“Yay….”
Trying hard to remember things I should have already forgotten just wastes my energy.
Still, it’s true that I feel a bit regretful, so I let out a deep sigh and lifted my upper body off the Nameless’s lap.
“Hmm?”
For some reason, Belle, who had been sitting across from me before I fell asleep, had vanished.
…Where did she go?
As I tilted my head in confusion, the Nameless, who had been watching me, spoke up.
“We arrived at the capital while you were asleep, Master.”
“…Already?”
“Yes.”
We had barely been traveling for three days since we left Ellen, and we were already there?
…Did I really sleep that long?
No, that wasn’t what I was curious about.
“Where did Belle go?”
“…Belle?”
At my question, the Nameless seemed to ponder for a moment, tilting his head as if trying to remember who Belle was.
Does he not even remember the name of the professor Camilla introduced us to?
How little interest must he have in people…?
Letting out a deep sigh, I added a hint to jog his memory.
“…Wasn’t she the professor who was going to guide us?”
“Ah.”
Only then did the Nameless seem to recall who Belle was, and with a brief gasp, he continued.
“She went to speak with the guards to enter the capital.”
“Hmm, I see….”
Well, in that case, her absence made sense.
But why didn’t she call for us?
That Hero, who handled matters like this before, had his identity clearly established, but…
Does the professor hold enough power for that?
As I puzzled over this question, Belle peeked her head in, looking rather gloomy.
“Um, um….”
“What is it?”
Is something not going well for her?
Facing us with a face that looked like she had seen a savior, Belle began to tremble and stammer.
“Uhh, please help….”
“…”
Is this really the professor?
Just for a moment, I stared at Belle with disbelief, but I couldn’t just stand there, so I sighed again and nodded to the Nameless, suggesting he should take action.
“Alright, Belle, let’s go.”
Nodding his head, the Nameless gathered his sword and a badge that looked like a proof of identity with various patterns drawn on it.
“Y-yes! Thank you!”
With a look of relief on her face, Belle quickly recovered her composure, and the Nameless stood up, stepping outside with Bella.
…What on earth is wrong with that girl?
Though I don’t usually worry about others, her behavior was so out of it that I couldn’t help but feel concerned.
Plus, Belle is supposed to guide us…
“…I guess it’ll be fine.”
*
With a solid ally by her side, Belle stood confidently before the guards.
“…Did you bring him back?”
“Yes…!”
Belle nodded proudly and turned to the Nameless.
“You can let him out now…!”
Belle seemed so thrilled that she was almost puffing up with excitement, but the Nameless had no clue what she was talking about and just tilted his head.
“What do you mean?”
“N-n-no…?”
Belle, trembling in shock, seemed momentarily flustered as she flailed her arms.
“Ah!”
Realizing she had forgotten the subject of her sentence, she smiled sheepishly and spoke up.
“The… passage permit!”
“Oh, the badge.”
As he rummaged through his pockets, the Nameless pulled out a badge depicting a sword and shield combined and a large cross, then handed it to the guard.
“Here it is.”
“…Let me see.”
The guard squinted his eyes at the badge, and gradually, his eyes widened in shock.
Panic bells began ringing in the guard’s mind.
He couldn’t believe today was his duty day and was cursing the heavens.
“…What is this?”
The guard muttered under his breath, sweat pouring down as he looked up at the Nameless with quivering pupils.
‘At least it’s not that bad; they could just be minions, right?’
If that were the case, then there shouldn’t be anyone high-ranking enough to intimidate him here.
Swallowing hard, the guard managed to force his mouth open.
“…Are you a minion of Iron Blood and the Saint?”
His words came out trembling with fear, and the Nameless shook his head and threw out a statement that would scare the guard further.
“I’m not a minion, but the person in the carriage is a close friend of Camilla.”
“…Huh?”
“And she also has ties with Aria… the Saint.”
The guard experienced a dizzying moment as if the ground had vanished beneath him.
‘The person sitting in that carriage is friends with Iron Blood and the Saint?!’
His reaction was instantaneous.
