Episode 71. Protecting You Is Protecting Me
The three entered the barracks used as an armory.
“How is it, isn’t it great?”
Jennifer opened a large wooden box, which was filled with long guns.
Christine, who picked up one gun, began to examine it with eagle eyes, taking various poses.
“I like it. I modified the muskets used by the enemy in the last war into flintlocks. Thanks to this, they are much lighter and have a faster rate of fire.”
Adele looked puzzled.
“Why are you showing me this? No way...”
“Bring it to me.”
“That... you mean?”
Jennifer asked, seemingly surprised.
“Hmm.”
After a while, Jennifer brought a small wooden box. When he opened the box, there was a small, luxurious gun with elegant carvings on its silver body.
“This is a newly developed pistol. It has a higher rate of fire and is more portable than a musket.”
Jennifer proudly added to Christine’s words,
“This is a newly developed weapon that even the royal family has not yet touched.”
“Chris, you’re telling me to shoot this...?”
“You said you wanted to protect yourself.”
Adele’s eyes widened at the unexpected development.
“Throw it!”
At Christine’s command, two objects soared high into the night sky. They were so far away that Adele couldn’t see them clearly.
Ta-aang! Ta-aang!
In an instant, a thunderous gunshot and a firework were fired from the pistol. A thick cloud of smoke rose, and the flying objects disappeared from sight.
Adele rubbed her dull ears and ran to the place where the objects must have fallen.
“It wasn’t an apple?”
There was an apple there, shattered into pieces.
If it had been a person... The mere thought was terrifying.
“This is the best way to protect yourself in a short time.”
Christine, who had come closer, said nonchalantly.
“But this is a weapon that can kill a person.”
“All weapons are meant to kill, Adele. So you have to know how to use them well. Frighten them away, strike them, or kill them in one breath.”
Christine said calmly, but since he had crossed the line of death countless times, it didn’t sound easy.
“If you don’t intend to bend, then hold on, Adele.”
Adele hesitated and carefully grabbed the pistol he offered her. It was heavy, but it felt good in her hand.
She looked straight at him as if she had made up her mind.
“Teach me, too, Chris.”
Christine sighed softly.
He had brought her here to teach her how to shoot, but he might have actually wanted her to just give up and go back.
Of course, she knew that wouldn’t happen.
“Before that, just keep this in mind. I won’t stop you from meeting Empress Isabella. But I hope it’s not for my sake. I hope your only purpose in moving is for yourself.”
Adele nodded after thinking it over carefully.
“Yes, all of this is for me.”
Because protecting you is protecting me.
“Yes, I’ll teach you today. When I’m not here, come here and learn from Jennifer.”
“Got it.”
“And never come alone when it gets dark.”
“Yes.”
“Then, first, get into position. Feet a little wider than shoulder width, arms relaxed, hands like this.”
“Like this?”
Adele followed Christine’s instructions with a serious face.
“Yes.”
“Don’t be surprised because there will be a lot of recoil after firing.”
“Oh, got it.”
Christine approached Adele, who was tense and clenching her fists.
“Don’t worry too much, I’ll hold you until you get used to it.”
He grabbed Adele’s pistol hands from behind.
When Adele glanced up,
“Face it.”
“Uh, yes!”
Meanwhile, far away from the two, there was a lot of resentment.
“Damn... I respect Zimmer all over again. How can he put up with that every day?”
Jennifer, who was preparing to throw an apple, muttered as he bit into the crunchy apple.
The other knights who had gathered to watch were also amazed.
“What a sweet-smelling boss. Wow, a split personality. It’s really creepy.”
In an instant, the gun was pointed at them.
“Whoa, whoa!”
Everyone quickly fell flat on the ground, but Christine shouted,
“Throw it!”
“Yes, sir!”
The apple with a bite flew high into the dark night sky,
and taang!
A refreshing gunshot rang out.
On the day of the bazaar.
The public was in a bad mood due to the murders that occurred every other day, but spring came without fail. Water rose even on the bare tree branches, and the sunlight was warmer than ever.
Every year, Isabelle held a charity bazaar at the cathedral in the park. She donated all the proceeds to the orphanage.
