I always think this, but I liked the dawn.
I enjoyed the faint light blooming softly before the sun rises, and I loved the calmness filled only with the sounds of insects as everyone else was asleep.
Is that why I always wake up at dawn? I smiled a little at the faint light that greeted my opened eyes.
Today, my body felt light. It must be because I had completely dismissed the worries I had about Adele coming.
Her chosen method was not understanding, but simply focusing on reality.
After all, it’s the past. No matter how much I fuss over past events, it won’t bring about any immediate changes.
As the one I worried about the most maintained such an attitude, my heart settled.
I suppose this lightness of body might also be influenced by that.
Originally, I was supposed to leave the temple yesterday and head south. But thanks to Adele’s arrival, the schedule had been pushed back.
So now, leaving this place is on today’s agenda.
The itinerary into the depths of the South doesn’t yield much more than I expected.
For the time being, focusing on Adrian and Adele would be enough.
The affection Adrian has for me is soon the affection of the priests, and the Paladins… led by Berod, already think quite well of me.
Even if something bizarre happens, they wouldn’t blindly blame me.
At least, they should know what kind of person I am by now.
“…Yuria.”
After the journey south, it’ll finally be time to walk the path.
Killing Teresa wasn’t on the agenda, but I already knew well enough who in life was unnecessary.
I was still in contact with Renold.
Regardless of the method he was using, Renold was doing a splendid job with the role I entrusted him.
In many ways, it seemed like leaving him alone was a good choice.
[Securing the goal is progressing without difficulty. The Lady of the House appears cold-hearted, but there are times when she kills her subordinates when things do not go as desired. Support is fading, and the situation can be seen as befitting the name Iron Blood.]
I suspected it would be like that, but it seemed to show a somewhat paternalistic movement.
It’s something possible only because of the name Taylor.
Well, I’m not sure if this will benefit Yuria in the long run.
If there are no competitors, I’d have no choice but to follow Yuria, but if an equal competitor arises, where would the people go?
Surely, they’re not foolish enough to not see that.
They must just think I can’t rise to an equal position.
If not, they should just secure the head of the family position while in the south.
I had mostly figured out the patterns of behavior Yuria would show.
As long as she doesn’t suddenly go mad and commit suicide, it means her range of actions lies in my hands.
Then, all I have to do is… just wait slowly from this position.
Eventually, Yuria will fall into my trap.
That trap will have no intention of letting go once it bites. Soon, the moment to see the results will come.
I briefly burned Renold’s letter in the candle flame and turned my gaze back to the window.
Burning Robert’s letter briefly in the candlelight, I turned my gaze back towards the window.
It seemed like dawn when I woke up, but before I knew it, the sun was rising.
It’s morning, so who should I see first?
Since I saw Adele yesterday, it seemed I should go see Adrian today.
#
“Did you sleep in late yesterday?”
I often met Adrian in the mornings before Adele would arrive.
The priests took care of me, but after all, the only person I’d meet here would be Adrian.
Yesterday? I had spent the afternoon with Adele.
I could have honestly told Adrian, but I was struck by a strong feeling that I shouldn’t.
“I guess I was a little tired.”
“Sometimes taking a break isn’t a bad thing, right? Robert is usually quite diligent.”
I felt a bit guilty, but there was nothing I could do about it.
The relationship between Adrian and Adele… how should I put it? There was just enough distance between them that I was in the middle.
If I weren’t around, there’d be no reason for them to become closer, and even if they tried, it would just create discomfort because of me.
It was a bit frustrating, but I intended to manage it somehow.
That said, I couldn’t just choose one person and discard the other.
I think it’s okay if it’s a friendship, even though it might sound a bit funny to think of Adele and me as friends.
Once the priests who were helping Adrian with his attire stepped back, Adrian stood up and naturally grabbed my arm.
It wasn’t like last time when he pulled me into a hug.
Perhaps it was because Adele was there; Adrian lightly held my arm, and we walked forward together.
“We’re leaving here today, right? How long did you say we’d have to ride the carriage?”
“Even if it’s the deep part, we’ll probably have to stop several times. Since there are non-human races around.”
While I had managed fine near the Temple of the Moon, the closer we got to the depths, the more we’d inevitably encounter non-human races.
The outskirts were okay. The beings living on the outskirts were mostly elves, and they were generally friendly towards humans as long as nature wasn’t harmed.
I wondered if we’d have to stop a few times to ask for permission.
Adrian seemed a bit excited about heading deep into the south.
It might be a little dangerous, and there might be magicians, but frankly, as long as Adele and I are with her, it wouldn’t be easy for her to get hurt.
And with Berod around, if she found herself in a dangerous situation, it would likely be like the last time when the Crown Prince was specifically targeting us.
I didn’t plan on letting my guard down.
Given that Miragen’s situation also involved the Crown Prince, it would be too naive to think Adrian wouldn’t get involved.
After walking for some time, we arrived at the spot where Berod and the paladins were gathered.
As Berod checked his weapons, he twisted his face into a grotesque expression upon seeing Adrian and me.
“…You’ve come.”
“You don’t seem very happy to see us.”
“Should I be? Just look at the scene in front of me.”
I wanted to tell him it wasn’t good to be too protective of Adrian.
Had it not been for that massive hammer in his hand, I might have already mentioned it several times by now.
