The sound of rustling through the medicine box was quite pleasant to hear.
However, apart from that sound, a slight anxiety began to creep in as the medicine was slowly running out.
Since it was made from ingredients that couldn’t be obtained through ordinary means, I had no choice but to rely on His Majesty for it.
“…Betty.”
“Yes, Lord Raul.”
“Have there been any letters or items sent to me?”
“No. I check every day, but there’s been nothing like that.”
It was agreed that someone would be sent every month on the 15th to deliver the medicine, but it seemed something had come up.
If it were anyone else, I might suspect they wished for my death, but my friends wouldn’t want that.
If not, there was also the possibility that my fiancée had intercepted the medicine.
She was the kind of person who would do something like that without hesitation.
“I still have some left, so it should be fine. If it runs out, I’ll just close my eyes and deal with it.”
“But, Lord Raul, I’ve been meaning to ask—what exactly is that medicine?”
“It’s like glue. Glue that barely holds together something that could fall apart at any moment.”
“Y-you’re not drinking glue, are you…?”
“……It’s just medicine I take for a chronic condition.”
My maid Betty gave me a puzzled look, set down the coffee, and walked out.
Come to think of it, I also felt like I’d seen Betty somewhere before. Maybe when she visited the mansion… but even so, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
I vaguely remembered seeing her when I visited the Imperial Palace with my father as a child… but I couldn’t recall clearly. Neither Camilla nor I were particularly good at using our heads, so we were left to ponder like this.
If it were those two who could play chess just by talking, they might have figured something out.
“…What meaning could that memory even have?”
As usual, after finishing my morning routine, I looked for a hair tie to tie up my messy hair.
It was a task I’d repeated every day since childhood, so there shouldn’t have been any issues, but a problem arose.
The hair tie was missing. I could have brushed it off if it were any other item, but that hair tie was an exception.
I went downstairs and approached my maid, who was doing the laundry.
“Betty. Have you seen my hair tie?”
“Hair tie?”
“…It’s made of black linen with small birds and clover patterns. It’s quite old and plain.”
“Oh, that one you always wear? Hmm… I try not to touch your things, so I’m not sure.”
It was a complete disaster.
I frantically searched all the places I’d been to yesterday, but it was all in vain.
Cecilia, seeing my expression, offered to help look, but it didn’t mean much.
“Are you okay…?”
“Can I look one more time?”
“It’s fine, but it’s not like it’ll make a difference…”
“Please. It’s old and worn, but it’s precious to me.”
I desperately searched her house, but unfortunately, there was no sign of it.
“Sorry for troubling you.”
I tried to suppress my emotions, but I couldn’t stop my heart from wavering.
That item was something that didn’t belong to the category of ‘familiarity’ for me.
“Um… if it’s a hair tie, I have plenty. Would you like one?”
“No. That wasn’t just something to tie my hair with.”
“I don’t fully understand, but was it something precious to you?”
“……You could say that.”
My heart, which should have been numb to any sadness or stimulation, began to waver slightly.
Even though I was suppressing my emotions as she had taught me, the pain of loss was something I couldn’t control.
‘You’re not an idiot, so stop whining over killing a few people on the battlefield. You can grieve later. For now, live by suppressing your emotions as I told you. Got it?’
‘Use this to tie your hair. You’ve got a pretty face, but if you keep your hair down, you’ll definitely get teased.’
‘It suits you. The problem is you always look so grumpy. Right?’
…She was always a willful woman. As my master said, she was like ‘a bird that could fly to the edge of the sun.’
Among us, she was the most outstanding and the brightest. Losing something she gave me was truly frustrating.
Now that I don’t have much time left, isn’t it cruel to take away even the traces of my life?
“…Well, my life has always been like this. A continuous series of losses. This is nothing compared to the disasters I’ve faced. I’ve lost my family, my lover, my honor, my connection with my father, and even the right to be happy. Everything I held onto slipped through my fingers like sand.”
“My lord…?”
“Today, I’ve just lost one more thing. It’s not a big deal. I’ve lost my heart before—what’s losing a fingernail? It’s just a trivial matter. My heart shouldn’t waver over something like this. It’s just one more trace that’s disappeared. To let my heart waver over this would be an insult to her. I must remain unshaken, like the earth, as she told me…”
“My lord…?”
That habit of mine surfaced again.
I’d tried to fix this bad habit, but it still came out. I must be quite a problematic person.
“Sorry. Losing something precious made me emotional.”
As I turned the doorknob to leave, something heavy collided with the door.
“Ah!”
“…Sorry. I was distracted and didn’t see you.”
The man who collided with the door was someone I’d never seen before.
He looked quite wealthy, but his face was covered in dirt and blood, suggesting something had happened.
He didn’t seem to care about his injuries and urgently spoke to Cecilia behind me.
“Ce-Cecilia…! It’s terrible…! On the way to this village…! On the way…!”
“Do you know him?”
“Yes, he’s a merchant who often visits the village to buy monster remains… What’s wrong?”
“Bandits suddenly appeared and attacked our caravan and the goods…”
I knew life had become difficult for people due to the foolish war that broke out, but I didn’t expect bandits to still be rampant.
His Majesty had been working tirelessly to restore order since ascending the throne.
It must be those who’ve tasted the sweetness of banditry still wandering in search of that honey.
“I was captured too, but I managed to escape… But the others are still…”
“How many bandits? Were there others captured?”
He looked at me with a puzzled expression. He must not know who I am.
“Who are you…?”
“I’m the representative of this village.”
“My apologies. I’m not sure about their numbers, but there were a few giants… And among the captives, I heard there’s a noble. They said they’d demand a hefty ransom.”
I wonder which foolish noble came all the way to this remote area and got into trouble.
Probably some airheaded idiot.
“Did they say anything else about the noble?”
“I think… I heard they were having trouble with a young girl who kept resisting…”
I wanted to see which clueless noble lady had gotten into trouble.
Unlike the clever Rizel, this noble lady must be quite dense. Still, I’d have to save her.
But then the merchant grabbed my hand and said:
“Please, save our people…! I’ll pay whatever you ask…!”
I liked this man.
A man who cared more about his subordinates than the stolen goods—it was hard not to like him.
I’d help him as much as I could.
“Alright. I was planning to step in anyway.”
“You, my lord…?”
When he asked nervously, Cecilia reassured him.
“Don’t worry. He may look delicate, but he’s a real monster in terms of skill. Much stronger than me.”
I personally don’t like being called a monster, though.
“Still, be careful… I’m not sure if it’s true, but… judging from what they said, these aren’t ordinary bandits.”
“What did they say that made you think that?”
“They said one of the five heroes, who were thought to be dead, is actually alive… and that he’s their leader… I think that’s what they said…”
For 10 seconds, my train of thought completely stopped.
I forgot what emotion I felt during those 10 seconds, but I knew it wasn’t a good one.
And I also knew exactly what action that emotion would lead to.
“…So that’s what they said.”
“Yes, so please be careful.”
“Don’t worry. That’s clearly a lie.”
I adjusted my cane and asked him:
“So where are they?”
“We met them on the mountain path west of the village…”
“That’s enough.”
As I prepared to go alone, Cecilia spoke up worriedly.
“Are you really going alone…? Shouldn’t we go together…?”
“I’ll be fine alone. As the representative of this village, I need to take some measures.”
“Measures?”
“…I’m just going to give them a little pat. That’s all.”
Yes. Just a little pat.
How they’ll take it, I don’t know.