“I was nervous because I thought the bazaar wouldn’t be held this year.”
“That’s right. Fortunately, the response seems to be similar to previous years.”
“It’s similar. It’s really popular there.”
Was that really the reason she came to ask?
“It’s not like nothing was going on, but there was nothing that the Princess was worried about.”
April looked relieved. There had been rumors going around for a while that Adele and Stone had an affair.
Adele felt sorry for April. She felt like a foolish younger sister who didn’t know anything about the world.
“Have you set a wedding date?”
“I think it’ll be before the end of spring. He said the sooner the better.”
He... When she said that, April’s face turned red.
It was clear that she was deeply in love with Stone.
After all, it would have been easy for him, who was so cunning, to win over the heart of the clumsy Princess.
“Don’t rush into marriage. He’s going to be your lifelong partner, so wouldn’t it be better to get to know him a little more slowly?”
It was careful advice for April.
It might take months for Christine to find evidence of Stone’s crimes and arrest him. If he were to marry April before then, everything would get complicated.
Of course, April would be the one who would get the most complicated.
“Don’t be fooled by that, Princess!”
Seira was right behind her. She clung to April’s side and began to criticize Adele.
“Miss Adele wants this marriage to go wrong more than anyone else. You know that. If you two get married, Count Weiss’s position will be shaken.”
Adele was dumbfounded. She wanted to tell April everything about what a horrible person Stone Oswald was.
But there was no way someone who was deeply in love would hear such things. It was obvious that she would hate her even more for no reason.
But she couldn’t just let Seira babble on and on.
“Well. We’ll have to wait and see if the Count’s position will waver or become stronger. Who knows His Majesty’s will?”
“His Majesty’s will...?”
As April ran away, Seira asked,
“Who do you think is the culprit of the incident happening in Greenhill right now?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Then what if there was a similar incident in the Orbis Kingdom in the past eight years?”
Seira hesitated for a moment and then flared up.
“D-dang it! What are you talking about!”
But Adele asked again with a cold face.
“Then do you know what’s in your house’s basement?”
“There is something. There’s the dormitory of the rich lady in the basement.”
“And there’s a crypt.”
“Yes, why is that?”
“The dormitory I was staying in had a passageway connected to the Oswald family’s crypt. Just thinking about the crypt beneath my room was so terrifying. That’s why I couldn’t even think of going downstairs.”
“I can’t listen to you. If you want to lament about what happened back then, tell Count Weiss. I’m busy, so I’ll leave now.”
Seira was about to turn around, annoyed.
“But I went to the cemetery on the day your father died.”
Seira’s steps stopped.
Adele tried to recall the memories of that day. A memory she never wanted to recall.
“I saw skeletons that hadn’t been properly collected. I don’t know if they were animals or people... There must have been dozens.”
“Wh-what are you talking about?”
Seira’s voice trembled thinly.
“At the time, I was so shocked that I didn’t think anything of it. But after thinking about it for the past few days, it was so strange. If Oswald had been a person, he wouldn’t have left them like that. He didn’t bury the servants there, and if they were animals, it would have been strange to have gathered them there separately.”
After hearing Christine’s story, Adele thought deeply about what could be a clue that Stone was the culprit. Then that incident came to mind. At the time, she just thought it was horrible and ran away.
“...What does that have to do with this case?”
“There might have been victims like this eight years ago.”
Seira jumped as if she had been burned.
“Stop talking nonsense! This is the Silver Wolf! Everyone in Kalime knows this! If you hold a grudge against our family and are planning to do something, I won’t let you off easy!”
Seira shouted, causing everyone to stare.
Adel spoke clearly to Seira.
“The culprit is a monster who wants to blame the Silver Wolf.”
“No, I think the culprit is a monster who wants to blame the Silver Wolf. That monster is right next to you.”
“...!”
Seira flinched for a moment, but then got angry like fire.
“Stop talking nonsense! Even if you are the Count’s fiancée, if you insult our family, I will formally protest through the Noble Assembly!”
Adel did not waver despite Seira’s threats.
“You should think carefully, Seira. That monster will become more and more dangerous. Before you and your family are eaten... There must be a way for you to save the Oswalds.”
“Me saving the Oswalds? What are you talking about?”
