“Ah, aaah, I can see it! Isn’t that it!?”
Two days later, at noon, Telaberan’s outer wall came into view.
Spotting it with her eagle eyes, Aira happily stood up on the raft.
“Don’t stand up, you’ll shake the raft.”
Though I chided her, I sighed with relief now that the end of our journey was finally in sight.
Thinking back, all sorts of things happened.
Truly all sorts of things. I bet there was no one else in the world who’d been through as much in less than a month.
And part of my problems still continued to plague me.
I looked at my hands, then pinched the front of my sack-dress and peered inside.
I sighed.
Not yet. It didn’t seem like it would be over with just this much, so I had no intention of throwing in the towel either.1
After this.
–
–
Telaberan was a city of considerable size. Almost entirely enclosed by high walls, it was a fortress city, so to speak.
Of course, even this city was originally a small port town. Back then, its defenses consisted of a moat and some fencing at best.
But when the population grew to the tens of thousands, the nation, per standard operating procedure, sent one of those so-called territorial lords to govern the city. Then, construction on the walls began.
A highly populated city translated into high revenue and value as a strategic military position. And so the walls went up despite the absence of any particular external threat, ultimately resulting in a fortified city.
Long story short, you might call it a question of appearances.
Before we approached the city, we got off the raft and covered the remaining distance on foot.
Since it was a fortress city, it had a gate. Anyone entering the city proper had to pa.s.s through that gate.
There were several different ways of getting inside. For instance, given that it was a port city, one side would naturally face the sea, and it wasn’t like the walls would block off that section. So using the raft to sneak in at night was also a viable option.
Generally speaking, any ordinary city would require an explanation of someone’s ident.i.ty and business before allowing them in. In other words, inspection.
And currently, we were runaway slaves. Since slavery was pretty much against the law, we might be able to explain ourselves honestly and gain entry without too much trouble.
…Actually, I had the feeling that we’d even be welcomed in and offered shelter.
In that case, wouldn’t that do the trick? Sure, but I’d have to decline.
Why? Because it would be annoying.
And I had a somewhat unpleasant premonition.
That being about the current lord of the city, a middle-aged man named Guibenague.
According to what I heard on my past visits, the public had an extremely poor opinion of him. It was attributed to his staggering rudeness, but in other words, he was apparently one of those VIP types who acted as if no one else in the world existed.
But there was nothing particularly rare about his kind of case.
The territorial lords are sent by the national government; they don’t exactly govern by the will of their people.
So even his breed of, well, failure will show up from time to time.
Of course, the nation doesn’t go out of its way to send someone who’d only drive the people to rebellion. Even so, that still ends up happening thanks to poor government or various other reasons.
For the citizens in question, it’s an unparalleled pain in the a.s.s, but without any other options, all they can do is give up.
Even if they were to demonstrate some token resistance, they’d just end up imprisoned or banished from the city for life.
Anyway, the city was home to that kind of friendly lordship.
If we took [shelter] here as runaway slaves, we were likely to become slaves again.
The truth is, slavery is illegal in name only in the upper ranks of society. It’s not uncommon for this lord or that to own slaves.
And Guibenague, at the very least, had been implicated in rumors.
Rumors that he had many, many slaves.
My gaze flicked over to Aira and Palmira.
There were all kinds, but both of them could be considered beauties one way or another. I didn’t really get it myself, but since Aira said so, I was one in my own way… or something. I had mixed feelings about that.
If the three of us were brought before the city lord, it wasn’t that hard to imagine all that stuff from before.
At any rate, as runaway slaves, we had no ident.i.ty or background. He could shelter us without reserve.
Yeah, even for a lifetime.
Of course, maybe I was just overthinking things.
But still, there was no such thing as being too vigilant. The worst-case scenario was no laughing matter, and I meant that from the bottom of my heart.
In other words, my aim was to slip through the inspection unnoticed and enter the city.
–
–
Which was more or less what I told the other two.
“…I see.”
Unlike Aira, who was trembling and unable to speak, Palmira nodded.
“That’s so… we’ve come all this way, and we can’t go in…”
Dejected, Aira looked bitterly at the gate.
We’d already walked to a position from which we could see it. Hiding in the gra.s.s, failing to come up with any half-way decent ideas, we examined its appearance.
Sure, I felt exactly the same as Aira. We’d suffered so many brushes with death to make it here, but at the very end, we still had to wait. How frustrating.
