Anna and Aslan couldn’t understand Lumel. More precisely, they couldn’t grasp the actions he was currently displaying or the purpose underlying those actions.
Of course, Anna’s and Aslan’s ignorance were of different kinds.
Though Anna had lived for over two hundred years, she was originally from an empire that held the greatest power in the southern continent and was also a noble of high standing.
However, her life had been solely consumed by her obsession with her lost family and magic.
Occasionally, she would take on disciples, and sometimes she would research spells to recover her lost family according to her obsession, but fundamentally, she rarely had what one might call a normal life.
Literature was unfamiliar to her. She rarely read any general literature outside of books about magic, and when it came to the popular novels Lumel had read, she didn’t even know of their existence.
Therefore, Anna could not guess at the delusions Lumel was having. To her, it only seemed like he was somehow wary of her for some reason.
On the other hand, Aslan was slightly different.
Aslan was, after all, a teenager just twelve years ago and had experience with popular literature.
His main hobbies were games and webtoons, and if you traced back further, he even had vague memories of watching animations occasionally when he was younger.
In other words, there was plenty of material available.
The problem lay in the twelve-year gap.
Aslan’s twelve years had been nothing but a struggle for survival, and during this struggle, he had lost many things.
Hobbies were among them.
Aslan hardly ever recalled his hobbies from twelve years ago. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say he didn’t recall them.
Aslan was someone who, instead of indulging in hobbies, spent his time devising ways to fight and survive.
Thus, it seemed impossible for Aslan to grasp Lumel’s intentions.
So Aslan and Anna exchanged glances, appearing flustered by Lumel’s reactions.
They hadn’t spent enough time together to understand each other’s intentions with just a glance, but at least they understood each other’s basic attitudes.
“Lumel-don, Anna-san is trustworthy.”
Lumel did not respond to this. He thought that if he opened his mouth to greet now, he wouldn’t be able to pursue this matter further.
Aslan seemed to interpret his silence differently and smiled awkwardly while brushing Lumel’s arm, which was entwined with his own, with his palm.
When Lumel unknowingly met his gaze due to the warmth of that touch, Aslan said with a smile:
“I beg of you. Please trust my judgment. Anna-san is my reliable ally.”
Aslan’s words were far removed from Lumel’s delusions, and Lumel looked up blankly as he listened to them.
It was evident that Aslan had no clue about Lumel’s delusions. Simultaneously, it was an indicator that Lumel’s delusions were entirely wrong.
Realizing this, Lumel quietly closed his mouth and looked down at the floor.
He felt too embarrassed to openly reveal his folly.
Ultimately, Lumel decided not to expose even a speck of his delusion and took advantage of Aslan’s misunderstanding.
He acted as if he regarded Anna as a dangerous person who might attack at any moment.
“I am Lumel van Holn… the rightful owner of Gerne and Aslan-sama’s… ‘comrade.'”
Lumel’s unnatural emphasis on the word “comrade” would have drawn a reaction from others, but Anna merely smiled faintly, seemingly unconcerned.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Lumel of Gerne. I am Anna Helmenius, the mayor of the city of wizards and the teacher of two hundred wizards under my name.”
With polite greetings, Anna slightly bowed, holding the hem of her dress and collar.
Lumel seemed surprised that he would receive such courteous greetings and quickly reciprocated them.
When he straightened up, Anna smiled faintly and said:
“Then, let’s go now, shall we? My companions are waiting.”
Aslan followed silently without responding, and just as Lumel was about to join beside him, a guard stepped between them and said:
“That won’t do.”
When Anna showed a puzzled expression, Aslan let out an “Ah.” Still perplexed by Aslan’s reaction, Anna approached the guard.
“Was our gesture insufficient?”
“…It’s not a matter of gesture.”
The guard shook his head as he watched the woman rummage through her belongings, and the woman tilted her head, finding it even more puzzling.
“It seems you’re unaware of the situation. This woman… is a murder suspect. She’s accused of commanding bizarre monsters and attacking and killing a noble.”
She must remain here until proven innocent at the very least. Hearing this, Anna widened her eyes.
