Chapter 20

“Speaking of which, I heard you helped a poor person who had collapsed on the street yesterday? The story has already spread like wildfire among the guards.”

“Is that so? It was nothing special.”

“You are truly merciful. But miss, those scum are not worthy of your precious help. You may not know this yet, but they are very ungrateful wretches. They are unregistered Awakened, I tell you.”

The guards had been nearby, so she had figured they saw her take the woman. But she had been half-in-doubt about the spread of rumors, yet for it to have spread so quickly that even a mere city hall guard was bringing it up.

‘It means everyone saw but pretended not to, turning a blind eye for their own reasons. To the point where offering a helping hand alone makes me this much of a hot potato.’

Last night, Esdel had suddenly saved the woman for reasons she herself couldn’t pinpoint. But crisis and opportunity always go hand in hand. If the rumor had spread this quickly, it might be a good idea to use it to her advantage.

For example, by acting the part of a naive young lady who can’t stand to see misfortune before her eyes to induce them to let their guard down.

Esdel turned her gaze to the guard. Unaware of the plan Esdel was hatching, he was chattering away with an excited face.

“But Your Ladyship, you speak Greedionese so well! When I saw you downstairs a moment ago, I thought you were from the Republic. Those western bastards, maybe because they’re slow-witted, just can’t seem to speak properly. Anyway, no matter how much education they get, some people just can’t…”

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, miss?”

“It’s ‘Your Ladyship,’ not ‘miss’.”

Esdel repeated calmly.

She checked her posture. Eyes narrowed, corners of the mouth properly raised, back straight. The fact that she was in a knightly order’s uniform instead of a dress bothered her a little, but this was something she could easily gloss over.

She spoke to the guard who was turning to look at her.

“Aren’t you going to apologize? For calling me ‘miss’ and not ‘Your Ladyship’.”

Watching the guard’s face stiffen, Esdel lifted her chin.

There was a good reason why the daughter of a rural territory that lived off tourism received so many marriage proposals. And there was, of course, a reason why those many suitors couldn’t stand it and ran away.

It was time to put on the mask of a naive noble lady after a long time.

“Bring the mayor. I need to receive an apology right here.”

“I-I’m sorry. I apologize. I think you may not be aware, miss, but the term ‘miss’ is not a bad word in the Republic. In fact, the title ‘Your Ladyship’ is considered classist and authoritarian, so its use is discouraged…”

“Are you saying I’m an authoritarian woman who only knows about class?”

“I wasn’t saying that you are, miss, but that the title ‘Your Ladyship’ is…”

“You just called me ‘miss’ again. That makes it four times. And now that I think about it, you’re right. I was born and raised a noble, so the only thing I know is class. So I’ll have to resolve this a bit more authoritatively. Please call the mayor.”

“He is waiting in his office right now.”

“No, he’ll have to come here, not his office. Now that I think about it, I don’t think this is an issue that can be resolved by you apologizing. Treating me as just some young girl is no different from disrespecting the Salvation Knightly Order.”

A look of bewilderment appeared on the guard’s face. She fully understood how he felt. No matter how rude he had been, what kind of nerve did she have to drag the mayor into this?

“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry, so please…”

Esdel crossed her arms and pointed to the floor with her index finger.

“Here.”

At the outrageous behavior of the arrogant noble lady, the color slowly drained from the guard’s face.

“Mi… No, Your Ladyship…”

“Aren’t you going to bring me a chair? My legs hurt.”

“A chair, a chair?”

“Yes. A young lady from a noble family steeped in classism is also frail and can’t stand for more than ten minutes.”

The guard fidgeted and eventually brought her a chair. It was a plush chair with a backrest and cushion covered in elegant fabric. Esdel sat down on it, crossing her legs.

The guard was now almost on the verge of tears, but she felt no sympathy.

She had picked on his use of a title, attacked a single word rather than trying to understand the intended meaning, and demanded something absurd in return.

And yet, this guard did not dare to treat Esdel disrespectfully. The only difference between Esdel and the other Awakened who were all over the place outside was the title attached to her name. She felt a deep sense of disillusionment that this kind of petty stubbornness actually worked.

A man could be seen walking from the end of the corridor. Seeing the guard groveling as he accompanied him, it seemed the man with the portly figure was the mayor of TibolLars.

“Greetings, Lady Esdel. I did not know the Salvation Knightly Order had someone so beautiful. Please, be so generous as to forgive the rudeness my guard has committed.”

The mayor smiled with a good-natured face and extended his hand. Esdel did stand up, but she did not offer the back of her hand. If she received a kiss on it, she felt her stomach would be unsettled for the rest of the day.

Esdel pretended not to see his hand and spoke.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I was not pleased when your guard disrespected me by calling me ‘miss,’ but you, Mr. Mayor, are a gentleman.”

