BMD 542

“What are you going to do when we get back?”

“Drink until my nose goes crooked. A few drops of cheap rum won’t be enough to satisfy me.”

Leonardo, who was moving while hiding between the tents, paused as he overheard the conversation between the knights in Laina’s language. Come to think of it, since this was where the King resided, guards would be on standby at all times; he had forgotten that fact in his preoccupation with the bird.

‘Even if I did dive in to save the King, there’s no way they’d grant an audience to a mere conscript who suddenly demands one.’

It was a hopeless prospect. He’d be lucky if a blade didn’t find its way to his throat. He had managed to brush off the sentries he met along the way by claiming he was going to relieve himself, but the real challenge was how to break through these men.

“Then you should have stayed at the brewery. How did you even become a knight…?”

“I was curious about the top-shelf wine that can only be tasted at the Royal Palace.”

“I’ll give you that.”

He cautiously peeked out to assess the situation at the entrance. Contrary to the trivial nature of their conversation, the two knights stood guard in front of the tent, staring straight ahead. They were lamenting their desire to get dead drunk while barely moving their lips. Their posture was far too strict to be considered negligence of duty.

‘Knowing Theodore’s personality, he wouldn’t have stationed just those two.’

The King’s tent had a slightly different structure than the others. It was built with two or three layers of fabric draped over a frame of upright poles. There was no telling how many more knights were stationed in between those layers. To begin with, it was impossible to sneak in using only this body’s reflexes.

What should he do…? As Leonardo searched for a way, his gaze suddenly shifted toward the rising steam and the rocky hill stretching beyond it.

“…….”

He immediately turned around.

A good idea had occurred to him.

---

Tweet, tweet—

A slanted sunshade was pitched over a small spring. It wasn’t large enough to block out the sky, but it was sufficient to obstruct the view of the spring when looking down from the rocky ridge.

It had been installed so that the knights monitoring the movements of the demon beasts would not dare peep into the King’s private life. Of course, even without it, no brave soul would poke around unless they wanted their eyes gouged out.

Swoosh—

White bubbles rose in the spring water that pooled along the slope. Theodore, submerged up to just below his ribcage, sat amidst the steam with [visit our site]one arm resting on the shore. A slight flush colored [unauthorized [stolen content]copy]his translucent skin, to which strands of golden hair clung. However, his face maintained an indifferent expression.

His moist Gold Eyes, framed by lowered lashes, leisurely scanned the letter delivered by the carrier pigeon.

Tweet!

Beside him sat a blue-feathered canary, peering at the letter with him. Every now and then, it would hop across Theodore’s firmly and evenly developed shoulders or rub its head against his cheek. Whenever that happened, Theodore would scratch the nape of the bird’s neck with his index finger, as if accustomed to it. It was a moment of pleasant fluttering.

Tweet?

Suddenly, the canary tilted its small beak upward.

It was around that time that a human figure, clinging precariously to the rocks, tumbled down.

Splash!

“…!”

A massive spray of water erupted, and the spring water surged in all directions. The languid golden eyes instantly sharpened. Theodore immediately manifested his flame sword, and the canary, startled, transformed into an eagle and spread its large wings.

The bird dove toward the figure floundering in the shallow spring and began to peck [unauthorized copyclass="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">Read Read on Read BL Novelson Read BL Novels]mercilessly at his head.

“Ow, ouch—!”

The panicked intruder raised his head from the water, exaggerating his pain. He tried to cover his head with his forearm to avoid the attack, but he was soon seized by the collar by Theodore and left dangling in his grip.

“Who the hell—.”

Theodore, who had been about to snap a threat through gritted teeth, suddenly widened his eyes. It was because the face before him was the very one he had declared he would remember earlier today.

“…You.”

“Your Majesty—!”

Amidst the commotion, the voice of a confidant echoed from outside the tent. Hearing the loud noise, he seemed to be rushing over, fearing something had happened.

Both Theodore, who had pointed his flame sword at the impudent conscript’s throat, and Leonardo, who had accidentally become an assassin after slipping, turned their heads simultaneously. When their troubled gazes met, Theodore was the first to move.

Splash—!

Screech!

Whoosh—

“Your Majesty, it is I, Borgen! Has some misfortune occurred!”

Borgen, who had been waiting nearby, pushed aside the fabric at the entrance to the spring and entered. However, the scene Borgen encountered upon his hurried arrival was unexpectedly peaceful. Theodore, who had been enjoying a hot spring bath in the water blanketed by thick steam, rolled his eyes toward him.

“Why all the commotion?”

“Ah, well… I thought I heard a loud noise… Are you alright?”

“Of course I am. I was simply enjoying myself since the water is so clear.”

As Theodore answered, he flicked his finger against the surface of the water like a snap. With that small movement, a jet of water sprayed out, and white bubbles rose on the surface that had just begun to clear. The splashing droplets drenched Borgen, who was watching the scene.

