# Chapter 88
Many people came looking for the magician. While taking lessons, Rite could somewhat understand why Aigle had become so sensitive. He expected her to yell irritably this time as well, but the magician was different from usual.
“…It’s someone from the village.”
Aigle’s face instantly hardened. Rite followed his teacher toward the entrance. As soon as Aigle opened the door, the visitor grabbed the magician’s wrist while panting heavily.
“Please help us. Something terrible has happened.”
“What’s going on?”
Her behavior was completely different from when Rite and Arden had knocked on her door, when she had immediately fired spells. She neither shook off the hand that grabbed her nor showed any annoyance.
“The knights suddenly started causing trouble, ordering the train station to be closed.”
“Knights? Knights have come to the village?”
“And someone has been taken hostage…”
“What on earth… Let’s go now.”
Aigle pushed the person’s shoulder and took the lead. Just as she was about to go outside, the magician turned back and grabbed a coat hanging on a nearby chair. As she was about to run outside again, she turned around and pointed a finger at Rite.
“You! You stay here! Review, yes. Practice and review what I’ve taught you.”
Rite didn’t answer, but his teacher seemed distracted. Hurry, Magician! At the urging voice, she immediately ran out of the house. The door closed with a heavy sound. The lavender and blue delphinium hanging upside down from the ceiling swayed in the gentle breeze.
What should I do?
With arms crossed, he leaned his body backward. Soon his back touched the hard wall. What was urgent now was practice. It seemed best to quietly do his own work as his teacher had said, but…
“…It won’t be Arden, right?”
The words that came out like talking to himself transformed into worry. The cautious Arden would probably be staying quietly at the inn, but the anxiety continued to grow. Perhaps, maybe, surely not…
Since Aigle had gone down, there was no need for him to go down too. Rite slightly turned his head. Through the wide-open door, he could see the liquid that was still boiling.
The potion was now shining with a vivid color. It was a definite emerald hue.
* * *
Arden found it difficult to maintain a façade of composure. He was concerned about the identity of what was awkwardly hidden inside the uniform. The unexpectedly calmest person appeared to be Corol. Even while being held by the knight, she was shouting angrily.
“Eden! You don’t need to listen to this bastard!”
Arden slowly took in the faces of the three people. The knight who had followed them in and taken Corol hostage, Corol who was captured by him, and the station attendant who was watching the whole situation, trembling. In the knight’s hand was not a sword but a lighter.
“Please, please calm down. The child is innocent.”
The station attendant, with a frightened face pressed against the wall, tried to soothe the knight, but his words didn’t reach the knight’s ears. Right now, he was entirely focused on Arden.
The leader of what might or might not be knights seemed to be the brown-haired knight in front of them. When Corol and Kaiyu had followed Arden without knowing what was happening, the knight immediately wrapped an arm around Corol’s neck and roughly pulled her to make her a hostage.
‘Rey! Are you crazy?’
It seemed to be the first time this had happened, as the other four knights all didn’t know what to do. Now that he looked, the other knights besides Rey appeared younger than him. They looked to be about twenty-five at most.
‘Get a grip and catch that one too, quickly!’
But as soon as Rey shouted, they immediately stiffened and captured Kaiyu, who had been looking at his sister. Despite Corol’s fierce resistance, she couldn’t overcome trained knights. The rest of the knights, following the order to prevent anyone else from entering the station, took Kaiyu and left the station.
Corol called Kaiyu’s name over and over. As Kaiyu and the knights passed by Arden, their eyes briefly met. Arden’s hand twitched, but Kaiyu slightly shook his head.
Please take care of Corol.
Arden could read his lip movements clearly.
“…Was it you who killed the cows and horses?”
“…”
Corol looked at the knight’s face, her eyes wide, only moving her eyeballs. Rey didn’t answer. Sometimes silence was the clearest answer.
“You also took the wheels off the carriages, didn’t you?”
“Isn’t that why you came running so urgently?”
“I thought they were impostors pretending to be knights. Until I saw your face.”
At Arden’s words, Rey’s face became even more crumpled.
But Rey was clearly a member of the knights. Then why were they acting so suspiciously? The change in uniforms had happened at least three years ago. It was impossible for the Sun Hawks not to receive new uniforms, and if the Emperor had ordered Idelven to be closed, there would be no need to secretly kill livestock and steal wheels.