“You flatter me. Now then, may I escort you to the reception room? I have prepared some refreshments.”

Esdel nodded her head slightly and followed him. For him to be so polite even after she had caused such a commotion, it seemed there was something he wanted from the Salvation Knightly Order. She had no intention of granting whatever it was, but there was no harm in finding out.

She took a step, sensing it was going to be a long day.

“You must have had a very hard time coming all this way. This is a small token of my sincerity.”

As soon as they entered the reception room, the mayor handed her a small box. Inside the box was a pair of ruby earrings that shone with a blood-red light. At a glance, they were a flawless, high-quality item, but upon closer inspection, she saw the emblem of the Caldea Research Institute engraved on the inside of the box.

“Is this… an artifact?”

“That’s right. It is imbued with the power of the Unknown, so it shines as brightly as a star even in the darkness. It will show its true worth when you wear it at the outdoor ball.”

Though it was hard to shake the thought that it was quite a useless artifact, Esdel accepted the box for now.

“Thank you. It’s very pretty.”

When she gave a bright smile, the mayor seemed relieved and continued.

“If you came from the capital, Westford, you must have passed through the Verion Gateway. Did anyone at that gateway treat Your Ladyship rudely by any chance?”

“The inspection was so strict, it was very troublesome. I almost had to come over alone, leaving my fiancé behind.”

Esdel complained with a frown. At that, the mayor put on a sorrowful expression as if he had been waiting for it.

“I apologize for the inconvenience you experienced. However, there has been a major incident within the Republic recently… it was a measure we had no choice but to take in order to deal with it.”

“A major incident?”

“Yes. You know of the Caldea Research Institute, don’t you, Your Ladyship?”

“Of course. It’s the place that produces most of the anti-Unknown weapons used by the Knightly Order. These ruby earrings must have been made there too.”

“That’s correct. But three months ago, some ferocious Awakened who were being protected at the institute escaped. They are monster-like beings who have killed dozens of people, and they’ve hidden themselves throughout the cities, so we still haven’t been able to catch them.”

“My goodness….”

Esdel covered her mouth with a shocked expression.

“You still haven’t caught them?”

“Yes, and the more serious problem is that they are luring in other Awakened who were living as ordinary citizens and turning them into rioters. We are barely managing to prevent this unrest from spreading outside the Republic by blockading the gateways, but the damage is severe. You could say our Republic is sacrificing itself for the peace of our neighboring countries.”

The mayor let out a small sigh.

“Because we couldn’t catch those fiends, we ended up creating the Awakened Registration Act. We must catch them quickly, if only to prevent good-hearted Awakened like Your Ladyship from being misunderstood…”

Esdel played dumb and asked.

“By the way, what exactly is this Awakened Registration Act? It’s the first I’ve heard of it.”

“It’s simple. It’s a law that helps Awakened prove their identity more smoothly through a registration process. We also plan to issue residency permits sequentially. Already, more than half of the Awakened staying in TibolLars have registered.”

“What happens if you don’t register?”

“During a spot check, you will have to accompany a guard to the station and have your identity verified through a guarantor.”

Esdel recalled the guards who had thrown the woman to the ground last night. If it were simply a matter of accompanying them to verify one’s identity, there would be no reason to be so violent. The mayor, who was smiling while telling only a fraction of the truth, was despicable, but Esdel didn’t let it show and nodded with a serious demeanor.

“I understand. If we register like that, it would help prevent crime and make it easier to pass through inspections.”

“Exactly! Therefore, we must assume that any Awakened who refuse to register have impure intentions. That is why I would like to ask for the Salvation Knightly Order’s cooperation. Once we arrest the Awakened who escaped from the institute, there will be no more spot checks on the Awakened. The inspection procedures will also return to normal.”

Esdel sensed that the conversation was finally getting to the main point. The mayor added with a subtle smile directed at Esdel.

“If the Knightly Order cooperates with us, the Republic will not forget this favor.”

“Of course, we must help. It’s the right thing to do. What should I do?”

“In a few days, there will be a large-scale operation to capture the escaped Awakened. It would be good if you could lend us your strength then. It will not be a difficult task for the knights.”

Esdel came outside, seen off by the mayor. Her stomach churned from having spoken words she didn’t mean.

She was about to call for a rental carriage but stopped, shrinking back from a gust of wind that blew fiercely. Even though the cloak included in her knightly uniform was made of thick material, her whole body instinctively flinched.

“Ugh…”

Esdel shivered in the cutting wind. It had been bearable when she left the inn during the day, but as dusk approached, the temperature dropped sharply.

Watching the white snow covering the ground turn black as it was crushed by carriage wheels, Esdel squeezed her eyes shut. When she was a child, she thought she had disliked having her clothes ruined by sweat more, but at some point, the cold had become unbearably hateful.

