Chapter 29
29. Subdeacon Klima (2)
“The Princess has gone out.”
“What?”
“Where to?”
Black and Fermos raised their heads at the same time. Both were extremely busy. They had more than one or two things to take care of. The most urgent was to grasp the royal family's income structure and the scale of bonds, but trying to examine ten years' worth at once was quite a hassle. There was also the temple stairs construction, they had to find the culprit who killed the Cardinal, and they couldn't let their guard down on the Kleinfelter Family. Fermos had been constantly grimacing, saying he would rather roll around on the battlefield as it was much easier on his body and mind. And it seemed like one more unwelcome thing had come up.
“When I asked, she said she was going to distribute food near the temple.”
“How diligent. Who's accompanying her?”
“She said she'd take one person from the guard.”
Fermos wrinkled his nose.
“What? One guard? And you just let her go?”
The mercenary who came to report carefully spoke, watching Black's expression.
“What else could we do? We can't forcibly hold her back. And the Monarch told us to act politely.”
“You should have asked. Did you assign someone?”
“We sent one. Should we send more?”
“One isn't enough. Who knows what could happen. Go now and….”
Fermos' words were cut off. It was because Black had risen.
“I'll go.”
“Yes…? No, right now? You don't have to, do you?”
“I was bored with work.”
Black casually tossed the royal documents he had been looking at a moment ago.
“Have it finished while I'm gone.”
“Yes? …Yes?”
Fermos widened his eyes as if they would fall out and repeatedly asked, but Black was already leaving the room.
“No, what's with him….”
“Then I'll be going too. Good luck with your work.”
Fermos, left alone in the mountain of papers, slumped into his chair and rubbed the back of his head roughly.
“This is a bit… no, this shouldn't be happening.”
It had been too much since yesterday. Yesterday, he abandoned me and left first, and now he's even pushing all the work onto me.
“I never thought the Monarch would be like this.”
He had changed too much.
“I thought he would never marry or even date in his life. …At this rate, I'll be the only one left alone.”
He felt a sense of betrayal for some reason and became a little gloomy. * * *
“Please wait for me there.”
Liene left the guard captain who had come with her in front of the temple.
“Does the Princess want to give it to him herself? You can just leave it to me. I'll deliver it.”
“No. I want to give it to him.”
What she wanted to ask the old man was something that no one should know yet.
“Please keep an eye on the surroundings to see if anything is happening here. Be especially careful if you see any soldiers from the Kleinfelter Family.”
“In that case… I understand.”
Liene entered the alley where the beggar old man was sitting with his cane under his arm. Even though it was an alley, it was at the entrance of the main street, so the captain could keep an eye on it at any time. After almost being forced into a marriage at the Kleinfelter Family's mansion, Liene had also become more vigilant.
“Hello….”
Liene, who was approaching while greeting, stopped walking. The beggar old man already had a visitor. The attire of a dark robe that covered down to the ankles and a rope around the waist instead of a belt meant that he was from the temple. The fabric was different from that of a formal subpriest, so he must be a subdeacon. The old man looked up and stared at him. Regardless of whether the old man looked at him or not, he placed a lump of Water bread that priests ate on the old man's thigh. The strange thing was what happened next. Thwack! The old man picked up the Water bread with his hand that didn't move well and threw it into the street.
“……?”
Then he started hitting the subdeacon with his cane. Thwack, thwack! Looking at his distorted face, you could tell that the old man was putting all his strength into hitting the subdeacon. No matter how weak the old man was, it would hurt a lot if he was hit mercilessly with that thick wooden cane.
“Stop it!”
However, the subdeacon didn't ask why and just took the hits. Liene, unable to watch any longer, stepped between the two and stopped the old man.
“What's going on?”
“……!”
The subdeacon, who had his hood pulled down to the tip of his nose, opened his mouth in surprise when he discovered Liene.
“Why are you just taking the hits? Did you do something wrong to the old man?”
