Ch#47
"I wonder what the kiddo's dad's real identity is."
Veil whispered after confirming Tiye had dozed off, nodding off.
The child had chattered nonstop for a while before finally falling asleep, using Basto's thigh as a pillow.
"I'm curious too. What on earth is 'Daehanminguk'......?"
Raoul and Enzo, now roughly aware of Tiye's situation, felt the same.
Basto let out a sigh.
"For now, I'm assuming it's some small principality or tribal nation we don't know about."
Tiye had said Daehanminguk was a country.
But none of them had ever heard of such a place.
"Actually, that bag our Unit Leader's carrying too."
At Enzo's words, the group's eyes turned to Tiye's pink bag.
"It's been intriguing since I first saw it. I've never seen a bag like that in the empire—or anywhere on the continent, for that matter."
"Not just the bag. You should've seen the clothes the kiddo was wearing at first."
Veil nodded toward the massive bundle in the luggage compartment.
"Bet you'll find it in there somewhere? Kinda looks like a noble's dress, but not quite. Anyway, it was weird."
Raoul nodded.
Silence filled the carriage for a moment.
"......Will we be able to find him?"
Basto murmured, gazing at the sleeping Tiye with complicated eyes.
"She's dying to see her dad so much, but what if we can't find him."
"Honestly, the amnesia part is a bit concerning."
Veil cut in with a serious tone.
"She said someone erased the kiddo from her dad's memories, right? Even if we find him, if he doesn't recognize her......"
The image of Tiye deeply hurt automatically formed in his mind.
Veil, silent for a moment, added,
"Whatever. Even if he lost her, we can just make him remember."
"How?"
"Hit him hard on the head, and he'll remember, right? If he can't remember his own daughter, that's irresponsible. More importantly, there's something else we need to find."
Veil glanced around and spoke quickly.
"The bastards who erased her from her dad's head. We gotta track those guys down."
They were probably the ones who abandoned Tiye in Briowood Forest too.
"At present......"
"Yeah. The Luminen family suspects come to mind."
Raoul and Enzo swallowed hard.
Having once been in the Capital Holy Knight Order, they'd seen Luminen Holy Knights from afar.
Valentis Luminen was a monster.
Standing out on battlefields at his age was no easy feat.
And his four sons?
The youngest's whereabouts were a bit mysterious, but the eldest Edmund Luminen, second Leonardo Luminen, and third Alexander Luminen were all exemplary soldiers.
Any Holy Knight couldn't help but admire them.
"You really think those guys erased the Unit Leader's dad's memories?"
Enzo looked incredulous no matter how he thought about it.
Veil snorted.
"We'll have to check precisely. But a few days ago, the kiddo said something. Where she lived, they say stuff like 'a thousand miles' or whatever. Anyway, you can know the depths of water but not a person's heart."
Everyone's eyes widened.
Enzo murmured.
"Sounds like some profound wisdom."
"Right? Even deep waters can be gauged, but a person's heart can't."
"Yeah. Tiye seems to know a lot of proverbs and sayings."
The three soon gazed at Tiye with proud eyes.
How much further did they travel?
"Nordix old man. Hold up."
Basto, laying Tiye on the seat, stuck his head out the window.
Nordix, who'd been driving by the stars, stopped the carriage.
"There's a lake to the right. Looks like we need to stop by."
Basto shook an empty water bottle, and Nordix nodded.
As the carriage door opened, Raoul, who'd been sitting the whole time, carefully stood to follow Basto.
Basto glanced at Raoul.
"I can fetch the water alone quick."
"It's not that, actually......"
Raoul cleared his throat briefly.
He glanced at Veil, then hesitantly said,
"I've needed to relieve myself for a bit now......"
"Ah."
Basto nodded as if he got it.
Then Enzo stood too.
"Me too......"
At that moment, Veil, sitting opposite Tiye, stood.
"Then I'll go too."
Raoul's eyes widened at Veil stretching and grabbing her outer coat.
"Where to?"
Veil looked at Raoul like he was an idiot.
"Where else? To relieve myself."
"Wh-what?!"
Raoul's face turned beet red.
'Do mercenaries...... go relieve themselves together regardless of gender?'
The Holy Knight Order had been mostly men, so he didn't know.
Of course, mercenaries numbered at most fifty, so less structured than the Order.
But still......
"R-relieving yourself together—wouldn't that be uncomfortable for you, Veil......?"
"Why would it? Everyone pisses the same."
"P-piss......"
"Quit yapping and get out. It's cramped."
Veil shoved Raoul, who was blocking the entrance, outside.
Raoul stumbled out and stared at Veil with a still-burning face.
Veil narrowed her eyes.
"What're you staring at? You shy around strangers? Uncomfortable living with others?"
"N-no, ma'am!"
Raoul himself was perfectly suited for group life as a soldier.
He'd just never gone to relieve himself with a woman before.
"At least in the woods where we can cover ourselves......"
"Why cover up? We'll see everything anyway from now on."
"Wh-wh-what?!"
Veil chuckled and nodded at Basto.
"Basto and I've already seen it all. In this line of work, you jump into any stagnant water to wash half the time. Don't think of the Wavebrill mansion with its hot baths flowing."
"Y-you bathed together?!"
"What's wrong with that? Should we take turns like 'you first' or 'me first' and wait?"
Raoul's head spun.
No matter how mercenaries camped everywhere.
How could men and women relieve themselves and bathe together?
He could understand for himself, but Veil was a woman.
She felt no discomfort at all?
Flustered and stammering, Raoul barely collected himself.
He practically slapped his own cheeks to steady his breath.
"Sorry. I acted like a green rookie."
Don't judge.
Who was he to nitpick mercenaries' ways?
He was Agabert now, and Veil was his senior, like a mentor.
Despite the gender difference, Raoul had much to learn from her swordsmanship.
"Whatever. You made me miss them."
Veil muttered nonchalantly and quickened her pace past Raoul.
She was already catching up to Enzo and Basto ahead.
Raoul hurried after her.
How far had they walked at a distance when Veil stopped amid thick underbrush.
"V-V-Veil?"
The next instant, Raoul startled back a step.
Veil had unhesitatingly placed her hand on her pants without a second thought.
"V-Veil, wait......!"
Raoul spun to turn away but froze mid-motion, rooted like stone.
Soon Veil's irritated voice rang out.
"Ah...... What're you doing? You were in the Knights, don't you know bathroom manners? Did you stare at your superiors' dicks like that too?"
But his shocked open mouth wouldn't close easily.
Raoul stayed rigidly frozen in place.
Until Veil muttered 'he's not crazy, is he......' and headed back to the carriage first.