“Then that’s all.”
Adele turned around without answering.
Then she ran into Isabelle standing in the corridor next to the courtyard.
Could it be that she was listening to their conversation?
“There you are. April is waiting for Miss Seira.”
She couldn’t read anything on Isabelle’s elegantly smiling face.
“Oh, come to your senses. We were going to look at dresses at the ‘Chanel House’ together. They said the spring new collection came out.”
Seira ran away with a look of relief.
“I’ll go back to my seat.”
Isabelle caught Adele.
“I’d like to talk to you for a moment.”
She had heard the conversation.
The three entered the barracks used as an armory.
“How is it, isn’t it great?”
Jennifer opened a large wooden box, which was filled with long guns.
Christine, who picked up one gun, began to examine it with eagle eyes, taking various poses.
“I like it. I modified the muskets used by the enemy in the last war into flintlocks. Thanks to this, they are much lighter and have a faster rate of fire.”
Adele looked puzzled.
“Why are you showing me this? No way...”
“Bring it to me.”
“That... you mean?”
Jennifer asked, seemingly surprised.
“Hmm.”
After a while, Jennifer brought a small wooden box. When he opened the box, there was a small, luxurious gun with elegant carvings on its silver body.
“This is a newly developed pistol. It has a higher rate of fire and is more portable than a musket.”
Jennifer proudly added to Christine’s words,
“This is a newly developed weapon that even the royal family has not yet touched.”
“Chris, you’re telling me to shoot this...?”
“You said you wanted to protect yourself.”
Adele’s eyes widened at the unexpected development.
***
“Throw it!”
At Christine’s command, two objects soared high into the night sky. They were so far away that Adele couldn’t see them clearly.
Ta-aang! Ta-aang!
In an instant, a thunderous gunshot and a firework were fired from the pistol. A thick cloud of smoke rose, and the flying objects disappeared from sight.
Adele rubbed her dull ears and ran to the place where the objects must have fallen.
“It wasn’t an apple?”
There was an apple there, shattered into pieces.
If it had been a person... The mere thought was terrifying.
“This is the best way to protect yourself in a short time.”
Christine, who had come closer, said nonchalantly.
“But this is a weapon that can kill a person.”
“All weapons are meant to kill, Adele. So you have to know how to use them well. Frighten them away, strike them, or kill them in one breath.”
Christine said calmly, but since he had crossed the line of death countless times, it didn’t sound easy.
“If you don’t intend to bend, then hold on, Adele.”
Adele hesitated and carefully grabbed the pistol he offered her. It was heavy, but it felt good in her hand.
She looked straight at him as if she had made up her mind.
“Teach me, too, Chris.”
Christine sighed softly.
He had brought her here to teach her how to shoot, but he might have actually wanted her to just give up and go back.
Of course, she knew that wouldn’t happen.
“Before that, just keep this in mind. I won’t stop you from meeting Empress Isabella. But I hope it’s not for my sake. I hope your only purpose in moving is for yourself.”
Adele nodded after thinking it over carefully.
“Yes, all of this is for me.”
Because protecting you is protecting me.
“Yes, I’ll teach you today. When I’m not here, come here and learn from Jennifer.”
“Got it.”
“And never come alone when it gets dark.”
“Yes.”
“Then, first, get into position. Feet a little wider than shoulder width, arms relaxed, hands like this.”
“Like this?”
Adele followed Christine’s instructions with a serious face.
“Yes.”
“Don’t be surprised because there will be a lot of recoil after firing.”
“Oh, got it.”
Christine approached Adele, who was tense and clenching her fists.
“Don’t worry too much, I’ll hold you until you get used to it.”
He grabbed Adele’s pistol hands from behind.
When Adele glanced up,
“Face it.”
“Uh, yes!”
Meanwhile, far away from the two, there was a lot of resentment.
“Damn... I respect Zimmer all over again. How can he put up with that every day?”
Jennifer, who was preparing to throw an apple, muttered as he bit into the crunchy apple.
The other knights who had gathered to watch were also amazed.
“What a sweet-smelling boss. Wow, a split personality. It’s really creepy.”
“No, if you're going on a date, do it alone. Why are you salting here in the middle of the night?”
