Everyone experiences the lows of life at some point, but I certainly never expected it to come like this.
At this moment, the place where Cazerose, Polena, and I find ourselves is a narrow prison located in the basement.
As Paladins, dragged here because we’re seen as puppets of the Church, we lie tied up like discarded baggage, having all our belongings stolen from us.
“Sniff… sniff…”
The sound of sobbing echoing in this prison.
The owner of that sound can be said to be Cazerose, who had the biggest impact on this situation.
“Sniff… I’m sorry… It’s all my fault… If only I hadn’t carried those useless things…”
By now, it’s likely that Cazerose has been officially excommunicated from the Church.
However, even if she isn’t officially recognized anymore, Cazerose still clings to the mindset of a Paladin, carrying her insignia and robes even in this city.
Though, as a result, it was that insignia and robes that caused us to end up in this mess. Still, I had no intention of blaming her for that.
Her identity as a Paladin certainly helped get us this far, and I believed that her pure intentions deserved respect.
With that in mind, I looked at Cazerose and spoke in a calm voice.
“Well… It’s alright. This was unexpected, but honestly, this situation just happened to be incredibly unfortunate.”
“But… but…”
“And to be honest, this was partly my fault too. Even if there was a good spectacle, I should have been more cautious and not been watching it like that.”
“Sa… Santana…”
I tried to comfort Cazerose and stop her tears, but I still couldn’t find an answer to this situation.
The prison was tightly shut on all sides.
Even though I could use the purifying power of Aura as a Paladin, there was no way I could muster enough power to escape from here.
It was different if we were talking about Mages or Warriors who use magical power.
To exert enough physical force with Aura to break out of here, one would need at least the strength of Nune or Tine.
“But I can’t just let myself be falsely accused and die here. I need some sort of plan…”
If only a guard were outside, I could at least try to talk, but right now, this place was just sealed off by a steel door, and I couldn’t even see a guard’s face to negotiate with.
“Thinking about it, isn’t it strange? Or could it be that the Paladins plan to execute us without trial?”
Honestly, I didn’t have much fear of death itself.
After all, I had already died once and become this Santana Andreas, so in a way, this life could be considered a bonus given to me after my original life.
Though it was a rather short period and full of regrets, it still held its own meaning.
Moreover, at this very moment, I still had ways to use this second life given to me meaningfully.
“Right… If I have to go, I’ll find a way to save these two before I do…”
They had come this far believing and following me.
If I got a chance, I resolved to look for a way to save their lives with this one life of mine.
At that moment…
“Master, does this mean we’re just going to die here?”
“…”
Polena wore a surprisingly intrigued expression when talking about death.
I couldn’t help but admire her daring spirit, even in such a situation, but separately, I spoke seriously.
“…It seems we won’t all survive this. But…”
“But?”
“At least for the two of you, I’ll do everything I can to ensure you get out safely. Even if something happens to me… I promise.”
“…”
At my words, Polena’s smile vanished from her face for a brief moment.
She then turned her gaze slightly away and murmured in a small voice.
“…If it comes to it… should I just push everything away right now?”
“…What?”
“…Nothing…”
Right after she said that, for some reason, Polena’s cheeks flushed slightly, and Cazerose let out a deep sigh, unable to understand why.
Watching the two women sitting silently behind me, a bittersweet smile crept onto my face just then.
-Clang!-
“Hmm?”
The next moment, the prison door suddenly began to open.
I didn’t know when they had arrived, but a number of people were standing outside, among them men in neatly pressed clothing who appeared to be high-ranking officials, alongside soldiers.
“…Please step out.”
“…”
With calm voices, they instructed me.
I rose without resistance; after all, putting up a fight was pointless in this situation, and to negotiate or argue for the two’s lives, I needed to avoid actions that’d offend those holding the sword.
Then, Cazerose and Polena tried to rise and follow me.
But the soldiers swiftly blocked their way, and the high-ranking official spoke with a still calm voice.
“Please remain here for a little longer. There will be further actions to take later.”
“…Mr. Santana…”
“Master…”
Both of them called out to me with worry.
I smiled brightly to ease their concerns as much as possible.
“…Don’t worry, I will handle this well and return.”
With that said, I left the two behind, captured by the soldiers, and exited the prison.
As we walked down the corridors of the Lord’s Castle towards some destination, my mind was filled only with thoughts of how to save those two.
“First off, with the Paladin insignia now revealed, any unnecessary excuses would be futile. The simplest way might be to say I directed everything, and they were just captives brought along. Or, I could leverage the property I left at the inn to negotiate as much as possible…”
No matter which way I went, it wouldn’t be easy, but since their lives were at stake, I vowed to make this work.
While thinking in this manner, I reached my destination…
It turned out to be the Lord’s private study rather than a courtroom or interrogation room.
“I’ve brought him.”
“Good job.”
Upon entering the study, the high-ranking official spoke respectfully.
Afterward, a man who had been turned around in the room slowly turned his head toward me.
A middle-aged man with a bushy beard, he appeared to be nearing old age.
He then scanned me with a somewhat peculiar expression before slowly nodding.
“…?”
After that, the soldiers holding me let go and bowed their heads.
Then the high-ranking officials left the room, leaving just me and the man who appeared to be the Lord.
‘A man with a bushy brown beard and a determined gaze… If he is currently the Lord of Bohemia… then this man must be Count Turun… also known as a powerful Mage?’
Just as I was piecing together the identity of the person in front of me based on the original work…
Count Turun began to tremble slightly as he slowly approached me.
‘What… what is this? The atmosphere feels strange…’
In hindsight, many things were odd since entering this room.
For instance, leaving a ‘spy’ alone while everyone else fled, and most importantly, leaving the Lord and the ‘criminal’ alone together was utterly bizarre.
Just as I was starting to formulate questions about the current situation…
Count Turun was now directly in front of me.
‘Huh? Why is he acting like this?’
As all my questions swirled in my mind…
“!”
“…”
Suddenly, Count Turun pulled me into a tight embrace.
His actions tangled my already complicated thoughts even further…
And in an emotional voice, he spoke.
“Welcome back… finally… finally you’ve returned… Santana… my son!”
‘…Huh!?’
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