“…….”
The eyes that met Liene's shook busily. The subdeacon moved his lips and then turned around to run away.
“Don't go! That's an order.”
“…….”
His feet faltered and stopped. But after shaking his head once, the subdeacon started moving again.
“Are you disobeying an order?”
Liene quickly reached out and grabbed the subdeacon's sleeve. The loose subdeacon's robe was pulled back, revealing a wounded forehead and a blood-soaked shirt.
“What… you're hurt!”
Both the person who was caught being hurt and the person who noticed were surprised. The old man also frowned deeply with his one remaining eye. There was too much blood to say that he was hurt by the cane just now.
“How did this happen?”
The answer came after a long time.
“……I offered a prayer of atonement.”
“A prayer of atonement? What is that that makes you bleed like this?”
“It's a prayer offered to shed blood.”
Liene had no way of knowing, but a long time ago, it was a prayer offered by priests who practiced extreme asceticism by whipping their bodies. No priest does this kind of prayer now. Even less so a subdeacon.
“What kind of god wants their children to shed blood?”
“…….”
The subdeacon closed his mouth at those words.
“Are you getting proper treatment?”
“…….”
“That means no.”
Liene sighed with a troubled face. It was customary for the royal family not to interfere in the affairs of the temple, but now that she knew, it was difficult to pretend not to know.
“Make sure you get treatment. I'll be visiting the temple soon, so I'll check if you've received treatment then. What's your name, Subdeacon?”
The subdeacon hesitated for a long time as if he was in trouble, then finally answered.
“……Klima.”
“Subdeacon Klima. I'm not just saying this, so please take care of your wounds. Or I'll officially report it to the temple.”
“…….”
Klima flinched.
“Then you may leave now. As the Monarch of Nauk, I always express my respect for the life of a subdeacon who serves God for Nauk.”
Klima hesitated for a long time, then bowed his head and disappeared to the other side of the alley.
“Now it's your turn.”
Liene turned to the old man who had been sitting like a stone statue with his mouth tightly shut the whole time.
“Let's start by hearing why you hit the subdeacon. Are you well acquainted with the subdeacon?”
The old man only twitched his dirtily grown beard.
“Just so you know, I've come here today prepared to hear everything I'm curious about. It would be better to talk here. Or I'll lock you up in prison until you talk.”
“…….”
The old man raised his head. The eyes that were gaping towards this side seemed to be a sign that he had something to say.
“If you don't want to talk about the subdeacon, let's talk about something else.”
“…….”
“Who is Lord Tiwakan trying to avenge, and on whom?”
“The Daughter of Arsak is….”
It was the moment the old man slowly parted his crushed lips.
“Princess!”
The captain of the Nauk guard called out to Liene.
“The leader of Tiwakan is coming.”
“Yes?”
Liene turned her gaze following the vice-captain's gesture. There was no mistaking the large figure walking towards them from the end of the main street as Black. * * * It was a shame, but she would have to wait for another time. It was too dangerous for Black to find out about the old man's identity. Unless Black revealed the reason he came to Nauk himself, he would not tolerate anyone else knowing the reason first.
“Please move this person. Out of sight.”
Liene handed the basket of food to the old man and spoke to the vice-captain. Then, without delay, she stepped out into the alley.
“Lord Tiwakan.”
When she called out to Black, he met her eyes. The sun of this season was particularly harsh, as if compensating for the chilling air. Under the sunlight that seemed to strip the street bare, Black's appearance was revealed without concealment. …Like a stone statue. Not a person, but a sculpture made simply to be looked at. Others seemed to have similar thoughts. People walking along the street each glanced at Black as they passed. They tilted their heads as if they couldn't take their eyes off him, walking precariously until he was out of sight. He doesn't even seem to blink. The moment their eyes met, Black stood still like a statue. Looking at him was dazzling. She couldn't tell if it was because the sun was too intense, or if he was dazzling. As she blinked a few times, he moved and approached Liene.