When had it started?

Was it after she fell gravely ill around the age of ten?

She still liked watching the falling snow, but she hated the cold to death. The chill that seeped in no matter how many layers she wore, the numbness that crept into her fingertips and toes, the stinging pain felt when warming a frozen body by the fire—it was all horrible.

It was just as Esdel was about to take a difficult step to call for a carriage. A small voice came from the opposite alley.

“Excuse me… Sir Knight.”

It was a very young voice, sounding around ten years old.

Even as her body trembled, Esdel walked toward where the voice came from. The boy, who had been hiding in the alley, peeked his head out as Esdel approached.

“You’re the one who saved another Awakened in the alley yesterday, right? They said you had silver hair…”

“That’s right.”

Esdel extended a hand to the boy, who was still hiding behind a trash can. She couldn’t help every poor person every time, but she was going to at least give him a few coins.

“Come here. Take this.”

It was the moment she took out her wallet and was about to hand some coins to the thin boy. Flash! A bright light shone in the dusky alley, and the sound of footsteps running towards them could be heard. The figures that soon came into view were wearing uniforms emblazoned with the mark of the Greedion Republic.

“Guards?”

Esdel, who had been tilting her head, soon frowned. As soon as the guards appeared, the child ran out and clung tightly to her leg.

Feeling the child’s fear, Esdel had no time for other thoughts and immediately blocked the two guards’ path.

“What is the matter?”

“Um…”

The guards, who had been running with a fierce momentum, stopped upon seeing Esdel. They looked back and forth between the lavishly dressed Esdel and the child behind her, then carefully opened their mouths.

“Excuse us, miss. Are you perhaps traveling? You don’t seem to be from the Republic.”

“I am Esdel Reinhardt, here at the mayor’s invitation to attend the eve of the festival.”

“Ah! Are you perhaps… the one from the Salvation Knightly Order who arrived yesterday?”

“That’s right.”

The guards exchanged glances, then showed their open hands, signaling they had no intention of fighting.

“We are the patrol of TibolLars. We are conducting our regular patrol. We heard the story that you helped a poor person who had collapsed in the alley yesterday. You are doing a very good thing.”

“……”

“However, that child is a criminal we have been pursuing. We kept losing him as he ran around here and there, but we’ve only just now caught his trail.”

Their tone implied she should cooperate, and the guards approached her menacingly.

Esdel instinctively stepped back and replied warily.

“Are you telling me right now that this small child is one of the Awakened who escaped from the Caldea Research Institute?”

“Ah, so you knew about that. This child is one of the rioters they lured in. You may feel pity because he is small and young, but you have no idea how much damage that one child has caused our patrol.”

The guards explained, shaking their heads.

“It’s a good thing we found you before you got hurt, miss. We will take him away and deport him immediately, so please hand him over…”

The hesitating child suddenly pushed her leg hard. Then he started to run wildly away. He was so nimble that by the time Esdel turned around, he was already entering a narrow alley.

“Dammit, get him!”

The guards left Esdel and started chasing after the child. However, the gap between them and the running boy showed no sign of closing.

“He’s fast…”

Left alone, Esdel stared blankly at the alley, then shrugged her shoulders. Seeing that, it seemed the guard’s words that the boy was in league with the Awakened who escaped from the institute were true. She was worried he might get caught by the guards, but there was no way to help the boy who had already disappeared from sight.

It was the moment Esdel was about to turn away, calming her worries. For some reason, she felt a nagging unease. She was well-dressed, and all her large luggage was back at the inn. Even her wallet was inside her clothes.

Yet, because of the lingering sense of foreboding, Esdel opened her wallet.

And found that the empty wallet had only a single note left inside.

I’ll be waiting tomorrow at five in the afternoon, at Rapel House.

Realizing the situation belatedly, Esdel blinked in bewilderment.

“…He took the money and left only a note in this situation?”

Esdel let out a hollow laugh. She didn’t know who was helping whom now. At least, it seemed that boy didn’t need Esdel’s help at all.

She tried to walk out of the alley again. She hadn’t brought a lantern, so she couldn’t see well even right in front of her. Fumbling along the wall, Esdel tripped over a pile of trash and fell forward with a splat.

“Ah!”

The snow piled on the ground stained her whole body. Her heart pounded anxiously. The sensation of the snow on her fingertips was too cold.

Esdel tried to get up in a hurry, but her foot slipped, and she fell forward again. The ground, which had melted in the sunlight and then frozen, was as slippery as an ice rink. Her elbow, which had hit the ground, throbbed, but she had no time to worry about that.

She was short of breath. The darkness and the cold that enveloped her body felt like an invisible hand was choking her. In the moment her anxious heartbeat grew louder, she heard a familiar voice.

