Black glanced at the ring in Liene’s hand.
The ring’s mechanism was elaborate, but also difficult to notice. If Liene hadn’t been biting the ring, and if the joint between it and the decoration hadn’t accidentally bumped into it, she wouldn’t have known about the mechanism.
“If it was a mechanism made to use the ring as a key, it would have been more convenient.”
“Hmm... Isn’t that possible? It’s a mechanism to draw water. I don’t think it would be opened and closed every day.”
His thoughts became serious. He forgot the rumbling insides that had been following the swaying carriage.
“If I were a King who knew about this mechanism, I would have wanted to close it every once in a while when Kleinfelters and the like got annoying.”
Even if he said that Liene probably wouldn’t actually close the mechanism. When the water level decreased, it wasn’t the annoying nobles who would suffer, but the majority of innocent people.
“Are you saying it wasn’t a device that was used every day?”
“That’s right. So I think this ring is more of a clue than a device. Something that hints at how to access the device or something like that. The Kings of Gainers were very smart. They must have known that secrets passed down by word of mouth could end one day.”
“Hmm.”
“Well, maybe not. I just assumed that this ring was the key to the device.”
Liene looked at the countless scratches on the ring. She didn’t really want to imagine what Bliny was thinking when she made these scratches.
“According to the records, the King was angry because the gem on the ring fell off. So he changed the shape of the ring.”
“Did he?”
“Yes. That’s why the ring became this long. Like a key. That’s why it’s called a key.”
Liene picked up the key, which was larger and heavier than a normal ring, and turned it around.
“Why would they put a decoration bigger than the frame in the first place? Isn’t that a bit strange? The jewel decorations were so big that they wouldn’t normally be made like that.”
“There might have been a reason why the decorations had to be so big.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Liene closed one eye and looked at Black through the round frame.
“Then that means the decorations were special, right? Where did they get the pattern from? Or maybe they symbolize something.”
“That could be true, but if that were the case, the Arch Princess wouldn’t have found out.”
“Oh, right. The Arch Princess doesn’t know the background of this ring. There must be something hidden in the ring itself... Well, then should I bite into it?”
Black became serious.
“Don’t worry about it. It won’t be clean.”
“I washed it this morning.”
“Still.”
“It’s clean.”
Liene actually bit into the ring while she was talking. Black quickly grabbed her hand to stop her, and just then the carriage shook violently.
Thump!
Her body jumped up and the ring made a noise.
“Ah, it hurts...”
She couldn’t figure out what was going on, but blood was on the finger covering her mouth.
“Take your hand away.”
Black’s face suddenly changed and he pulled Liene to sit on his thigh.
When he took her hand away, the inside of her lip was torn and bleeding.
“Ugh... It hurts more when I see blood.”
Black let out a harsh sound. He cupped her face and put his lips on her wound.
It felt like a slightly painful kiss, so Liene frowned with a smile.
“It hurts.”
“The bleeding hasn’t stopped yet.”
She couldn’t help but hate the feeling of her upper lip being gently licked.
The pain of her skin being torn was mixed with a tickling softness, creating an indecipherable sensation. Thanks to this, the pain was diluted.
Liene, who had been comfortably letting Black take her body, felt her fingers empty and felt around.
“Oh, wait... My ring is missing. I think I lost it.”
“I’ll find it later.”
“What are you talking about? Let me go.”
Black made a reluctant expression and put Liene down on the seat next to him.
“Stay. I’ll do the searching.”
“Let’s do it together.”
“It’s too narrow, so two people can’t move.”
Black bent down to look under the opposite seat and found a ring stuck between the carriage step and the door.
“...”
He lifted the ring and fixed his gaze on it.
“What’s wrong?...Ah.”
Liene lowered her head, following Black’s gaze, and opened her mouth without realizing it.
“Oh my...”
The decoration was half detached from the frame.
But that wasn’t all.
Under the large jewel decoration was a strange object.
“What is this…?”
“I don’t know.”
Black lifted the ring and placed it under the sunlight streaming in through the window. Every speck of dust floating around the ring was exposed.
Liene rested her chin on his shoulder and examined the ring intently.
The unknown object was a piece of iron. It was about the length of a pinky finger and as thick as a reed. Other than that, there was nothing special about it.