“…You are a knight, aren’t you?”
Arden could see Rey’s arm tensing. The flame in the lighter he held flickered. Corol audibly swallowed.
Rey put the lighter in his pocket and began unbuttoning his uniform. Arden’s eyes followed that hand. Perhaps due to tension, his hand slipped several times. When things didn’t go his way, Rey contorted his face. As he nervously grabbed the uniform and tore it off, buttons flew in all directions, creating noise. Finally, the object he had been hiding was revealed.
There was a bomb inside his uniform. Rey, with his buttons undone, held the lighter close to the fuse and glared at Arden.
Though he was trying not to show his agitation, Arden’s hand kept fidgeting. He was anxious that the man might light the bomb at any moment. Only then could Arden guess why they had been digging the ground.
“Don’t think this is the end.”
“…”
“I have enough to blow up this whole village. They’re probably setting them up outside even now.”
His raised corner of the mouth looked awkward. Rey appeared to be pretending to be relaxed.
The preparations aren’t finished yet, Arden was certain. If so, there was still room for resolution.
“Why are you doing this? Didn’t you come down by the Emperor’s order?”
“Shut up!”
Rey shouted, glancing at the station attendant. Corol tightly closed her eyes at the loud sound in her ear. The station attendant also flinched and covered his mouth with his hand to prevent making even a breathing sound.
Rey’s words were not an order directed at the station attendant. They were meant for Arden. Is there something else they’re trying to hide besides the identity of the thieves? Arden clenched his fist. His palm was moist with sweat.
He intended to attempt negotiation. To do so, he first needed to make the knight realize that these actions were now meaningless.
“Is this something others shouldn’t hear? After taking a hostage, what more are you trying to hide?”
“Arden, you’re not exactly innocent either.”
Arden? Corol murmured. As Arden hesitated, Rey continued to press him.
“You’re someone who shouldn’t be here.”
“…”
“I don’t plan on capturing you too. Let’s not cause trouble when we’re in the same situation. Quietly… let’s just quietly go our separate ways.”
Arden’s gaze turned to Corol. He saw Corol’s eyes waver for a brief moment.
Arden had experienced similar situations before. If he just remained silent, no harm would come to him. He knew well… how difficult it was to take responsibility for one’s words.
But hadn’t he already realized? In the end, what remained was just a broken human being. Not an engineer serving his country, nor the morally upright Arden. Just a human being who was nothing. Someone who is neither this nor that is bound to be shunned by everyone.
Arden had only known Corol for a few days. He was a boy with parents, a younger brother, and a soon-to-be-born sibling, and had dreams. That was all he knew, but Arden decided to trust Corol. Even if his identity was revealed here, he decided to trust Corol who had followed him without question, been captured, and still called him Eden.
Once you engage in conversation, feel that the other person is human just like you, and begin to sense the weight and depth in their lives, it becomes impossible to remain indifferent.
“…What do you mean we’re in the same situation? That I’m someone who shouldn’t be here?”
“…”
Rey’s eyes wavered. First, he needed to know their purpose. Arden formulated several hypotheses. Either they were planning something without the Emperor’s knowledge, or they were no longer knights. The former would be treason, the latter would be impersonation of knights.
Rey had described Arden as “someone who shouldn’t be here.” A traitor, an exile, a criminal. Despite having more definite words available, he deliberately spoke indirectly. That knight didn’t want a mud-slinging exposé.
“Then you…”
Arden was equally cautious. There was one more person listening besides Corol.
“What do you want? The head of someone high up? Wealth?”
He meant to clarify whether this was a coup or a robbery. At those words, Rey’s face crumpled.
“If I had been thinking of obtaining such things, I wouldn’t have just brought bombs.”
If they had wanted the Emperor’s head, they would have been in Moran from the beginning, not in Idelven. Arden tried to think calmly. What could they gain by isolating the village?
Was he even a knight to begin with? He might have been a knight once, but was he still?
“Let’s clarify our identities first. I am no longer an engineer. What about you?”
“…”
“Are you still part of the knights?”
Rey’s arms trembled visibly.