“Whoa, whoa!”
Everyone quickly fell flat on the ground, but Christine shouted,
“Throw it!”
“Yes, sir!”
The apple with a bite flew high into the dark night sky,
and taang!
A refreshing gunshot rang out.
***
On the day of the bazaar.
The public was in a bad mood due to the murders that occurred every other day, but spring came without fail. Water rose even on the bare tree branches, and the sunlight was warmer than ever.
Every year, Isabelle held a charity bazaar at the cathedral in the park. She donated all the proceeds to the orphanage.
“I was nervous because I thought the bazaar wouldn’t be held this year.”
“That’s right. Fortunately, the response seems to be similar to previous years.”
“It’s similar. It’s really popular there.”
Everyone’s eyes were on Adele.
Adele was selling the desserts she had prepared.
The pretty and delicious desserts caught the eyes of not only children but also women. As people gathered, even those who were passing by became curious.
“You don’t like carrots? This is a carrot cake.”
“I want to try it!”
“How about spinach cookies, my little lady? I bet you’ll get really strong if you eat them.”
“Me too, me too!”
The children reached out to Adele as if they were competing. Even amid all this chaos, Adele never lost her kindness.
“Can I try it too?”
When she raised her head at the familiar voice, April was smiling brightly. Seira was also there like a shadow behind her.
The three of them came out to the courtyard inside the cathedral because April had something important to say. The spring sunlight was gently shining down on the courtyard surrounded by three-story buildings.
“You were upset that day because of my mother?”
That day? Oh, you mean the time you made fun of me in front of the ladies a while ago?
“I’d be lying if I said no. But I wasn’t hurt as much as Your Majesty wanted. I’ve become very resilient.”
“I’ll apologize instead. It’s because of me that my mother started to hate Miss Adele.”
She didn’t know that April would come to her like this and apologize.
“It’s okay. It’s something I can handle.”
Then April glanced at Seira, who was standing back, and asked quietly.
“But... there really was nothing going on with the Marquis, right? Oh, don’t misunderstand. I just wanted to make sure.”
Adele was selling the desserts she had prepared.
The pretty and delicious desserts caught the eyes of not only children but also women. As people gathered, even those who were passing by became curious.
“You don’t like carrots? This is a carrot cake.”
“I want to try it!”
“How about spinach cookies, my little lady? I bet you’ll get really strong if you eat them.”
“Me too, me too!”
The children reached out to Adele as if they were competing. Even amid all this chaos, Adele never lost her kindness.
“Can I try it too?”
When she raised her head at the familiar voice, April was smiling brightly. Seira was also there like a shadow behind her.
***
The three of them came out to the courtyard inside the cathedral because April had something important to say. The spring sunlight was gently shining down on the courtyard surrounded by three-story buildings.
“You were upset that day because of my mother?”
That day? Oh, you mean the time you made fun of me in front of the ladies a while ago?
“I’d be lying if I said no. But I wasn’t hurt as much as Your Majesty wanted. I’ve become very resilient.”
“I’ll apologize instead. It’s because of me that my mother started to hate Miss Adele.”
She didn’t know that April would come to her like this and apologize.
“It’s okay. It’s something I can handle.”
Then April glanced at Seira, who was standing back, and asked quietly.
“But... there really was nothing going on with the Marquis, right? Oh, don’t misunderstand. I just wanted to make sure.”
Was that really the reason she came to ask?
“It’s not like nothing was going on, but there was nothing that the Princess was worried about.”
April looked relieved. There had been rumors going around for a while that Adele and Stone had an affair.
Adele felt sorry for April. She felt like a foolish younger sister who didn’t know anything about the world.
“Have you set a wedding date?”
“I think it’ll be before the end of spring. He said the sooner the better.”
He... When she said that, April’s face turned red.
It was clear that she was deeply in love with Stone.
After all, it would have been easy for him, who was so cunning, to win over the heart of the clumsy Princess.
“Don’t rush into marriage. He’s going to be your lifelong partner, so wouldn’t it be better to get to know him a little more slowly?”
It was careful advice for April.
It might take months for Christine to find evidence of Stone’s crimes and arrest him. If he were to marry April before then, everything would get complicated.
