The fresh air touched my skin. I breathed deeply and jumped up. The space I was in was our bedroom in the villa. —Ah! I kept my eyes closed and sensed the presence of people moving in the villa. The atmosphere of the villa was, in a word, noisy. I could hear the footsteps of panicked people running through the hallways and the staff's attempt to calm them.
Everyone seems to have escaped the trap. Did Rue kill all the assassins? I looked at the beauty sitting by the window with suspicious eyes. Under the bright spring sun, a woman of ecstatic beauty looked out the window. As if nothing had happened, she was perfectly dressed from head to toe, ready for a walk.
Rue brought the cup of red tea he held in his hand to his lips and took a sip. I asked him something: —Where have you been?
—Nothing wonderful has happened, honey. Hmm... where do we start? At first, the morning air was so pleasant that I tried to go for a walk alone by the lake.
To my ears, it sounded more like he was going to hit the other mages. —But then a big airship came and stood right next to the Black Ragel, which was very rude. Then, the people who descended from that airship tried to take control of this place immediately, and then, they began to hunt the assassins or mages or whatever and helped people.
—Help? Did they find out about the situation in this valley and come straight away?
—Well, wouldn't it make sense that they hadn't come here to help, but helped since they were here anyway?
He tapped gently and pointed to something outside the window. I patted my wrinkled garment and stood up next to him. The front of the villa was swarming with people running out of the building. The staff aboard the Black Ragel and the escorts seemed equally busy.
—The Duke and Jean... I couldn't locate them in the sea of people. Were they still organizing themselves in the midst of chaos? However, among the people, I saw some of them wearing very strange uniforms. They wore white uniforms, opposite to those worn by the sword master's knights.
—Mr. Rue, do you think they're here to help us…? An urgent sound of knocking filled the room. Was it a travel assistant? As soon as I opened the door, Yeager appeared from the hallway.
—Hey, Gray! Bring your wife with you, we have to evacuate! There are assassins attacking the nobles... His voice, which had risen when he shouted frantically, died away. Yeager, now panting, looked at me with eyes that seemed distressed about how to accept the scene before him. But that lasted only a moment. Yeager immediately greeted me with due courtesy. Like a stranger.
—Nice to meet you, miss. Did Viscount Gray Weatherwoods leave first?
Oh, shit. It's okay. I've returned to being myself. If I had known it would end like this, I wouldn't have broken the ring. Yeager, who peeked into the bedroom with a subtle look, found Rue and seemed to find relief.
—Viscountess Weatherwoods, you're here. Gray, where could he be…?
Rue, who approached me delicately, took my hand and laughed. —My husband isn't here. I was about to leave, but this is great. Shall we go together?
—Yes, sure. You'd better get out fast. I'll take her.
—Come on, my silly maid, Daisy.
Was I supposed to be Rue's maid now? That was a great contrast to what I was before. —This way.
We met Volkwin in the hallway. The two friends didn't inquire further about Gray's location. Rue's attitude was so relaxed they probably assumed he was alive somewhere. The two of us went down the stairs under the protection of two men. Meanwhile, Rue spoke with Volkwin.
—I think I had a strange dream. There's a problem here, isn't there? —Yes, there is. But the big problem seems to have been solved, so you don't have to worry too much. We have the sword master and the hero of the Penrotta Empire protecting us, of course.
—Ah. Their arrival in Iregiel this morning was an incredible stroke of luck, man. Don't you think so, Volkwin? The hero of Penrotta. He arrived in Iregiel this morning. No need to ask who it was, because Volkwin said his name himself.
—Yes. Who would have expected to see Duke Raphael Zenail Penrotta?
It was Raphael. For a moment, my breath caught in my lungs. A friend who spent 10 years on the battlefield together with me was in the Iregiel villa. Now we were in the same place. It's not that I had never imagined a day like this. Human things don't always happen as one plans. I thought I might meet him at least once here or there, but...
—Oh!