The guard’s torso bent down to a 90-degree angle, and he bellowed like a thunderclap.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t recognize the noble!”
“Eh? Oh, yes.”
The Nameless looked a little stunned, but he nodded.
‘That’s true.’
He thought to himself that his master truly was a noble.
But while it’s right that his master is a noble and should be treated as one, he knows his master doesn’t enjoy attracting so much attention.
Hoping to avoid escalating the situation, the Nameless patted the guard on the shoulder and spoke.
“You don’t have to do that; you fulfilled your duty.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
Maybe touched by his words, the guard looked at the Nameless with admiration, and the Nameless scratched his head awkwardly.
As the situation was wrapping up, Belle was annoyed that the guard hadn’t believed her word earlier.
“Ahem! I told you!”
With both hands on her hips, Belle let out a triumphant huff, while the guard stammered and tried to come up with a response.
“Oh, yes, I see, I’m sorry.”
“Yes! If you understand, hurry up and open the door!”
“Yes, yes, of course!”
The guard bolted away as if his feet were on fire, and Belle seemed pleased as she trotted over to the Nameless.
“What did you show him to get that reaction?”
The Nameless felt utterly out of sorts.
‘Does she not see the badge I just showed?’
There’s no way she missed it; she had clearly asked for the badge to be shown.
The Nameless tilted his head slightly before bringing the badge closer to Belle’s line of sight.
“This one.”
“Hyieeek!”
Upon seeing the three symbols etched on the badge, Belle gasped in shock because not only was there Iron Blood’s symbol but also that of the Hero and the Saint.
“…”
Belle’s eyes seemed to spin as if they had broken, and the Nameless felt like he was losing his mind too, wishing he could get back to his master quickly.
He clutched his forehead and spoke in a low voice.
“Let’s hurry up and go.”
“Y-yes….”
Belle, who had been so confident moments ago, now stammered and shrank her shoulders.
…I miss my master.
The Nameless muttered softly.
*
Hearing a sudden scream from outside the carriage made me worry, but seeing the expressions of the Nameless and Belle as they entered relaxed me.
I smiled and welcomed them.
“Did everything work out?”
“Yes, Master.”
Though the Nameless looked somewhat pale…
“Th-th-thank you… for your help…”
Belle seemed to be just as she normally is, so that was a relief.
As the carriage passed through the city gate, the Nameless and I gathered our belongings and leaped out of the carriage.
“Then let’s go.”
“Yes, Master.”
We just need to head to the Academy now.
Just as we were about to move toward the center of the capital, I felt like I had forgotten something and tilted my head in confusion.
“Wait for me…! I-I need to guide you..?!”
Belle, wearing a large staff and a pointed witch’s hat, rushed to catch up with us.
*
“…Even Ellen was amazed.”
The atmosphere of the imperial capital truly lived up to its name, bustling more than any city we had visited before.
The well-paved roads and the beautifully colored buildings delighted the eyes, and the smells of delicious foods tantalized the nose as the bards positioned in each area entertained the ears.
On top of that, the Nameless bought strawberries from one of the fruit stalls.
“Truly paradise.”
A satisfied smile spread across my face.
As we roamed the city in high spirits, I felt Belle tugging at my sleeve.
“Over there…!”
“Hmm?”
As I replied softly, I turned to where Belle was pointing.
And there it was.
“Wow, Elia wasn’t wrong about recognizing it immediately.”
An unmistakable building asserting itself as “Welcome to the Academy” stood before us.
It seemed to be around the time for classes, as many people in what looked like uniforms filled the area, each carrying weapons while entering a single building.
Hmm, but it’s still odd that no one finds it strange to walk around with weapons.
After a moment of quiet admiration, the thought that I was supposed to be teaching those students began to make me nervous, and I gripped the Nameless’s hand tightly.
“Let’s go…”
“Yes, Master.”
Perhaps sensing my nervousness, the Nameless relaxed his hand, suddenly clasping mine tightly.
Hmm, thanks.
“Here.”
I fed a strawberry I had been eating to the Nameless.
His face turned bright red.
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