Of course, April would be the one who would get the most complicated.
“Don’t be fooled by that, Princess!”
Seira was right behind her. She clung to April’s side and began to criticize Adele.
“Miss Adele wants this marriage to go wrong more than anyone else. You know that. If you two get married, Count Weiss’s position will be shaken.”
Adele was dumbfounded. She wanted to tell April everything about what a horrible person Stone Oswald was.
But there was no way someone who was deeply in love would hear such things. It was obvious that she would hate her even more for no reason.
But she couldn’t just let Seira babble on and on.
“Well. We’ll have to wait and see if the Count’s position will waver or become stronger. Who knows His Majesty’s will?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Why, are you curious?”
April felt awkward between the tense standoff between Adele and Seira. In fact, she hated it when politics came up the most.
“Then you two should talk it out. I need to see my grandmother.”
“Why, are you curious?”
April felt awkward between the tense standoff between Adele and Seira. In fact, she hated it when politics came up the most.
“Then you two should talk it out. I need to see my grandmother.”
***
“His Majesty’s will...?”
As April ran away, Seira asked,
“Who do you think is the culprit of the incident happening in Greenhill right now?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Then what if there was a similar incident in the Orbis Kingdom in the past eight years?”
Seira hesitated for a moment and then flared up.
“D-dang it! What are you talking about!”
But Adele asked again with a cold face.
“Then do you know what’s in your house’s basement?”
“There is something. There’s the dormitory of the rich lady in the basement.”
“And there’s a crypt.”
“Yes, why is that?”
“The dormitory I was staying in had a passageway connected to the Oswald family’s crypt. Just thinking about the crypt beneath my room was so terrifying. That’s why I couldn’t even think of going downstairs.”
“I can’t listen to you. If you want to lament about what happened back then, tell Count Weiss. I’m busy, so I’ll leave now.”
Seira was about to turn around, annoyed.
“But I went to the cemetery on the day your father died.”
Seira’s steps stopped.
Adele tried to recall the memories of that day. A memory she never wanted to recall.
“I saw skeletons that hadn’t been properly collected. I don’t know if they were animals or people... There must have been dozens.”
“Wh-what are you talking about?”
Seira’s voice trembled thinly.
“At the time, I was so shocked that I didn’t think anything of it. But after thinking about it for the past few days, it was so strange. If Oswald had been a person, he wouldn’t have left them like that. He didn’t bury the servants there, and if they were animals, it would have been strange to have gathered them there separately.”
After hearing Christine’s story, Adele thought deeply about what could be a clue that Stone was the culprit. Then that incident came to mind. At the time, she just thought it was horrible and ran away.
“...What does that have to do with this case?”
“There might have been victims like this eight years ago.”
Seira jumped as if she had been burned.
“Stop talking nonsense! This is the Silver Wolf! Everyone in Kalime knows this! If you hold a grudge against our family and are planning to do something, I won’t let you off easy!”
Seira shouted, causing everyone to stare.
Adel spoke clearly to Seira.
“The culprit is a monster who wants to blame the Silver Wolf.”
“No, I think the culprit is a monster who wants to blame the Silver Wolf. That monster is right next to you.”
“...!”
Seira flinched for a moment, but then got angry like fire.
“Stop talking nonsense! Even if you are the Count’s fiancée, if you insult our family, I will formally protest through the Noble Assembly!”
Adel did not waver despite Seira’s threats.
“You should think carefully, Seira. That monster will become more and more dangerous. Before you and your family are eaten... There must be a way for you to save the Oswalds.”
“Me saving the Oswalds? What are you talking about?”
“Then that’s all.”
Adele turned around without answering.
Then she ran into Isabelle standing in the corridor next to the courtyard.
Could it be that she was listening to their conversation?
“There you are. April is waiting for Miss Seira.”
She couldn’t read anything on Isabelle’s elegantly smiling face.
“Oh, come to your senses. We were going to look at dresses at the ‘Chanel House’ together. They said the spring new collection came out.”
Seira ran away with a look of relief.
“I’ll go back to my seat.”
Isabelle caught Adele.
“I’d like to talk to you for a moment.”
She had heard the conversation.
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