It was said that the hometown of the demigod Dian Cecht was in the Northern Continental Union. Considering all the evidence, wouldn't Rue likely be from the same place? While I reflected, we left the villa and joined the other evacuees. Volkwin, who was looking around, cautiously asked Rue: —Well, madam, where could Gray be? I don't see him around here either.
—My husband is very sick, but don't worry, he's safe.
—How do you mean he's sick? Does something hurt?
—Hurt? Well, he was the one who hurt me. He hurt my heart by breaking our precious wedding ring.
Contemplating that sad beauty, I really felt as if I had become a sinner. I alternated my gaze between Rue, who clung to my arm like a leech, and Yeager, who kept looking around to find me with Volkwin, when he opened his lips with a suspicious expression.
—Is he… is he really okay?
Did he realize that the only pretty thing about Rue was his face? Yeager was as quick as always. This is quite touching. Instead of blindly accepting the answer his friend's wife gave him, he kept looking around. That meant he was really worried about me, right? What a good young man.
I reassured his worries on behalf of Rue, who had narrowed his eyes dangerously. —The master was tired after his duel with Miss Jean.
For a moment, Yeager and Volkwin looked at me as if they were seeing a strange creature. Then they returned to normal and Volkwin asked me: —The duel? But, miss… Gray, I heard he didn't even need to make two moves against Jean.
What? Were they already talking about that? The aristocrats were too carefree. —But he's hurt.
—If he's hurt, we should take more care of him… —The master is strong. —Even so, Gray is a member of the Weatherwoods family…
I tell you don't worry about it! I wanted to shout that, but I couldn't. —Time Woods?
A question asked in a low voice reached my ears. At the same time, I felt the sudden appearance of a presence. Even after the war, I maintained my habit of constantly checking the number of people around me. There were only a few people here who could escape my senses, which were always alert, like the quills of a hedgehog. Rue, The Sword Master, and… —His Excellency Zenail.
Raphael. I turned my head reflexively. Under the sun, I could see his shadowed features. The blonde, more splendid and clear than Viscount Weatherwood's hair, seemed to reflect the light of the sun's rays.
An honest and formal presence. Even a word from the powerful swordsman was enough to attract everyone's attention. The Raphael I knew was now standing in front of me. And my eyes met his cold, crimson eyes. The first emotion I felt was admiration. No way. Have you reached this high in just four years? Before I could see him well, I realized that his physical capabilities and martial arts had grown notably. They were so high it was hard for me to easily estimate his strength. I thought he might have ascended to the rank of sword master.
The second feeling I felt was a strange oddity, slightly superior to the joy of reunion. It had been a long time since I had seen Raphael, yes. Obviously, he was the same person I knew. However, in some aspects, he was a little different from what I remembered. Raphael is… That is, it's like... somehow I had the feeling he had a bad personality?
I wondered how hard it had been. Well, the war was a problem even after it ended. The position of Archduke respected by all could not have been easily obtained. I tilted my head, leaving my complex thoughts inside.
To begin with, an employee like me couldn't make eye contact with a great hero and aristocrat like Raphael. But this was fun in its own way. How does it feel that your friend disguised as a maid doesn't even dare look you in the face, Raphael? But the whole area was too quiet. That uncomfortable silence was strange, so I secretly looked up from behind Rue and looked at Raphael, and... Raphael was looking at me.
The moment I noticed it, I got goosebumps. It was a gaze too firm to question. Those eyes knew me. You know me? How? Was it because of my way of walking? I've never walked with my usual posture since I boarded the Black Ragel. My habits as a left-handed swordsman? I hadn't even brought a sword with me to prevent an unforeseen situation like this. Face? Even if Andert and I were biological siblings, we didn't look much alike, except for our eyes.
Pure luck? It didn't seem like he had anything… And yet he knew me… —He has been looking at a woman for too long.
A small hand fan, intended to protect me from the spring sun, spread out to block my view. It was Rue's. —Did you fall in love with my girl? Oh, I'm sorry, but I can't give her to you. Find someone else.
He was crazy. Still, it was common for Rue to act crazy, so I decided not to intervene and stood still. Because this freed me from Raphael's gaze.
—…He has a slight northern accent. Is Viscountess Weatherwood from the Continental Union? Astrosa? Harendt? It was Raphael's voice. Just by hearing his voice while my face remained hidden, nostalgia flooded me. I remembered the day we crossed a swamp relying solely on each other's voice, before dawn, when there wasn't a single star to guide us.
—It's not enough that you try to flirt with my girl, so now you're researching my hometown? I'm a modest and respectful viscountess, so I'll pretend I didn't hear that question. The feelings of nostalgia settled in an instant due to the lunatic in front of me.
Yeager, who was very embarrassed and bewildered, though probably not as much as I, stepped in front of Rue. I guess he was nervous about the attitude of his friend's wife, who was behaving like a crazy woman. —Haha, it's an honor to meet you, Your Excellency, Duke Zenail. My name is Yeager Panula, I'm a close friend of Viscount Weatherwoods. The case is… the viscount is not in very good physical shape right now, so the viscountess is stressed in many ways…
—Why are you blocking me? This old-fashioned and frustrating guy was a real rabid dog who didn't know how to distinguish between friends and enemies.
—Hmm. Hm. Well, viscountess... —It's very uncomfortable to be short. Someone who isn't even that big is trying to protect me.
What the hell was wrong with him? At that moment I was also beginning to get nervous. What's up with you again? Why are you behaving so suspiciously now, when you've been fine all this time? Are you crazy? No, of course Rue was crazy, but still... I gently pulled his sleeve while he held the fan. I shook my head slightly at the face that looked back at me. One of Rue's eyebrows moved up and down. Raphael spoke again.
—It seems I've been misunderstood. The reason I was looking at your maid was out of duty, not personal interest. —Mmm. Rue, after pausing, took his fan and chuckled softly.
—I don't think I ever said my girl was a maid. Rue's brief words instilled conviction in me, not questions. You already know me. I remembered the people who followed me in secret until I left Queen Island and arrived at Midwinterre. Finally my questions had been answered. Raphael sent them. It's been almost a month since I was changed, so the news of my employment must have been delivered to Raphael as well.
—Desherro. Instead of answering Rue's question, Raphael called his staff, Desherro. Oh, should I call him viscount now and not staff. Desherro, a handsome man with gray hair, hadn't changed much since four years ago. He looked tired then and he still did now.
—Viscountess Weatherwoods. His Excellency the Duke of Zenail has been in charge of the security of the Southern Imperial Archipelago for the last four years. Survivors have rarely appeared in the archipelago since the end of the war, and it is also the Duke's duty to protect and monitor them. In other words, it meant he recognized me as a survivor of Queen Island, not as Andert.
For me it should have been a situation of relief, but… It feels weird. Was that really correct? —So you're saying my maid, who is a survivor of the southern archipelago, will let herself be peacefully observed by you or you're going to drag her somewhere and torture her to get some information out of her?
Desherro looked at Raphael with strange eyes. Usually, he had very few changes in his facial expressions and was the bluntest person in the empire, but after years of knowing him, I could notice a slight change in his emotions. He was a bit nervous. Like someone who didn't know how to respond. Raphael moved his lips a bit late, receiving the meaning of Desherro's gaze.
—Mrs. Weatherwoods, you don't have to be so sensitive. What I request is a simple additional investigation. There will be no abuse of manners during this and, of course, no torture. —Now then, why do you make that request?
—Originally, this was a procedure that should have been performed immediately after her discovery in the southern archipelago, but the woman ignored the procedure and moved to Midwinterre. Therefore, further procedures are considered necessary. Could you cooperate, please?