It was the morning of the twelfth day since Ren had been abducted. It was also the very morning that Baron Clausel was officially declared guilty.
At that same time, Ren was washing clothes in a small stream he had discovered in the forest. The garments were simple things he had bartered for in the villages they passed; they were far from high-quality. Ren felt a twinge of guilt for making Licia wear such cheap, coarse fabric, but they had no choice but to change their clothes to stay clean.
Licia, for her part, hadn't complained once. She was clearly embarrassed that he was washing clothes stained with her own sweat, but she kept those feelings to herself.
(That should be the last of it.)
Once he finished, Ren wrung the water out of the laundry and returned to the horse waiting nearby. A large boulder sat beside the animal. Licia, who had been resting her back against it until a few minutes ago, was now awake and waiting for him.
"…Thank you," she said, sounding bashful.
"It was nothing."
"B-But let me do it next time! I mean it!"
"I can't allow that. Squatting like that is surprisingly exhausting. I don't want to put any unnecessary strain on your body."
"I'll be fine! I'm strong enough to handle that much now!"
Her words were born from embarrassment, but Ren didn't mind. To him, her protest was a welcome sign of her recovery. He gave a wry smile as he began tied the damp clothes to the horse. They might pick up a bit of the animal's scent, but it was the only way to dry them while on the move.
"Regardless, I wish we could find some proof that Viscount Given is the one behind all this."
"…It will be difficult," Licia replied. "Especially while we're trying to reach Clausel."
"I suppose so. Hmm… what to do…"
While delivering Licia safely to the Clausel estate was his primary goal, he felt like he was failing her if he couldn't do anything once they arrived.
Licia smiled at his hesitation. "Don't worry. I have a bit of a plan."
"Wait, really?"
"Really. Thanks to you, Ren, I think I'll be able to manage somehow when the time comes."
"…Thanks to me?"
Licia didn't answer his confused question, offering only a small, knowing laugh. Ren wanted a proper explanation, but realizing he wouldn't get one, he shifted his focus.
"We should set off after resting just a little longer."
They couldn't afford to linger if they wanted to reach their destination quickly. As he spread the laundry out piece by piece to dry, Ren became lost in thought.
(Just a little further.)
He worked almost subconsciously, his mind elsewhere. Licia, meanwhile, was turning a deep shade of crimson from her cheeks down to her neck.
(I have to stay focused until the very end.)
It wasn't just the outer clothes. Seeing Ren handling her undergarments made Licia remember the "items" she had discovered in a small case in his room back at the Ashton Manor, shortly before the attack.
"Eh… ah… oh… that’s right… those things were…"
She was so indebted to Ren for her care that she couldn't bring herself to be harsh with him.
What should I do? What should I do? Why am I remembering that at a time like this!
Licia wanted to scold herself, but she was plagued by an uncontrollable surge of emotion. This wasn't the time for such a conversation, but now that her health had stabilized, she felt like she needed to address it.
(I really wanted to raise my Magic Sword level just in case… but there haven't been any monsters around lately.)
While hanging the clothes, Ren checked the contents of his bag. Inside was the White Hawk Mana Stone he’d harvested recently and some dried meat. He stared at the stone, lamenting the fact that he hadn't been able to use it to strengthen his blades.
"Hey."
(It can't be helped, I guess. There just aren't enough monsters.)
"H-Hey! Listen to me!"
Ren had no idea what was going through Licia’s head. When he looked up and saw the vivid red flush on her face and neck, he panicked.
(Did her fever come back?)
He rushed to her side and placed a hand on her forehead. "Your temperature seems fine."
Ren had closed the distance in an instant. His face was gentle, filled with relief as he checked on her. As Licia’s heart hammered against her ribs like a bell, she hurriedly pushed his hand away.
"That's—that's not it!"
"Wait, then what's wrong?"
"…Just tell me one thing!"
Wondering what had brought this on, Ren nodded. Licia took a deep breath, calmed herself as much as possible, and spoke.
"You're hiding something from me, aren't you, Ren?" she asked, looking him straight in the eye. "I'm not angry. I mean… maybe I should be, but you've taken such good care of me, and I've been such a burden…"
(What is this about all of a sudden?)
"B-But this is for your own good! I have to properly teach you that what's wrong is wrong!"
Ren tilted his head. He had no clue what she thought he was hiding.
(Surely she isn't talking about that 'item' after all this time?)
He was thinking of the adult book he had burned in the fireplace back home. There was no way she'd bring that up now. It was too out of context. Ren crossed his arms, searching for a different answer.
"Just be honest with me. If you think about what you were just holding, the answer should be obvious."
Licia’s nerves failed her at the last second, forcing her to be vague. It was a fatal mistake in communication.
"What I was just holding…?"
"Oh, for heaven’s sake! Don't make me say it! You know exactly what I mean! The same things that were in your room!"