“There you are.”

A single, calm word fished Esdel’s consciousness back to the surface. The light of a lantern appeared faintly before her hazy eyes.

“Theo…”

“Shh.”

Theodore hung the lantern on his arm and swept her up into his arms in one motion. Her snow-damp, flushed cheek rested against his chest. As if by instinct, Esdel reached out her arms and hugged the man’s neck. The palm of her hand against his skin felt hot.

“Esdel.”

“…Yes.”

“Why are you trembling so much. It is cold since it is winter, but the weather is not so harsh that one cannot walk around.”

“……”

“Look over there, even young children are walking fine holding their mothers’ hands. You are the only one being carried right now.”

“…What can I do if it’s cold. It’s so cold…”

“It is not that cold. Now, come down here.”

Esdel resisted, not wanting to be separated from him, but Theodore was firm. As soon as they reached the main street, he pulled her away and set her down on the ground. Black letters began to shimmer over her limbs, which she couldn’t properly control.

As she was about to fall to the ground again with a thud, Theodore caught her from behind, supporting her by the arms.

“Where is this, Esdel.”

“TibolLars…”

“That’s right. Open your eyes properly. Everyone is preparing for the festival, aren’t they. There are national flags hanging up there, too. And lanterns have been hung.”

“……”

“There are many people. If you collapse, someone will surely come to save you. Even if it hadn’t been me, someone would have definitely come.”

Theodore soothed her in a low, gentle voice. Esdel, who had been squeezing her eyes shut since he had forcibly pulled her away, finally managed to open them. The cold seeping into her lungs was terrifying, but the warmth on her shoulder supported her.

“Take a breath in.”

His hand slipped from her shoulder and fell onto her collarbone. Her skin, which had cooled in that brief moment, keenly accepted even the faint warmth that brushed over her clothes. The heat that had lingered on her collarbone soon drew a loose arc down to the center of her chest.

Esdel looked back. In the blue eyes gazing at her, there was a quiet concern. The man once again urged the panting Esdel to take a deep breath.

“It’s cold, but isn’t it refreshing?”

“…I, I don’t know. I…”

“It’s alright.”

Esdel deeply inhaled the air that had barely been passing through the tip of her nose. Then she immediately began to cough violently. Even while she was exhaling so hard it brought tears to her eyes, the hand resting on the center of her chest continued to support her.

With every breath she took in and out, she could feel his hand moving with her. It felt as if they were breathing together.

“You’re doing well.”

“…Well, cough, what do you mean well… what am I even doing…”

Theodore whispered that it was just a little further and led her to where the carriage was stopped. He half-carried Esdel as he boarded the carriage.

Esdel blinked, then realized a moment too late that she was sitting on Theodore’s lap. Even in her breathless and disoriented state, she looked back.

The eyes she knew were steadfastly holding their place.

“Theodore…”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“I have a strange feeling… no, it hurts, I think it hurts… here…”

Esdel trembled uncontrollably and pointed to a spot on her chest. The place where the Unknown was rooted throbbed. It wasn’t the same body-scorching pain as the first time, but the aching, tingling sensation was enough to bring back the terror of that day.

“It’s alright.”

Theodore soothed her in a calm tone.

“It’s nothing. You will be fine soon. Try to relax your body.”

Unable to be reassured even by the voice in her ear, Esdel twisted her body to look back. There was no sign of agitation on Theodore’s face. That, she found, was reassuring.

It was her mistake to be deceived by those calm eyes.

She realized a moment too late that she was being held, unable to move an inch. The cloak fixed on her shoulders came off. Then the buttons of her shirt were undone, revealing her white skin. Realizing what he was about to do, Esdel tried to get away, but the hand pressing on her shoulder was firm.

“I’m going to touch you for a moment.”

Esdel’s body went rigid. It hurt when he touched the root of the Unknown. She wanted to tell him not to, but his hand was already on the gentle slope of her breast.

“This, I don’t… hph.”

Esdel couldn’t finish her sentence. It was because their lips met.

She felt the sensation of her upper lip being gently sucked. Something moist touched and then left her tightly closed lips, as if knocking on a door. Esdel resisted, not parting her lips, but she gasped and opened her mouth at the startling sensation of him rubbing the peak of her breast.

Theodore did not miss the slight opening of her lips. The man, who had devoured her without leaving any gap, finally began to slowly press down the palm that was on her breast.

“Heuk…”

As the center of the Unknown was pressed, the kiss bearing down on her intensified. Esdel’s body trembled. Her scream was muffled, but the tears welling in her eyes flowed down her temples. After a few seconds like that, Esdel went limp in his arms.

He wiped the corners of Esdel’s eyes and asked.