How would I feel if that day finally arrived? The idea of reuniing with my best friends of all time intrigued me often, but… Well, it's not as bad as I thought. I wasn't particularly nervous. I wasn't even worried about getting caught. I… was I living a more carefree life than I expected?
Ah, there was one thing that was different than before. My head was clearly happy with the idea of meeting Raphael now. But that's not the case for Raphael. Let's see the situation from the other side. What if it had been Raphael who had attacked Mephisto's castle, alone? What if he had gone even after I had asked him not to? What if he had been the one who died? What if he suddenly reappeared four years later and said he knew me? I'm sure he would be happy, even if at first he was a bit confused.
But what if Raphael, who reappeared like this, were actually a woman? The precious relationship we shared, which went beyond simple friendship between people of the same sex, even reaching the point of calling each other the half-orange... What if the friend I firmly believed was a man was actually a woman? That's too much. Wouldn't it be unpleasant? It's not that it was simply unpleasant. No, even the shared memories with that friend could be tarnished. Maybe I would wish the memory didn't exist in the first place.
I didn't like it. I didn't want to throw the ashes of our past together in front of Raphael, who had lived 10 years in hell with them. I don't want to become an uncomfortable presence for him. So don't be too self-conscious and make unnecessary mistakes. I would even overcome my reunion with Count Rosebell and the sword master without many difficulties.
Yeager, who was going down the stairs before, turned around and brought up a slightly different topic. —Now that I think about it, Gray told me that Mrs. Weatherwood is from the kingdom of Astrosa. Is Raphael's reputation that high even in your province?
Rue looked at me and laughed. —¿Hmm? Did my husband tell you about me?
—Of course. He loves her so much he was even talking about embarking on an adventure to find relics for her. Why was he talking about that nonsense in front of Rue? How could he talk about your friends' private conversations in front of his wife? You're a cunning child who is good for nothing!
—Ah, relic exploration. —Are you interested in the five relics of Dian Cecht? Madam, I'm going to tell you top-secret information, so please pay attention. It's a very dangerous subject, so please lose all interest in them.
—Why is it dangerous? Yeager whispered to Rue with a quite puzzled look. —I really can't tell you the details… At that moment, Rue, who was standing in the middle of the stairs, made direct eye contact with Yeager.
—Why is it dangerous? His bronze eyes flashed, and the focus in Yeager's and Volkwin's eyes blurred. Mind manipulation magic, just as he had done with the assassin on the Black Ragel. Yeager's lips parted slowly and he replied helplessly.
—…because they are the relics that the sword master, the Duke Zenail, and Rogue seek.
He was very good at extracting information. Yeager was stunned. Idiot! Who brings up other people's conversations so recklessly? Rue looked at me without any sign of surprise.
—Aha. I guess you sold your wife's name to a friend to get that information, my husband. I stood beside Rue, pretending not to know what he said, which had become my specialty. Rue, smiling, drew my arm closer and whispered to Yeager.
—I'll keep it in mind. Thanks for your advice. The focus returned to Yeager's blue eyes. He looked at us blankly and stumbled back.
—…Eh, just now… —You'd better be careful. If you fall backward, you could split your head. Rue made Yeager continue his way down as if nothing had happened.
Honestly, I was worried about his skill level. It seemed he used mind manipulation magic very easily. He... Don't tell me he looked inside my head every day without me knowing it? For a moment, a small question came to my mind. Rue is a living example of an unethical person, and it's as if he even breathes to offend other people. Can someone like that really be an imperial mage?
Before boarding the Black Ragel, I thought there was some possibility, but now, I wasn't so sure... Wouldn't he have been more active in responding to the mysterious large trap of mental magic happening here, in Iregiel, if he were in fact an imperial mage?
The book he was reading last night. *100 quality dishes of the Penrotta Empire for expert chefs.* A connection with the North Continental Union. A mage who seemed accustomed to being served and having subordinates, but who had little or no connection with the Imperial family. An acquaintance of Dian Cecht. Taking all this together, I came to a rather unique conclusion. Far from being an imperial mage... maybe he's not even from the Empire.