who had been unable to close his mouth and exclaimed, “Wow,” carefully picked up one of the desserts.
Then, he took a small bite and let out an exclamation of admiration.
“Wow! It’s so sweet and soft! It’s so delicious!”
He was acting so childish a little while ago, but now he's acting more like a child.
“Eat as much as you want.”
I smiled happily and put another dessert in the child's hand.
The child devoured the dessert at a frightening pace.
“This is so delicious! This too! That too! Oh my, this is my first time eating something like this!”
After quietly watching the child eat so mindlessly when I thought he had filled his stomach to some extent, I cautiously got to the main point.
“You said this guy was your older brother?”
"Yes, that's right."
The child who answered mumblingly asked while swallowing the cookie in his mouth.
“But why are you looking for my brother? Did he do something wrong?”
He looked a little scared.
'I can't even talk about this honestly.'
How could one say to this innocent child, 'Your brother dared to kill a Saintess, so we are hunting down the person behind it.'
So I decided to tell a white lie.
“Nothing wrong. I just wanted to help you because it seemed like your brother was being used by bad people.”
“Use? Who would use my brother? My brother was adopted and is doing well.”
“Adoption?”
“Yes, my brother and I lost our parents when we were young. When he was twelve, he brought me to an orphanage by himself. He couldn’t raise me alone because I was too young! He was adopted after two years, and he comes to see me two or three times a year!”
My expression hardened at the child's words.
'They adopted a fourteen-year-old?'
Adoption usually involves taking in children as young as one or two years old.
Adoption of a grown boy was extremely rare, except for a girl who could be used for marriage purposes.
'Something's strange...'
I was lost in thought for a while, then I turned my gaze back to the child.
“Do you know where he was adopted?”
“Umm, I don’t know about that...”
“Why? Didn’t you tell me where your brother lives?”
“Yes, he told me that he couldn’t tell me that. I kept nagging him to tell me, but he never told me. Normally, he would listen to anything I said.”
Even thinking about it now, the child pouted as if he was still upset.
“Really? Why do you think that was?”
Why is it so difficult to tell where you were adopted?
As expected, something was suspicious.
Knock. Knock.
I was lost in thought, tapping the table with my index finger, when I met the child's eyes again.
“Can I visit the orphanage you live in?”
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