Liene, who had been looking at the iron and the ring for a while, said,
“I understand why the ring decoration looks like this. It follows the shape of this iron.”
“It must have been made to hide the iron.”
“I guess so. Then it seems like this ring was designed from the beginning to have separate decorations.”
“It seems so.”
“What on earth is this? I don’t know where to use it.”
Black placed the iron on his palm. It was a strange size, small if it was small, and large if it was large.
“Oh, here. There’s a flaw.”
Liene found the flaw that had not been visible because it was at the bottom.
“Did Princess Bliny bite this too?”
“No way.”
Black, who was looking at the blemish in the sunlight, shook his head.
“It’s smaller than a human bite mark.”
“I see. Then it’s just a blemish?”
“No. It doesn’t look like it was randomly created. It looks more like it was intentionally created...”
“There’s something else to figure out.”
The two people who were standing close to the window, shoulders side by side, made eye contact.
“It feels like we’re solving a mystery. One by one.”
“Yes. And the Princess was the one who found the clue every time.”
“Um, Sir Fermos rather than me... Oh, that’s right. It’s my fault right now. I got it by hurting my lips.”
It was a joke to make Black laugh, but he didn’t.
“Your lips are swollen.”
“Yes. It hurts a little.”
“I guess I won’t be able to kiss you for a while.”
Liene laughed because his face was so serious as he said those words.
“When you make that expression, it feels like I made a huge sacrifice.”
“It was a huge sacrifice.”
Black reached out and grabbed her chin. He rubbed her chin with his thumb as if he couldn’t bear to touch her swollen lips.
“I should have asked.”
Liene became serious.
“No, that’s not it. How could I watch that?”
Thinking that Black would do the same thing to the ring Bliny had bitten, she was already angry.
Liene picked up the piece of metal and put it back in the ring.
However, there was a problem. The small joint that allowed the ring’s decoration to open and close seemed to have been broken by the impact just a moment ago. The decoration was not fixed and was spinning around.
“Oh, no... I can’t keep it in the ring anymore. What should I do? It’s so small that it’s easy to lose.”
It was too valuable a clue to just put in a pocket.
The two of them thought about it together and decided to wrap it in Liene’s handkerchief and put it in the pocket attached to the inside of Black’s doublet.
The carriage was still speeding towards Nauk.
It was dawn two days later when they arrived at the border area.
“Oh my, my lord!”
Fermos stomped his feet in excitement.
“Why! Why! Why did you come back without saying anything! And by a different route! Why! And on Sharka’s carriage! I almost rolled a rock!”
Judging from his pale face, he was serious.
“Randall must have sent a signal.”
“That’s right! What would have happened if I had seen it a little later!”
The border area, where they had been on guard until three days ago, had its first skirmish yesterday. Fermos launched a preemptive strike when he saw that Sharka was trying to join up with about two hundred knights and infantry. There was no contact from Black, and he couldn’t find out anything else, but he calculated that it would not be good if the enemy’s numbers increased in a standoff situation where they were not letting their guard down.
And he couldn’t stand waiting, so his stomach ached.
In any case, the first battle was a victory for Tiwakan. Of the two hundred men who arrived at the border, more than half were annihilated before they could join. The rest barely made it, but it was said that there were more wounded than healthy people.
“Anyway! It is because I paved the way that my lord came in peace!”
Every word was filled with resentment.
Black tapped Fermos on the shoulder with his usual expressionless face.
“Well done.”
“Iik! Well done!”
Black got off the carriage and looked at Sharka’s camp across the border without a moment to catch his breath.
The number of wounded had increased, increasing the number of people compared to usual. However, there was no sign of starting a battle.
“Two hundred. I guess that’s all the people the King can bring in.”
“I don’t know why, but they don’t seem like they want to start a war. With that number, they won’t be able to defend their borders, let alone fight Tiwakan.”
“They’re having trouble recruiting troops. It seems that the King and Queen’s rift is still working.”
“Did you do it, my lord?”
“Liene.”
“Aha. That’s a really effective tactic.”
“That’s right.”
Permos agreed, not missing the subtle change in Black’s expression.
He had been expressionless for the few days he had spent here alone, but when he talked about Princess Liene, his face was filled with pride.