This reaction stemmed from the assumption that Aslan’s involvement was likely a minor offense, contrary to reality. A faint green glow appeared in the woman’s eyes, causing Aslan to smirk wryly.
“Of course, this man here can leave since he was merely present and has no charges against him. His identity has been vouched for by Anna-dono, and he arrived in the city after the incident.”
The stiff-necked guard nodded slightly as he spoke, and Aslan frowned, clearly showing his discomfort.
Sleek.
At that moment, Lumel subtly released Aslan’s sleeve, which he had been holding onto. Aslan turned his head upon feeling this and met Lumel’s gaze. The emotions brimming in the brown eyes were close to guilt.
It was a reaction stemming from the regret of dragging Aslan too deeply into his personal affairs and feeling unable to hold on any longer.
Upon noticing this, Aslan relaxed his furrowed brow and thought:
Is there a way to extract Lumel without resorting to coercive means?
Unfortunately, there wasn’t.
If Lumel wanted to leave this prison, he would need to prove his innocence, and the only way to do that was probably to capture Thor Mull, who was closely related to the truth.
But unless they went out and searched around the city, there was no way to find Thor Mull.
If they couldn’t capture him, they couldn’t leave, yet finding him was the only way to leave.
It was a contradictory situation. As Aslan pondered this predicament, he suddenly felt a strange sense of unease.
Something was off.
His teal-green eyes turned toward the guard.
“What did you just say?”
“…Are you threatening me?”
The abrupt statement sounded like a threat. Only then did Aslan notice his own expression and shook his head.
“No, that’s not it. I just… would appreciate it if you could repeat what you said earlier. Please.”
The guard made a peculiar face at Aslan’s request but eventually began speaking hesitantly as he recalled his words.
“At least until innocence is confirmed…”
“That’s not it. Please tell me about the charges.”
“The charge is using strange monsters to attack and kill a noble…”
“Strange monsters, you said?”
“What… What are you implying?”
Aslan turned fully to face the guard, his eyes filled with a certain conviction.
“Not martial monks, but strange monsters?”
The guard looked confused by this question, adding a hint of skepticism to his already puzzled expression.
“…Martial monks? They weren’t insects, and they looked like black skeletons. How could they be martial monks…?”
Aslan felt a strange sensation as he listened to this mumbled response.
Lumel seemed perplexed by the situation, failing to grasp it, and Anna appeared completely unaware of what was being discussed.
Although Lumel lacked the knowledge to realize it, the black skeletons mentioned were beings they had encountered before.
The authority wielded by the Dark Ram Herd.
Or perhaps, the signs of the Dark Ram Herd’s presence.
To Aslan, who was considering the possibility of the Dark Ram Herd’s involvement, this was solid evidence.
Evidence so clear that it allowed him to deduce their purpose.
The Dark Ram Herd had been targeting Aslan alone all along, operating covertly.
There was no way the herd could be unaware of Aslan’s goal—”recruiting comrades.”
If they were aware, their aim couldn’t simply be to frame Lumel or tarnish his reputation.
Their target was either Lumel himself or Aslan, who sought to help Lumel.
In other words, Thor Mull would undoubtedly come looking for either Aslan or Lumel.
Just as Aslan realized this, the guard, noticing Aslan’s sudden silence, eyed him suspiciously and muttered.
“In any case, this woman cannot leave. She will have to wait in the cell until the charges are cleared. Since she is an acquaintance of Lady Anna, visits may be possible, but release is…”
“Good.”
Interrupting, a low voice emerged. The guard stopped speaking, and Aslan continued.
“To put it another way, does that mean no harm will come to Lord Lumel until the charges are fully proven or the trial proceeds?”
“…Excuse me? Well, yes. Although Ashan might appear as a breeding ground for crime from the outside, as long as our Ashan guards are here, such things won’t happen. We don’t punish criminals without proper trials.”
A civil servant quite unlike the city of pleasures. Aslan found his stubbornness appealing. As he subtly smiled, the guard furrowed his brows, prompting Aslan to speak.
“Then I’ll stay here as well.”
“…Excuse me?”
This time, it was Anna who asked, appearing bewildered and seeking an explanation, but Aslan offered none.
