Chapter 90
Chapter 90
“Strange, isn’t it?”
Kyrillos was happily eating the Mont Blanc.
In contrast, Adam and I were both left speechless.
Could it be that the emperor was trying to pin this string of disappearances on Adam again…? Or perhaps it was the emperor himself who had orchestrated them in the first place?
Based on past experiences, I couldn’t help but harbor such suspicions.
Glancing sideways at Adam, I saw that his expression remained calm. Feeling guilty that I alone was thinking such unsettling thoughts, I quickly schooled my face.
Then Adam asked evenly,
“Is the missing child the only case?”
“No, not at all! But I was told that this child could be the key to the case, so he must be found at all costs.”
“I see.”
“Then why is the Young Lord Evant the one handling this matter?”
If it was a case of disappearances in the capital, wouldn’t it make more sense for knights to be assigned, just as he had said?
“Ah, well, even with my lacking skills, I am still a mage working under the imperial palace.”
Only then did I recall the imperial cloak he had removed and folded neatly.
In Dragon Chronicle, there was a bit of lore about the mage tower sending select individuals to cooperate with the palace.
The tower lacked the resources to handle everything alone, so they exchanged manpower and funds in mutual trade.
But eventually, once Kyrillos became the hero’s companion, he left the palace behind and naturally followed Adam as a mage at his side.
“So, what do you think of the Demon King’s castle now that you’ve seen it with your own eyes? Do you think the missing child could be here?”
“Haha, of course, when I came the second time, I secretly used detection magic. I didn’t sense any child, but I did find magical beasts. And there’s a strange aura in the basement…”
So that was how Kyrillos had stumbled across the monster beasts. He had been using detection magic, searching in case a child was hidden here.
Adam didn’t seem pleased at all that he had used such magic without telling us.
“Then has your suspicion been resolved? Or are you still uneasy and planning to report me to His Majesty?”
“Why would I do that to the hero?”
Kyrillos asked back with such genuine bewilderment that even Adam was left without words.
“You seem to admire the hero a great deal, Kyrillos?”
“Of course! I always admired him. I wanted to join the subjugation force that would one day slay the Demon King and make my mark, but… in the end, the chance was taken before I could.”
“…To me, someone’s life was more precious than another’s dream.”
“Naturally! I don’t mean it as criticism, hero! Thanks to you killing the Demon King so swiftly, countless lives—including mine—owe their survival to you!”
Kyrillos waved his hands as he spoke.
“But it really is true that I want to be friends with you. Approaching you just for the sake of an investigation was never my intention.”
Adam, listening quietly to his words, seemed at a loss for a moment.
Rejecting someone who approached in friendship—Adam always found that difficult.
Despite how he looked, his heart was painfully soft.
Watching from the side, I could see it even more clearly.
Each time Kyrillos reached out in friendly sincerity, Adam’s harshness weakened and gave way to hesitation.
“If that’s all you wished to say, please leave. I already have another appointment.”
“Ah, I see. I should continue investigating the disappearances anyway. Then… may I come again this evening? There seem to be plenty of rooms here!”
“I expect my appointment will take quite a while.”
“Ah…”
Kyrillos looked disheartened, as though doubting whether his wish to befriend Adam had been sincere or just empty words.
While he was quiet, I took the chance to whisper to Adam,
“But… hero, you have an appointment?”
With whom? Did the emperor summon him to blame him for the disappearances?
“With Eve.”
“Ah, you have plans with—wait, what?!”
Plans with me that I knew nothing about?!
I echoed him automatically, only to be caught off guard.
“Do you not want to?”
“No!”
Of course I didn’t dislike it!
I immediately seized the heaven-sent opportunity.
Sorry, Kyrillos.
But thanks to you, I was going to enjoy myself now.
Adam had chosen me instead of Kyrillos.
So “companions” and all those other titles were just meaningless words after all. Maybe it was even a bug. From the moment Kyrillos showed up, those messages appeared, but in the end Adam rejected him and chose me.