...That’s too much.
Fermos licked his lips and shook his chin.
They say people change when they get married. His lord is exactly that kind of match.
“Then what will happen to the war? Are they really going to continue like that? It would be impossible for them to do that unless they are quite insane...”
“They will surrender soon.”
“Oh, really? What have you done in Sharka?”
“I brought hostages.”
“Hostages?...You mean, the Grand Princess?”
Black nodded.
“That was also Liene’s suggestion.”
“Aha... I see. Did you retrieve the ring?”
“Hmm. I also found out that there was something hidden inside the ring. Liene found out about that too.”
“...I see.”
Fermos decided to forget his anger for now.
Judging from his expression, it seemed like it would not be heard no matter what he said.
“Then I will tell them that there are hostages. What are the conditions?”
“Well... I think I need your opinion on that. How much do you think we can get from Sharka?”
Still, his usefulness was solid. Fermos tried to think positively.
It was a good thing to have a wise ruler.
“We’ll have to figure out how desperate he is. How much is the Grand Princess worth as a hostage?”
“Quite a bit.”
“Then I’ll make a list. Will you stay here?”
“Until the war is over.”
“What about the princess?”
He didn’t miss the change in his expression the moment he said those words.
He couldn’t miss it. He was so obviously frowning.
“...We should go to the castle.”
Right. That must mean he didn’t want to be away either. I see.
“Are you going now? I’ll tell them to bring you.”
Black hesitated for a moment and shook his head.
“Pick two. I’ll go and come back.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t ask why.”
“...Yes.”
Still, he must have realized that it was too much. I see.
“I’m making a list for negotiation. I’ll bring you and come back right away.”
“Don’t do that, and take it easy. It seems like the list will take a long time to make.”
Fermos said, half-giving up.
Black’s cheek muscles bulged slightly. It was clearly something he did to hide his laughter.
“...Yes. The priority is to end the war quickly.”
Yes. But you know what the priority is. Then that’s okay.
“Have a nice trip.”
Black got back on the carriage less than five minutes after arriving at the border. It was to take Liene to Nauk Castle.
The ring’s mechanism was elaborate, but also difficult to notice. If Liene hadn’t been biting the ring, and if the joint between it and the decoration hadn’t accidentally bumped into it, she wouldn’t have known about the mechanism.
“If it was a mechanism made to use the ring as a key, it would have been more convenient.”
“Hmm... Isn’t that possible? It’s a mechanism to draw water. I don’t think it would be opened and closed every day.”
His thoughts became serious. He forgot the rumbling insides that had been following the swaying carriage.
“If I were a King who knew about this mechanism, I would have wanted to close it every once in a while when Kleinfelters and the like got annoying.”
Even if he said that Liene probably wouldn’t actually close the mechanism. When the water level decreased, it wasn’t the annoying nobles who would suffer, but the majority of innocent people.
“Are you saying it wasn’t a device that was used every day?”
“That’s right. So I think this ring is more of a clue than a device. Something that hints at how to access the device or something like that. The Kings of Gainers were very smart. They must have known that secrets passed down by word of mouth could end one day.”
“Hmm.”
“Well, maybe not. I just assumed that this ring was the key to the device.”
Liene looked at the countless scratches on the ring. She didn’t really want to imagine what Bliny was thinking when she made these scratches.
“According to the records, the King was angry because the gem on the ring fell off. So he changed the shape of the ring.”
“Did he?”
“Yes. That’s why the ring became this long. Like a key. That’s why it’s called a key.”
Liene picked up the key, which was larger and heavier than a normal ring, and turned it around.
“Why would they put a decoration bigger than the frame in the first place? Isn’t that a bit strange? The jewel decorations were so big that they wouldn’t normally be made like that.”
“There might have been a reason why the decorations had to be so big.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Liene closed one eye and looked at Black through the round frame.
“Then that means the decorations were special, right? Where did they get the pattern from? Or maybe they symbolize something.”
“That could be true, but if that were the case, the Arch Princess wouldn’t have found out.”
“Oh, right. The Arch Princess doesn’t know the background of this ring. There must be something hidden in the ring itself... Well, then should I bite into it?”
Black became serious.