"Even if you say that, I'm not sure…"
Then, a realization hit Ren. Something he was just holding, and something that was in his room. There was only one logical conclusion.
(Ah, she must mean the Mana Stones.)
Having just been staring at the White Hawk Mana Stone, Ren immediately settled on this answer. He didn't understand why he was being scolded for it, but memories of his parents surfaced.
(Maybe it's like how Mom used to get on Dad's case…)
Mireille used to mention how Roy was far too obsessed with Mana Stones and how that fixation wasn't entirely healthy.
(Does she think I'm obsessed with them?)
It made sense. Mana Stones were useful and valuable, but staring at them with such intensity probably looked strange to a normal person. He did have several empty ones in his room, which probably looked like a bizarre hobby to an outsider.
(At least she hasn't realized I can absorb them.)
"…Fine. If it’s too hard for you to say, I won't push any further," Licia said softly. There was no anger in her voice anymore, only a gentle, maternal attempt to admonish him. "But will you at least tell me why you had it?"
"The reason why I had it?"
"Yes. I have to tell you that wrong is wrong, so I want to hear exactly why you would do such a thing."
Ren looked away, trying to craft a plausible excuse. Licia told him to look at her, and he met her gaze. He decided on a line that sounded like something a young boy might say.
"Because I've been fascinated by them ever since I first saw one."
He was referring to his interest in Mana Stones. Given his status as the heir to a Knight Family, it felt like a natural enough explanation.
Licia, however, had a very different reaction.
"F-F-Fascinated…!?"
She clapped her hands over her cheeks, her skin turning a brilliant crimson. Despite telling him to look at her, she was the one who jerked her head away. She peered back at him through the gaps between her fingers.
"Auu… you didn't have to say it while staring at me like that… That's not fair… Saying something like that so suddenly…"
"I'm sorry. But I really have been interested for a long time."
"N-No! I don't care how interested you are, you can't do things like that!"
(I guess staring at Mana Stones really is that weird.)
Ren recalled his mother's words again. To most people, someone who stared at gemstones or minerals with such intensity was probably a bit eccentric. He realized his values might be slightly skewed compared to the rest of the world.
"I'm sorry… you're right."
"Listen to me, okay? Even if you're interested in the other person, it's not allowed. …I mean, I owe you my life, so I can't be too hard on you, and you're a boy so I suppose it's somewhat inevitable… but it's embarrassing for me, too! Usually, that would be a jailing offense, you know?"
(The other person? Savior? Debt?)
"B-But I'll overlook it just this once. Since you were honest with me, only this once! And don't you forget that this is a special exception because you're my savior! …Understand?"
Ren began to realize their conversation was on two entirely different tracks. But Licia was so flustered and emphatic that he didn't feel like he could interrupt to ask for clarification.
(I'll have to be more careful when I absorb them from now on.)
"I apologize. I'll do as you say, My Lady."
"…The name."
"Pardon?"
Licia’s jewel-like eyes were slightly watery as she fought through her lingering shame.
"Honestly! I'm not happy about forgiving you for a reason like that, but I can't help it after you said something so bold!"
"Um, I'm sorry, what are you talking about?"
"I said! I'm saying you can call me by my name! It can't be helped!"
Her voice, sounding almost desperate, drifted out across the windswept plains. Their mutual misunderstanding remained unresolved to the very end.
As evening approached that same day.
"Ren! We'll be able to see Clausel soon!"
As they rode through the forest, the scenery becoming more familiar with every step, Licia gave a joyful shout. Thanks to Ren's care, her health had returned, and the color had reached her cheeks again. Her voice was vibrant, and Ren, supporting her from behind on the horse, was heartened by her energy.
(It’s going well.)
He allowed himself to believe they were finally safe.
"Hey, Ren!"
"Yes, what is it?"
"If we cross the hills just past this forest, Clausel will be right there!"
"Does that mean we can breathe easy now?"
"Yes! My father's knights should be there. We can find out what happened to your family right away…!"
They were on the home stretch.
"How much longer until we're out of the forest?"
"Um… I think we'll be out in just a few minutes. Sorry, we came from the Baldur Mountains side, right? I haven't traveled this specific path very often."
Apparently, the more common route had a well-maintained road. This back way was rarely used, which explained why they hadn't encountered a single soul.
"I wish we could have taken the main road."
"True… but we were coming from Viscount Given's territory, so it was the only way."
They would have preferred a more populated route for safety, but they had been in too much of a hurry to take a detour. They had pushed themselves this far, and now they just had to finish the journey.
However, the smooth path forward suddenly darkened.
Time seemed to accelerate as the sky visible through the canopy turned a deep, bruised purple. Then, the sound of galloping hooves reached them from a distance.
From the front, back, and sides, the hoofbeats closed in on Ren and Licia with terrifying speed. Before they could react, riders surrounded their horse.
"I'm glad we found you," a voice said.
It was the knight who had visited Ren's village as a messenger for Viscount Given.