Adrian seemed to find it amusing that Berod was like that.
After a brief chuckle, she slightly frowned and opened her mouth towards Berod.
“Still, don’t say too much to Robert. I asked you not to.”
“…I know, but I have an obligation to protect the Saintess. Always need to be on guard, you know.”
“It sounds like you think Robert is a dangerous person. Is that so?”
“Not at all.”
Berod dropped his shoulders in a sulky manner at her pressing voice.
He was particularly soft towards Adrian, often feeling compassion whenever she sided with him.
So, to Berod, it was.
Berod’s eyes, softened even more than before, sighed heavily as he looked at me.
Then, pointing in one direction, he indicated that the carriage had arrived.
“The carriage is already prepared. I ordered one that’ll shake a bit less than last time, so there shouldn’t be any major problems getting into the depths.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“This time, the Grand Duke will be here as well, so please take good care of both of you. The Paladin will focus on the surrounding vigilance.”
Adrian reacted upon hearing that the Grand Duke would be accompanying us, but I, already knowing that Adele would be on the same carriage, didn’t react much.
It was a topic we had just discussed yesterday.
Who I would be traveling with to the South.
Adele asked if she could ride with the wolf, but the swampy area in the South was not convenient for traveling on a wolf.
That carriage may look ordinary, but isn’t it actually enhanced with magical engineering?
So, Adele would join me in the carriage.
Adrian, seeming not too pleased about that fact, quietly started to grumble.
“Weren’t we supposed to travel together? This turned out differently than planned.”
“Please understand. With the Grand Duke joining us, we can’t possibly go separately.”
“…It’s not that I dislike the Grand Duke, but it still feels awkward.”
You can’t change the differences in their dispositions.
I just hope that the two of them can gradually understand each other.
Isn’t there a difference in character between Miragen and Adrian as well?
Seeing that they became the closest of friends, maybe in the future, Adele and Adrian will get along well, too.
As we approached the carriage, Adele was already on board.
When I opened the door, Adele, settled in her seat, patted the side beside her and called my name.
“Robert, come over here. There won’t be enough room for all three of us.”
“Wait a moment. Where are you calling Robert to?”
“Next to me. It shouldn’t be much different than facing each other.”
Adrian, who had clung tightly to my arm again, shook her head.
Seeing that reaction, Adele gazed at me intently, and I felt a bit pricked and replied.
“We sat together last time. The seats were wide enough for that.”
“…I see.”
Adele’s gaze, which had a strange smile, turned cold.
It was only for a moment, but it was an expression she often made when she saw or heard something she didn’t like.
Seeing Adrian, who was tightly glued to my arm, made that smile deepen.
As the darkness thickened,
Adele, having finally gotten off the carriage, approached Adrian and grabbed his arm.
“I think it’d be better if the Saintess and I sat together. It wouldn’t be fair otherwise.”
I refrained from asking what was fair.
The fact that two women were interested in me meant they had rather obvious intentions.
If I couldn’t have it, better that no one gets it.
This was something Adele had often said before, so I quickly realized what she was talking about.
“Huh? No— is it really necessary? Robert and I had been sitting well together this whole time.”
“It is necessary.”
With that, Adele released her grip from my arm and added,
“Because I don’t want to see you.”
“Ah? Wait a moment— Your Excellency!”
What followed happened rather quickly.
Before Adrian could put up any resistance, she pulled away from me and practically shoved herself into the carriage.
Adele, who settled into the seat next to her, pointed with a smile at the empty front seat.
As I was about to say something, Adele raised a finger and lightly covered her lips.
It seemed there was no need for words.
With a slight chuckle, once inside the carriage, Adrian stared at Adele with a look that suggested he had plenty to say.
It was a face I had never seen before—vacant and trembling, his hands tightly clutching his collar.
I couldn’t help but wonder if their relationship might go awry, but I thought Adele would soothe him just fine.
She’d probably make up some excuse about how they had no choice.
Yet, the more I watched them, the more uncomfortable I felt.
I briefly locked eyes with Adele before slowly turning my head away.
“Are we departing now?”
“…Yes, I suppose we are.”
It was just about arranging seats in a carriage, but I could sense Adele’s emotions gradually becoming reminiscent of the past.
A lingering affection, a love we touched upon briefly but ultimately couldn’t voice back then.
I now knew that dwelling on the past wasn’t all that great.
Still, it was a reality that as I got closer to those past feelings, things became more complicated.
I didn’t want to forge deep connections with anyone.
If someone tried to cross the line and get closer, I would have no choice but to reject them.
I was no longer the same person who tried to live happily alongside everyone.
Wasn’t I living a life running toward eternal rest?
All humans advance toward death, yet sometimes they forget that fact.
However, I hadn’t forgotten death.
Where I was headed was, in fact, death itself, so I didn’t want to forge deep ties with anyone.
If I were to fail again, I probably wouldn’t be able to endure it.
Before killing the Crown Prince, I wanted to maintain only this kind of relationship with everyone.
Once I had achieved all my objectives, I would be able to talk about love without any worries anymore.
The carriage began to move forward, leaving the outskirts of the South to delve into the depths where non-human races dwelled.
Clearing my mind of the tangled residual thoughts, I decided to focus a little on another goal.
Relics.
I needed to secure that in the depths.
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