“I thought I was mistaken.”
“Pardon?”
“I didn't think it was the Princess.”
“……Is that so?”
Liene turned her head and examined her attire.
“It's the same clothes I wore before.”
She wondered if he didn't recognize her because she looked too ordinary. Even as royalty, her attire was no different from that of ordinary people. Her unadorned clothes were simple, and her hair was brown, the most common color in Nauk. Her hair had a bit more gold mixed in, but she had never thought of it as particularly unique.
“You looked like a sculpture.”
“Ah…….”
Black was saying the same thing she had thought. It was so strange. So strange that it felt like her heart suddenly stopped. Why is he saying this? This man has no reason to say pleasant things. …He said he was going to take revenge. Why is he doing this to me?
“……That's too much.”
Liene tried not to dwell on Black's words. There must be a reason. A reason for being kind to her.
“No words would be too much.”
“……How did you get here?”
Liene, uncomfortable with his kindness, changed the subject.
“I heard you went out, so I came to meet you. Have you finished your business?”
“Yes.”
The words 'came to meet you' sounded absurdly affectionate. Even now, with the old man saying that Black was trying to take revenge, she was dumbfounded that she still found him kind. Do I like this man? Is that why I don't want to believe that he has other thoughts in his heart? …Why is he doing this?
“Let's go back to the castle. I pawned off my sewing on Madam Flambard. She's probably waiting with her neck stretched out.”
Liene averted her gaze slightly and changed the subject. Black silently offered his arm, and Liene, who had become somewhat accustomed to walking with him, placed her hand on his firm arm.
“Do you often go out alone?”
The two began to walk slowly, without either of them saying anything first. They had come on horseback, and the people accompanying them each held two sets of reins, but no one suggested riding back on horseback. Everyone on the street glanced back at the two walking side by side, hand in hand. They looked like a perfect couple, as if they saw each other as something dazzlingly beautiful.
“I wasn't alone. I came with the captain of the guard.”
“One is too few.”
“That can't be. Nauk is a small place, so there's no need for a bustling escort.”
“I can't agree with that.”
It was easy to tell that Black was referring to the recent events at the Kleinfelter Family. Liene tried to suppress her embarrassment.
“You may not believe it, but Nauk was originally such a place.”
“Call me from now on.”
“Pardon?”
Liene asked quietly.
“It's too much. Lord Tiwakan has much more to do than me.”
“Accompanying the Princess is also my job.”
“…….”
…Right. This is what being kind is. Unnecessarily. Liene felt her heart throbbing again, so she turned her head and looked into the distance.
“When will the temple construction begin?”
“We plan to start after the Cardinal is appointed.”
“Hmm… Is the Cardinal really necessary for the construction?”
“Not really, but it's difficult without someone to negotiate with.”
“Ah.”
Since the construction was mortgaged on the wedding from the beginning, he was saying that he would get confirmation that the wedding would be held safely and then pay the price. There's no loophole. Whoever becomes the Cardinal will struggle to deal with this man. Of course, the next Cardinal will also be someone influenced by the Kleinfelter, but somehow she wasn't worried. She couldn't imagine Black being swayed by the Cardinal or anyone else. If this man was really my fiancé. If he was just on my side. Then I would be truly grateful.
“……?”
As she was thinking that, she must have unconsciously put strength into her hand on Black's arm.
“Is there something you want to say?”
Black stopped walking and looked at Liene. The moment their eyes met felt like a curse. Liene still thought that the sunlight pouring down on this man was too dazzling and blinked.
“No. It's not that……”
It was at that moment. Among the many people passing by on the main street, someone carrying a cart full of unknown wooden barrels happened to stop behind Black.
“Lord! Look behind you!”
Tiwakan's mercenary, who had been following from afar, shouted. Before that, Black turned his head first. Thud, rumble! Clatter! The rope tying the luggage broke, and the luggage on the cart poured out towards Black and Liene.
