A tense atmosphere hung in the air. Elton swallowed dryly while gripping his sword. His unprecedented nervousness was conveyed without filter.
Yellian wanted to help Elton, but there was nothing they could do with their own abilities. All they could do was anxiously bite their swollen lips.
“Who sent you?”
“…….”
“What do you want?”
At Elton’s question, a light seemed to flash in Yellian’s mind. It wasn’t just one or two; there had to be a clear purpose for so many assassins to swarm at once.
The fact that someone had tried to kill Leonard was something everyone in the capital knew. Yet, Leonard wasn’t here right now.
Even so, for so many enemies to come rushing in like this…….
“Elton, I think they’re after me.”
“What do you mean……. Could it be…….”
He, too, seemed to have noticed something odd. Even if Yellian didn’t know much about ambushes or assassins, Elton surely knew more. So, how strange must this situation look in his eyes?
Though they had roughly grasped the situation, nothing improved. Knowing that they were the target meant they had to be more careful, but nothing else changed.
The thought even crossed their mind that it might be better to seize an opportunity and escape.
The blood dripping from Elton’s arm was already soaking the ground. Rather than forcing the injured Elton to keep fighting, Yellian wondered if it might be better to act as bait and run.
The problem was that Yellian wasn’t confident they could escape without being caught by them. They might manage to shake off one or two, but evading a dozen or so enemies was no easy task. In this hopeless situation, all they could do was clench their sweaty fists.
“Ugh!”
An arrow sliced through the air and struck an enemy’s chest. Startled, Yellian looked in the direction the arrow came from, and there was Leonard on horseback. Behind him followed about ten knights.
“Leonard!”
It wasn’t just words; Yellian truly felt like they could die of relief. Even as Yellian shouted Leonard’s name, Leonard fired arrows without wavering. Not a single arrow missed, each piercing through the assassins’ bodies.
The enemies seemed flustered by Leonard’s sudden appearance, and soon they exchanged signals with glances. Then, they began to scatter and flee.
“Don’t let a single one escape.”
“Yes!”
The knights responded with discipline and immediately began pursuing the enemies. A few remained behind to bind those still alive among the fallen foes.
“Yellian!”
Leonard hurriedly approached Yellian. He dismounted and checked every part of Yellian’s body to ensure there were no injuries.
Only then did the tension release, and Yellian’s legs trembled. Unable to stand, Yellian leaned on him, holding back the tears that threatened to spill from their shocked heart.
“I’m not hurt at all. But Elton seems to be badly injured…….”
Before Yellian could finish speaking, Leonard pulled them into a tight embrace with all his strength. Overwhelmed in his arms, Yellian widened their eyes to stop the tears from falling.
“The other knights will take care of Elton, so Yellian, come back with me.”
“……Okay.”
Glancing back, Yellian saw the remaining knights tending to Elton’s wounds. Only then did they feel relieved. Yellian mounted the horse as Leonard led the way.
Soon, Leonard took the reins and began guiding the horse. He deliberately rode slowly to ensure the startled Yellian wouldn’t be frightened.
Yellian, feeling Leonard’s consideration, quietly buried their face in his back and said nothing.
Finally arriving at the duke’s estate, the two silently held hands and returned to their room. Yellian felt a sudden suffocation at the thought of stepping into a space without Steamed Gamja.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m not injured.”
“What about elsewhere?”
“……I was very scared. I was terrified, and I was afraid I’d never see Leonard again…….”
Yellian didn’t pretend to be fine or act like nothing was wrong. They knew Leonard would be upset if they spoke honestly, but they didn’t want to hide the waves of emotions. If he found out about their feelings later, it would hurt him more.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t get there sooner.”
Leonard held Yellian and patted their back. The tears they had been holding back burst forth. Yellian sobbed bitterly, not even thinking to wipe their tears.
“I’m sorry for worrying you……. Sob, hic, I, I didn’t mean to. I don’t even know what, what happened…… I don’t understand. Why, why did this happen to me…… Hic, sob…….”
They weren’t just talking about the attack. In truth, they wanted to talk about losing Steamed Gamja.
Why did losing Steamed Gamja have to happen to them? What had they done wrong? Everything felt resentful and frustrating.
“None of this is your fault, Yellian. It’s not something that happened because you did anything wrong. Why you? There’s no need to think about that. It just happened by chance. There’s no need to look for a reason.”
As if understanding Yellian’s heart completely, Leonard calmly comforted them. Yellian cried for a long, long time in his arms.
* * *
Leonard quietly gazed at Yellian, who had fallen asleep exhausted from crying.
How scared and terrified must they have been? Thinking of the fear Yellian must have felt made anger boil within him. What if he had been just a little later? The mere thought was agonizing.
He shouldn’t have left them alone. He shouldn’t have let someone already struggling and in pain bear it by themselves.
Of course, the reason Leonard had briefly left the estate was to protect Yellian, but since it resulted in putting Yellian in danger, regret washed over him.
“Hng…….”
As Leonard carefully brushed Yellian’s cheek, Yellian made a childlike sound and stirred. The sight was endearing, yet he quickly withdrew his hand, worried he might wake them.
“…….”
However, the smile soon faded. It was because he remembered the events of the day.
* * *
“Abigail!”
Uncharacteristically agitated, Leonard called out his friend’s name.
Of course, everyone knew the two were old friends, but even so, it was dangerous for a lord to call the Emperor by name so casually in the imperial palace. After all, the palace was a place with many eyes and ears.
“What’s wrong? What’s the matter?”
Abigail responded nonchalantly. Of course, curiosity arose. Why was someone as calm and composed as Leonard so agitated as to call his name like this? Still, he vaguely suspected it might be because of that feline humanoid.
Having watched Leonard for a long time, Abigail had noticed that he had changed a lot since getting involved with the feline humanoid.
Come to think of it, the guy who was always like ice had started showing a somewhat warmer, more human side. Though he didn’t show it, Abigail was glad for the change.
“A magician. Give me a magician.”
“What?”
If his friend Leonard wanted it, Abigail could even cut out half of his heart to give him. But what Leonard was asking for wasn’t something easy to hand over.
“I need a magician from the imperial palace. Not just one, maybe several. The more, the better.”
“Hold on……. Calm down and explain from the beginning. Why do you need a magician?”
To mobilize a magician from the imperial palace, the Emperor’s order alone wasn’t enough. The approval of numerous nobles was required, as well as documents showing that over half of the magicians agreed to perform magic.
Leonard surely knew this, yet he suddenly demanded a magician. Feeling something was off, Abigail stared intently at Leonard.
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