But it was precisely because of everything we’d been through that I didn’t want to mess up in the endgame.
As long as we could get into the city, we’d be able to make it somehow.
But I was coming up empty. Here’s where we wait for a chance to come along, I guess.
When I escaped from the slavers’ carriage, I waited too. And I’d just do it again this time.
–
–
“Hey, Chris. What’s that?”
After a while, the sun began to set. I was keeping an eye on the gate when Palmira tugged on my clothes the way she always did.
‘That’?
Wordlessly, I followed Palmira’s pointing finger.
Something was definitely coming closer from the direction we came from… in other words, from the other side of the highway.
When I looked, it was still too far away for me to recognize it. But within moments, I could clearly make out what was coming down the road.
Soldiers.
Cavalry, infantry, transport wagons.
Wearing armor and marching in step, they were military. And judging from the atmosphere, regulars from the imperial armed forces.
By my estimate2, there were roughly a hundred of them. Kicking up their legs, they came closer.
They would reach us within moments.
— Use them as cover?
After a moment’s thought, I shook my head.
If they were a company of irregulars, maybe, but this was clearly a unified and equipped group of career soldiers. If we did try to hide among them, we’d only be betrayed by our slave-like appearance. They might end up arresting us.
Still, this was a change. That troop was going to enter the city, no doubt about it, so the moment they were through, maybe we could be able to slip in while the gatekeepers were occupied.
“…For now, let’s wait for them to pa.s.s by.”
“…Okay.”
“Got it.”
Each of them nodded in response to my words. It wasn’t satisfying, but that couldn’t be helped.
If this didn’t work out, then maybe going the sea route really would be the best idea for us.
The soldiers drew closer and closer, pa.s.sing by our hiding place in the thicket. Their equipment and skill were top-notch. From the crest on their shoulders, they seemed to be part of the Second Imperial Army Corps.
But what were regulars doing all the way out here?
There was no end to my questions. Though they were just one part, they were still regular army. Under ordinary circ.u.mstances, they wouldn’t have left the imperial capital that easily.
The continuing flow of troops was quite long, keeping us on edge in our hiding spot, which turned out to be relatively nearby. Aira screwed her eyes shut, her face paper-white.
Anyway, get going, quickly. All I could do was hope that they would.
As the end of the marching ranks approached, the transport wagons followed, bringing up the rear of the procession. They were being escorted by a horseman that was clearly different from the others.
…That’s the commanding officer, right?
Without a helmet, the man’s rich blonde hair was exposed to his surroundings.
He was young. Not even thirty yet, I bet. And a disagreeably good-looking guy. That lone figure, on his horse and in pure white armor, certainly fit the bill.
So much that I honestly admired it.
Before I knew it, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Actually, he did stand out, but it was more than that. How should I put it, he had amazing presence.
Charisma, aura, something like that? 3
— No, that wasn’t all.
There was some sort of uneasiness inside me.
When I looked at him, for some reason, my mind fell into turmoil. For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what it was.
What the h.e.l.l is it? This sense of discomfort —
I dug around for the reason, my stare fixed on him as if I were possessed. Suddenly, as if he noticed my gaze, the man looked back at me.
“!”
Beside me, Palmira inhaled sharply. It seemed that she’d seen the same thing.
Sure enough, the troops’ apparent commander turned his horse around and approached us.
We’ve been found out? We’ve been found out, right?
‘At this distance? Impossible,’ I thought, but our eyes met.
Maybe it was a mistake. But he was heading straight for us.
— What do I do? What should I do?
My heart hammered away as sweat trickled down my forehead. All sorts of thoughts flicker through my mind, but in my panic, I couldn’t think straight.
Meanwhile, the distance between us steadily shrank.
He’s definitely coming here. I’m sure of it.
“…–!”
Next to me in my panic, Palmira let out a small groan.
When I looked at her, she took the knife from my hand and pressed it to her ankle. Her expression was a bit pained. Blood trickled out from between her fingers.
What in the world did she do?
In front of me, as I struggled with my confusion, Palmira threw away the knife and quickly whispered something into Aira’s ear.
Looking surprised, Aira’s expression immediately turned serious and she nodded.
My mind couldn’t keep up. In that time, the man had already reached us.
Dismounting, he parted the thicket covering our hiding place.