Borgen didn’t bother to avoid the droplets. He simply narrowed his eyes for a moment and then bowed his head.

“…My apologies. I feared there might have been an attack, so I entered despite knowing it was presumptuous.”

“Or perhaps you just wanted to see my body?”

“Pardon? Your, Your Majesty!”

“Hahaha.”

Borgen’s earlobes turned red instantly at the mischievous joke. He stammered, asking how His Excellency could say such a thing, and then whipped his head away in embarrassment. Contrary to his rugged appearance, he was fun to tease. Theodore chuckled at Borgen’s awkwardness and waved his hand.

“I have no need for nighttime service, so you may withdraw. If you enter without permission again, I shall take it as a sign that you want me to misunderstand your intentions.”

“…Ahem, I shall take my leave. Please call for me if you require anything.”

“Very well.”

Borgen bowed deeply, gripped his scabbard, and turned back into the tent.

Thump, thump. The heavy footsteps receded. Once the presence had completely vanished, Theodore, who had been on high alert, finally released the two heads he had been pinning down.

“Phew—!”

Tweet!

Two sets of lungs broke the surface of the water simultaneously. One was the red-faced conscript, and the other was the eagle that had been shoved down by the scruff of its neck. It had certainly been an eagle when it went in, but it had returned to the form of a small canary upon emerging.

Fortunately, the water-attribute canary seemed fine, merely fluttering its wings to preen itself. Though it seemed a bit sulky as it circled around Theodore’s head.

Meanwhile, Leonardo, who had found it difficult to endure the high temperature in this body, crawled toward the shore in a daze. He alternated between dry coughs and short breaths before flopping flat on a smooth rock. Though it was only for a moment, his entire body stung as if his skin had been cooked.

Theodore glared at him and murmured.

“So, for what purpose did the ungrateful assassin seek me out? Surely you didn’t sneak in to offer nighttime service.”

“Cough, ah, it’s nothing like that. I just….”

“Shh. Lower your voice.”

The panting Leonardo instinctively covered his mouth. He then scanned the surroundings, though they were hidden from view.

“Eyes and ears are scattered everywhere.”

While creating a sense of crisis, Theodore remained leisurely Read on Read BL NovelsNovels -->seated in the spring. He had simply tucked the folded letter under his clothes; leaning his chin on the arm resting on the shore, he seemed to have no intention of ending his bath.

“If you call the name of the man who just left out loud, your head will fall off within five seconds. However, that would splash blood into the spring, so I shall refrain. Instead, you must explain in detail the reason you interrupted my time.”

“Of course, I will tell you.”

Leonardo bolted upright and sat in a respectful posture once more. Although his appearance was a mess, it was the posture Laina’s knights used when having an audience with royalty, causing one of Theodore’s eyebrows to arch.

Leonardo met his eyes, hesitated for a moment, and then abruptly slammed his forehead against the ground.

“I shared the goose you bestowed upon us deliciously with the other soldiers. I am deeply grateful for your boundless grace. And… I worried that Your Majesty’s heart might be heavy due to the battle that took place during the day….”

‘What should I say I came for?’

Trailing off, Leonardo racked his brain while his forehead remained pressed to the ground. In truth, he had never intended to make such a noisy entrance. He had planned to just hide nearby and observe the situation before leaving… but due to physical abilities that fell far short of his original body, he had slipped while climbing the rocks and made a surprise appearance.

Of course, Theodore must be bewildered, but he himself was even more shocked.

“And?”

Theodore, who had been listening quietly, prompted him to continue. All sorts of excuses [visit visit visit our siteour siteour site]floated through Leonardo’s mind.

That he came to comfort him? That sounded a bit dangerous. Or that he followed a strange bird? But he had already said, ‘I worried your heart might be heavy…’.

Meanwhile, since he had seen Theodore’s “equipment” while hiding in the water when Borgen appeared, and it was more impressive than his own, he wanted to ask how he did it, or if it grew as one got older.

Leonardo suffered a brief headache. Just then, two slender feet hopped in front of his low field of vision. When he raised his head in curiosity, the blue-feathered bird tilted its head and stared intently into his eyes.

Tweet, tweet?

Earlier, it had been an eagle that looked ready to devour him, but now it was a tiny, lovely canary. For some reason, it no longer seemed to show hostility. Rather, it seemed full of curiosity about his identity….

For a moment, Leonardo was seized once again by an inexplicable sense of déjà vu. Specifically, it was because of the chirping. The clear song sounded like a pleasant lullaby. At that moment, a suitable excuse occurred to him.

Leonardo bowed his head deeply.

“I—I came to sing you a lullaby!”

As Theodore watched to see what nonsense he was spouting, a vein slowly began to throb on his forehead.