“Don’t worry about it. It won’t be clean.”
“I washed it this morning.”
“Still.”
“It’s clean.”
Liene actually bit into the ring while she was talking. Black quickly grabbed her hand to stop her, and just then the carriage shook violently.
Thump!
Her body jumped up and the ring made a noise.
“Ah, it hurts...”
She couldn’t figure out what was going on, but blood was on the finger covering her mouth.
“Take your hand away.”
Black’s face suddenly changed and he pulled Liene to sit on his thigh.
When he took her hand away, the inside of her lip was torn and bleeding.
“Ugh... It hurts more when I see blood.”
Black let out a harsh sound. He cupped her face and put his lips on her wound.
It felt like a slightly painful kiss, so Liene frowned with a smile.
“It hurts.”
“The bleeding hasn’t stopped yet.”
She couldn’t help but hate the feeling of her upper lip being gently licked.
The pain of her skin being torn was mixed with a tickling softness, creating an indecipherable sensation. Thanks to this, the pain was diluted.
Liene, who had been comfortably letting Black take her body, felt her fingers empty and felt around.
“Oh, wait... My ring is missing. I think I lost it.”
“I’ll find it later.”
“What are you talking about? Let me go.”
Black made a reluctant expression and put Liene down on the seat next to him.
“Stay. I’ll do the searching.”
“Let’s do it together.”
“It’s too narrow, so two people can’t move.”
Black bent down to look under the opposite seat and found a ring stuck between the carriage step and the door.
“...”
He lifted the ring and fixed his gaze on it.
“What’s wrong?...Ah.”
Liene lowered her head, following Black’s gaze, and opened her mouth without realizing it.
“Oh my...”
The decoration was half detached from the frame.
But that wasn’t all.
Under the large jewel decoration was a strange object.
“What is this…?”
“I don’t know.”
Black lifted the ring and placed it under the sunlight streaming in through the window. Every speck of dust floating around the ring was exposed.
Liene rested her chin on his shoulder and examined the ring intently.
The unknown object was a piece of iron. It was about the length of a pinky finger and as thick as a reed. Other than that, there was nothing special about it.
Liene, who had been looking at the iron and the ring for a while, said,
“I understand why the ring decoration looks like this. It follows the shape of this iron.”
“It must have been made to hide the iron.”
“I guess so. Then it seems like this ring was designed from the beginning to have separate decorations.”
“It seems so.”
“What on earth is this? I don’t know where to use it.”
Black placed the iron on his palm. It was a strange size, small if it was small, and large if it was large.
“Oh, here. There’s a flaw.”
Liene found the flaw that had not been visible because it was at the bottom.
“Did Princess Bliny bite this too?”
“No way.”
Black, who was looking at the blemish in the sunlight, shook his head.
“It’s smaller than a human bite mark.”
“I see. Then it’s just a blemish?”
“No. It doesn’t look like it was randomly created. It looks more like it was intentionally created...”
“There’s something else to figure out.”
The two people who were standing close to the window, shoulders side by side, made eye contact.
“It feels like we’re solving a mystery. One by one.”
“Yes. And the Princess was the one who found the clue every time.”
“Um, Sir Fermos rather than me... Oh, that’s right. It’s my fault right now. I got it by hurting my lips.”
It was a joke to make Black laugh, but he didn’t.
“Your lips are swollen.”
“Yes. It hurts a little.”
“I guess I won’t be able to kiss you for a while.”
Liene laughed because his face was so serious as he said those words.
“When you make that expression, it feels like I made a huge sacrifice.”
“It was a huge sacrifice.”
Black reached out and grabbed her chin. He rubbed her chin with his thumb as if he couldn’t bear to touch her swollen lips.
“I should have asked.”
Liene became serious.
“No, that’s not it. How could I watch that?”
Thinking that Black would do the same thing to the ring Bliny had bitten, she was already angry.
Liene picked up the piece of metal and put it back in the ring.
However, there was a problem. The small joint that allowed the ring’s decoration to open and close seemed to have been broken by the impact just a moment ago. The decoration was not fixed and was spinning around.
“Oh, no... I can’t keep it in the ring anymore. What should I do? It’s so small that it’s easy to lose.”