Our eyes met. This time there was no mistaking it, we had obviously been discovered. After an expression of slight surprise, the man approached us.
“What’s wrong, miss?”
A voice addressed us from overhead, as we stayed crouched. A beautiful, gentle voice, completely in line with his appearance. It resonated in my ears. Like so, the man calmly watched us.
I didn’t want to admit it, but I knew that voice, that expression, had defused the tension.
What’s with this b.a.s.t.a.r.d? He’s too perfect. Even though I cursed him in my heart, what came out of my mouth, contrary to my wishes, was a sigh of relief.
“M–My little sister, she — hurt her leg…”
While I stared blankly at him, fascinated, Aira’s unexpected words reached my ears.
When I looked at the other two, startled, I saw Palmira holding her ankle in apparent pain, while Aira hovered protectively over her.
Just like she said, no matter how I looked at it, Aira was the spitting image of a big sister worrying over her injured little sister.
I was surprised.
By Palmira’s quick thinking, yes, but also Aira’s instant improvisation.
“…I see. The wound seems shallow, but it certainly is some cause for concern. Would you please wait for a moment?”
Crouching down beside Palmira, the man took a quick look at her injury and rose to his feet. He made each and every movement look good. His figure, his bearing, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
“Leopard! Leopard! Could you get over here!”
He directed his voice toward the soldiers.
Not long after, another mounted soldier came running over. This one also seemed to have some sort of standing in the army. An adjutant, maybe? In contrast with the gentleman commander, his hard-nosed expression was too at-home on his aggressive features.
A tough career military man. That was the impression I got.
“What is it, young master?”
‘Young master’?!
The man reflexively turned around in response to the words of the man he called ‘Leopard’.
He certainly wasn’t your run-of-the-mill gentleman; it showed in his actions. Maybe that came with being a man of high rank.
Such as a n.o.ble.
With his presence, it wouldn’t be the least bit strange.
Glancing at me as I unintentionally stared at him, he smiled gently.
“Ah, this young lady seems to be injured. I was thinking of having her ride in the coach.”
What a good guy. The fact that I’d just inadvertently thought such a thing, terrified me.
I knew that I wasn’t a particularly trusting sort of person. But when I saw this guy in front of me, I ended up trusting him unconditionally in spite of myself.
I had to wonder if it was some kind of magic. His charm was that strong.
“I see. Of course, if we were to leave a beautiful injured young lady in need, it would be a stain on the honor of our company. Are you going to call the coach?”
“No,”
the man said decisively. He took Palmira, supine, in his arms. The so-called princess carry. Even Palmira was surprised, her eyes widening.
“Leopard, I’ll leave my horse to you. You two, please come with me.”
“Y–Yes.”
With things progressing too quickly, even Aira, who’d been acting her part, trailed after the man with confusion stamped on her face.
…To tell you the truth, I thought he was dangerous.
A man who mysteriously compels others to trust him: isn’t that dangerous?
Maybe it was perverse of me, but the remaining part of my heart, which had otherwise been won over, grew all the warier.
“Come now, you as well.”
“O–O…kay.”
I remembered Aira and Palmira’s cover story, and despite my uneasiness, I agreed to his urging with an awkward response.
For some reason, it was humiliating.
Nonetheless, I no longer had any control over the situation, and so I followed after the man who was briskly walking off with Palmira in his arms.
Anyhow, now that we’d come this far, all I could do was brace myself. With Palmira’s current state, even saying something awkward from here on would be too unnatural.
Plus, as long as we could secure a spot in the coach, we’d be able to enter the city normally. In terms of results, you could say that everything was working out perfectly.
There wasn’t a single reason to refuse.
“By the way, how were you injured?”
“Actually, when we went out to find medicinal herbs, we were chased by a wild boar… We ran away, but my little sister got hurt, and we lost everything we were carrying…”
Aira smoothly fed the man lie after lie in response to his question. She’d been of no help whatsoever until now, and her transformation kind of drew me in.
Still, women are tough, aren’t they?
Footnotes
1. Help? まだまだ、これだけで終わりそうには無かったし、終わるつもりもない ↵
2. What’s this first half, exactly? 少なく見ても、１００人ほどは居る ↵
3. No idea, please help: もしそうした不確実な物を説明するとしたら、あれがそうだと言えば足る程度に、その男だけが周囲からやけに浮いて見える ↵