I lifted my gaze, seeing the messages before me.
Your hero does not wish to speak further with “companion” Kyrillos.
Your hero does not wish to grow closer than necessary with “companion” Kyrillos.
Your hero recalls the past with “companion” Kyrillos.
Your hero recalls the first death of “companion” Kyrillo—
“Eve?”
Adam’s voice nearby pulled me out of it before I could finish reading the last message. I rose to my feet.
“Yes, let’s go!”
At the mention of an appointment, Kyrillos looked visibly disappointed and clung to us.
“Where are you going? I could even give you a tour of the mage tower…”
“I was under the impression that outsiders are forbidden from entering the mage tower. Isn’t that why, even in dealings with the palace, it’s always the mages who travel there instead? Am I wrong?”
“Well, yes, but… if it’s in secret, it could be done!”
“I’ll decline.”
This time, it was I who refused.
What, was he planning to get someone electrocuted?
The laws of the mage tower bound everyone. Unless one was the tower master—who stood above all laws—there was no exception. And with the tower master’s seat still vacant, every other mage beneath was bound to obey.
And the very first rule of the mage tower: if a non-mage enters, they are to be executed on the spot.
I still remembered Kyrillos telling me that, back when he had been Adam’s companion.
The very existence of mages had always been something of a wonder to me.
“Aren’t you curious about mages?”
“I am curious…”
Of course, that curiosity still lingered.
It was something I had never been able to resolve, since I couldn’t exactly ask Adam.
Covering my mouth with my hand, I leaned toward Kyrillos’s ear and whispered,
“When someone’s lived their whole life thinking they’re just an ordinary person, does an owl show up one day with a letter telling them they’re a mage and should come to the tower?”
It was something I had always wondered, watching people tie notes to pigeons’ legs.
How did mages in this world discover they were mages?
Surely the mage tower sent out lucky letters itself.
“…! No. The mage tower opens only when a mage walks in on their own two feet.”
Kyrillos spoke as though I’d just said something absurd.
The doors were firmly shut to ordinary people, but wide open to mages.
“Hm, boring.”
Now that my curiosity had been resolved, Kyrillos had outlived his usefulness.
Since Adam disliked him too, there was no reason to keep him around.
That didn’t mean I had given up on making him Adam’s friend.
It just felt a little premature for now.
“I see. Then, you should leave.”
It was a clear dismissal.
Kyrillos made a pitiful noise, pouting as he staggered away.
I waved at him as his figure disappeared with magic.
Still, among Adam’s companions, Kyrillos had always been the most perceptive.
He must have already realized Adam was slowly opening his heart to me.
That was why he didn’t cling, and instead left quietly.
I too felt less impatient, certain now that the two of them would eventually become good friends.
“Shall we go too?”
“Yes!”
I nodded and stood beside him.
Once again, Adam seated me at the front of the horse.
Having ridden several times before, I now handled the reins smoothly with him as we traveled.
Before long, we arrived in the capital, and my eyes lit up.
“Wow…”
I spotted the grilled chicken skewer stall I hadn’t been able to try during the Founding Festival because of the overwhelming crowds.
Ben’s fine cuisine was delicious, but street food had a lighter, simple charm all its own.
Drawn forward as if under a spell, I suddenly bumped into someone.
“Ah, I’m sorry!”
At that moment, my bag felt strangely lighter.
It was a subtle shift, easy to miss, but when I quickly checked just in case, the inside was empty.
“Oh no, a pickpocket!”
I knew it! I should have realized—after all, I’d been thinking all morning how lucky the day seemed.
Adam’s former companion had shown up of his own accord, and Adam himself had even suggested we go out first.
“Just leave it.”
Adam spoke with obvious annoyance.
This penniless man! No wonder he never bothered with bounties—he had no sense of the value of money.
“I’ll go after him!”
Leaving behind Adam’s weary expression, I dashed off to chase the boy I’d just bumped into.