“Anna, please do me one favor. Tell my traveling party to come here to the prison. That’s all I ask.”
As Anna widened her eyes, Aslan turned to the guard. Watching the official trying to comprehend the situation with a dazed expression, Aslan casually said,
“As a renowned veteran and ally of Anna Helmenius, I will assist with your duties.”
The guard was speechless.
But the expected reply was obvious. Aslan smiled faintly, thinking that a prison could function like a fortress when used properly.
If one couldn’t leave, then one didn’t have to.
As Aslan’s smile became clearer, the guard frowned.
*
The sound of running echoed loudly. Though not loud enough to shake the earth, it was sufficient to fill the guardhouse with guards displaying expressions of irritation and confusion as they stared at the door anxiously.
Soon, the running ceased, and the door burst open violently.
“Aslan!”
The figure who rudely flung open the guardhouse door was Ereta, a woman with white hair.
The woman, clad in a tight-fitting black dress that accentuated her curves, quickly spotted what looked like a staircase leading to the prison and headed straight for it.
“Hey, wait! Stop! Are you sent by Lady Anna? Over here, stop!”
Ignoring the calls to halt, the woman swiftly descended the stairs, with the guards chasing after her but unable to make her stop.
Finally, crossing the prison corridor and reaching the open-barred cell, the woman panted heavily as she shouted.
“Aslan! I…”
Only to abruptly halt with a smile upon finally finding the desperate Aslan she had been searching for—only to discover him leisurely sitting outside the cell.
And he wasn’t alone.
Judging by the stiffness of the situation, the latter scenario seemed more impactful.
As the rigid expression on the woman’s face slowly faded, her fellow companions gradually revealed themselves from behind.
“Huh? What’s going on? The kid’s fine?”
The first to appear was the towering dragonkin, Tiamat. Swishing his tail as he walked, upon seeing Aslan intact, he shoved the bread he had been holding into his mouth. It was likely meant as a gift for Aslan.
“I knew it. I told you! After escaping from the worst prison, there’s no way he’d be stuck here. It’s all part of the plan, right?”
Next came Angie. Smirking while brushing her crimson hair with her hand, she glanced briefly at Phey who pushed past her to step forward, causing her to frown.
Phey rarely had her hair loose on one side.
In her hand, she held what appeared to be some kind of metal ring, possibly used to tie her hair when it was half-up. It was clearly a small piece of metal intended to unlock Aslan’s handcuffs or the cell lock but became unnecessary since Aslan wasn’t bound.
After Phey retied her hair, the sounds of Anna’s voice and the guards’ complaints reached from the entrance of the guardhouse above the prison.
Using these sounds as background noise, the group simultaneously turned their gazes to someone next to Aslan.
“Come on in. Looks like we’ll have to stay here in this prison for a while, so I called you all here. Sorry.”
Despite Aslan’s words, the group remained silent, merely staring intently at someone.
Ereta’s expression hardened.
Ereta, who usually maintained a gentle demeanor, now displayed a serious look that made Tiamat adopt a peculiar expression as if silently acknowledging the situation without needing to state the obvious.
Phey remained expressionless, seemingly unfamiliar with the person, whereas Angie exclaimed with wide eyes.
“Oh, isn’t that the guy we fought before?”
The vague description was sufficient, given that neither Tiamat nor Phey had seen the individual before.
Back then, they had been outside guarding the ruins or scouting the surroundings.
Thus, they silently gazed at the woman.
The beige-haired woman whose ample bosom pressed against Aslan’s arm due to her tightly braided hair draped over her shoulder, with her brown eyes.
As Phey and Tiamart looked to Angie for an explanation, Ereta spoke before Angie could.
“Master of Creation. You’re still alive, I see.”
Her words were unusually cold for Ereta. Even her typically soft gaze had hardened almost into a straight line.
“Yes, thanks to Lord Aslan.”
Lumel replied indifferently to the cold tone and icy stare directed at him, causing Ereta to slowly blink, seemingly displeased with the response.
When their pink and brown eyes met, both instinctively recognized each other.
Who the other truly was.
While the two women silently glared at each other, Aslan wiped nervous sweat, contemplating ways to defuse the increasingly frosty atmosphere.