It was too valuable a clue to just put in a pocket.
The two of them thought about it together and decided to wrap it in Liene’s handkerchief and put it in the pocket attached to the inside of Black’s doublet.
The carriage was still speeding towards Nauk.
***
It was dawn two days later when they arrived at the border area.
“Oh my, my lord!”
Fermos stomped his feet in excitement.
“Why! Why! Why did you come back without saying anything! And by a different route! Why! And on Sharka’s carriage! I almost rolled a rock!”
Judging from his pale face, he was serious.
“Randall must have sent a signal.”
“That’s right! What would have happened if I had seen it a little later!”
The border area, where they had been on guard until three days ago, had its first skirmish yesterday. Fermos launched a preemptive strike when he saw that Sharka was trying to join up with about two hundred knights and infantry. There was no contact from Black, and he couldn’t find out anything else, but he calculated that it would not be good if the enemy’s numbers increased in a standoff situation where they were not letting their guard down.
And he couldn’t stand waiting, so his stomach ached.
In any case, the first battle was a victory for Tiwakan. Of the two hundred men who arrived at the border, more than half were annihilated before they could join. The rest barely made it, but it was said that there were more wounded than healthy people.
“Anyway! It is because I paved the way that my lord came in peace!”
Every word was filled with resentment.
Black tapped Fermos on the shoulder with his usual expressionless face.
“Well done.”
“Iik! Well done!”
Black got off the carriage and looked at Sharka’s camp across the border without a moment to catch his breath.
The number of wounded had increased, increasing the number of people compared to usual. However, there was no sign of starting a battle.
“Two hundred. I guess that’s all the people the King can bring in.”
“I don’t know why, but they don’t seem like they want to start a war. With that number, they won’t be able to defend their borders, let alone fight Tiwakan.”
“They’re having trouble recruiting troops. It seems that the King and Queen’s rift is still working.”
“Did you do it, my lord?”
“Liene.”
“Aha. That’s a really effective tactic.”
“That’s right.”
Permos agreed, not missing the subtle change in Black’s expression.
He had been expressionless for the few days he had spent here alone, but when he talked about Princess Liene, his face was filled with pride.
...That’s too much.
Fermos licked his lips and shook his chin.
They say people change when they get married. His lord is exactly that kind of match.
“Then what will happen to the war? Are they really going to continue like that? It would be impossible for them to do that unless they are quite insane...”
“They will surrender soon.”
“Oh, really? What have you done in Sharka?”
“I brought hostages.”
“Hostages?...You mean, the Grand Princess?”
Black nodded.
“That was also Liene’s suggestion.”
“Aha... I see. Did you retrieve the ring?”
“Hmm. I also found out that there was something hidden inside the ring. Liene found out about that too.”
“...I see.”
Fermos decided to forget his anger for now.
Judging from his expression, it seemed like it would not be heard no matter what he said.
“Then I will tell them that there are hostages. What are the conditions?”
“Well... I think I need your opinion on that. How much do you think we can get from Sharka?”
Still, his usefulness was solid. Fermos tried to think positively.
It was a good thing to have a wise ruler.
“We’ll have to figure out how desperate he is. How much is the Grand Princess worth as a hostage?”
“Quite a bit.”
“Then I’ll make a list. Will you stay here?”
“Until the war is over.”
“What about the princess?”
He didn’t miss the change in his expression the moment he said those words.
He couldn’t miss it. He was so obviously frowning.
“...We should go to the castle.”
Right. That must mean he didn’t want to be away either. I see.
“Are you going now? I’ll tell them to bring you.”
Black hesitated for a moment and shook his head.
“Pick two. I’ll go and come back.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t ask why.”
“...Yes.”
Still, he must have realized that it was too much. I see.
“I’m making a list for negotiation. I’ll bring you and come back right away.”
“Don’t do that, and take it easy. It seems like the list will take a long time to make.”
Fermos said, half-giving up.
Black’s cheek muscles bulged slightly. It was clearly something he did to hide his laughter.
“...Yes. The priority is to end the war quickly.”
Yes. But you know what the priority is. Then that’s okay.
“Have a nice trip.”
Black got back on the carriage less than five minutes after arriving at the border. It was to take Liene to Nauk Castle.
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