# Chapter 90
“Just as you said, they all had mechanical arms or legs. The person named Reyner had a mechanical left arm. And his right arm was also a bit different.”
“In what way?”
“Below the elbow, it was perfectly smooth without a single scar, but above that, the skin was distorted as if it had melted.”
The attendant, who appeared to be of considerable age, pushed up his glasses as he spoke. Still seemingly shocked by what he had seen, he closed his lips and looked up at Arden. It was understandable that he would find it strange to be asked to casually confirm such things.
Could it be a trace of failed surgery? Since he hadn’t seen it himself, it was difficult for Arden to guess. The attendant provided the answer about the right arm.
“It looked like it had been healed by magic. It’s common among knights, isn’t it?”
“Ah……”
As the attendant said, knights often had strange scars. Some had both wrinkled hands like those of an elderly person and hands without a single wrinkle like those of a young person, and some had skin with patches of different colors.
It seemed that Rey’s left arm couldn’t be restored even with magic. So, as a last resort, he must have entrusted it to an engineer.
The attendant shrugged and continued turning the pages of the documents he was looking at. He appeared quite busy.
Although he was speaking calmly, this was no trivial matter. Despite being a knight who fought for his country, he was discarded as soon as he was deemed useless. The result was a bomb threat. Fortunately, it had been stopped, but there was no guarantee that such incidents wouldn’t happen again.
“What happens now?”
“Well… the knights will come, so the country will take care of it. There’s no agency here to handle such matters.”
“The knights?”
“Yes. We reported it before you arrived, sir. We sent it by express, so the knights should arrive in a day or two. Ah, the real knights, that is.”
The attendant looked up and smiled lightly. In contrast, Arden’s complexion grew increasingly pale.
* * *
They hurriedly packed their belongings and left the inn. After hearing a brief explanation of the situation, Rite also helped without complaint. Although they were leaving sooner than expected, they couldn’t delay any further. The knights might escort not only Rey’s group but also Arden.
Rite flatly refused Arden’s suggestion that he should go ahead while Rite finished his lessons. His reason was that he had already learned what he needed to learn, so there was no need to stay longer. This was fortunate for Arden. He would have felt uncomfortable leaving Rite alone.
The small square in front of the station was crowded with people. It seemed they had found the stolen wheels, which were laid out on the ground as people looked for their owners. Some were too damaged to use, while others appeared still usable.
“Can this be used again?”
As they passed a couple examining a wheel, Arden interjected with one final piece of advice.
“It can be used, but it looks quite old. It’s probably time to replace it, so it would be much better to buy a new one instead.”
The couple turned to Arden, startled. Arden headed into the station, pretending not to notice.
“Eden!”
Just as he entered the building, a name he wasn’t yet accustomed to was called out. When he turned around, Corol and Kaiyu were running toward them.
Corol had been running so earnestly that she couldn’t stop immediately and rushed toward Arden. Before Arden could catch her, Rite suddenly extended his hand and stopped Corol.
“Why are you leaving so soon? Stay a little longer!”
“We have a schedule to keep.”
Arden offered a clumsy excuse. Disappointment overflowed in the eyes of both Corol and Kaiyu.
“You should be resting at home, why come here?”
“…It’s not that serious that I need to rest.”
Corol answered, averting her gaze slightly as if embarrassed. Perhaps because she was the eldest, she seemed unaccustomed to showing vulnerability.
“My parents wanted to treat you to dinner and insisted I bring you… Can you imagine how surprised we were when the inn said you’d already left? I’m glad we caught you at least… Are you really leaving now?”
“I… I’m a good cook……”
Kaiyu hesitantly added from the side. Before Arden could refuse, Rite spoke first.
“Give this to the magician.”
As Rite suddenly extended his hand, Corol reflexively received it. What Rite had handed over were two black scales.
“What is this?”
“It’s important, so make sure you deliver it. Tell her Dennear sent it, and she’ll open the door.”
Since he had consumed the payment himself, he needed to pay again for the perfume and the lesson fee. If there had been time, he would have liked to prepare the potion by removing all the scales if necessary. He had just personally experienced its definite effectiveness.
“Don’t you need to say goodbye?”
“It’s fine.”
When Arden quietly asked, Rite answered without the slightest regret.
“I’ll come back again sometime.”
Yes, let’s do that. That answer caught in Arden’s throat.
“Don’t worry. I will absolutely, no matter what, even at the risk of my life, deliver it.”
“No need for risking your life. If anyone threatens your life over it, just give it to them.”
Unlike the solemn Corol, Rite was indifferent. After putting the scales in her pocket, Corol hesitated a bit before speaking.
“You said Dennear, right? Thank you. Really. I was too distracted to realize it, but they said you saved us. My parents wanted to express their gratitude. So do my brother and I.”
“……”
“I’m saying this on behalf of my parents. I’ll never forget it.”
Th-thank you, Kaiyu also nodded and said from the side. Rite’s expression became complicated as he received their gratitude. The thanks were directed not to a human hero who had defeated a monster, but to a monster who had stopped humans.
Once, he had dreamed of this. Suddenly confronted with his childhood dream, he couldn’t say anything. He just silently nodded.
“We don’t have much time before our train. We should go now.”
Arden, who had been watching from the side, looked at his wristwatch and summarized the situation. Although they had left with plenty of time, he would feel more at ease once they were on the train.
The siblings insisted on seeing them off and followed them to the ticket gate. After having the tickets checked and placing them in his bag, Corol suddenly approached Arden.
“Thank you, Arden.”
Arden flinched, his shoulders trembling as he stepped back at the whispered words in his ear. The voice unexpectedly heard near his ear was startling enough, but the name that came from Corol’s lips was even more disconcerting. Corol smiled innocently, asking, “That is your name, right?”
“…I didn’t do anything.”
“What do you mean you didn’t do anything!”
Corol’s smiling face changed in an instant. She looked like an orphanage director scolding mischievous children.
“If Ar… no, if Eden hadn’t been there, those guys would have blown up the train station and harmed us too. How can you say you didn’t do anything?”
“Still… I didn’t really do anything substantial……”
“Excessively humbling yourself isn’t good manners.”
Corol shook her head with a stern face. Arden hadn’t really intended to humble himself, but he didn’t pursue the matter further.
After organizing his bag, he passed through the gate. He turned his head to look back at the siblings one last time.
“Will we meet again someday?”
Arden closed his mouth at Corol’s words. He couldn’t readily give an answer.
“Yes.”
The one who answered wasn’t Arden. Arden turned to look at Rite. Rite’s face seemed both determined and at ease. He looked like someone who had resolved a long-standing concern, or like a protagonist in a play who wouldn’t be broken in any situation.
“I’ll come again. Tell Aigle that too.”
“Okay. Don’t worry.”
Corol waved her hand with a bright smile. Kaiyu also couldn’t take his eyes off the two retreating figures. Since Rite kept turning back to look, Arden quietly waited.
Though they had left with plenty of time, they didn’t have much to spare by the time they boarded the train. As Arden gently pushed Rite’s shoulder, urging him to board first, Rite stopped as if he had just remembered something.
“What’s wrong?”
“As the distance increases, the restraint will naturally be lifted.”
He didn’t say more, but the message in his eyes was easy to discern. Whether it was Rey or someone else, they might mention Arden’s name to the knights. Arden lightly patted Rite’s shoulder.
“It’s okay. This is my fault, so I’ll somehow……”
It was a habitual response. In reality, he didn’t have a clear plan of what to do. There were too many variables, and the things to prepare for kept increasing.
Before Arden could finish, Rite grabbed his shoulder. Arden trailed off and looked into Rite’s eyes. The purple irises were more certain than ever.
“Don’t try to solve it alone. We’ll solve it together. This started because I was stubborn in the first place.”
Arden missed the timing to respond to Rite’s words. When did he grow so much? He was now grown enough that it would be awkward to call him a child anymore. Arden had no choice but to acknowledge it. He had left his hands and become an adult.
Ding. The sound of attendants urging passengers who hadn’t yet boarded echoed through the platform.
“Let’s go.”
Rite took Arden’s hand and boarded the train. Would the letter have reached the castle by now? Arden sat down, filled with anxiety and worry. The travel time between stations was getting shorter and shorter. The proximity of stations was evidence of increasing urbanization and an indication that they were getting closer to Moran.
The letter arrived at the castle a little while after that.
