#111

“It seems the High Priest said something suspicious.”

Kiyen did not seem greatly surprised. He had suspected Lasano from the start, and besides, he didn’t trust humans. Although he was seeing more human aspects of the Larkans while traveling with him, Kiyen, having lived that way for a long time, likely hadn’t changed his mind much.

“It’s not certain. It’s possible I heard it from someone other than myself.”

As he tried to be sure, many things weighed on his mind.

“When he first came to find me, I was guided by a mountain keeper named Yulek. If he chattered unnecessarily, it’s possible he could have known.”

“How would that person know about you?”

“Yulek is a survivor from another place. He is also the only one who knew me as a child.”

As he said that, Cullen realized it himself. Yulek didn’t know about the massacre that happened in the village that day. He had returned after the disaster occurred, having been away on a long journey. Cullen had only seen him before leaving the mountains with Gale, and he hadn’t been in the right state of mind to explain his situation. Gale probably wouldn’t have said much either.

“You don’t trust the High Priest, yet you try to defend him. It’s a contradictory stance.”

Kiyen’s tone was cynical.

“Lasano is our comrade, so I don’t want to jump to conclusions. Besides, I don’t know his objective.”

“It’s better to doubt him than to trust him.”

His tone was close to certainty.

“It is beneficial for you.”

Cullen struggled to find words in response to his firm tone. A pang of pain struck his chest.

How many betrayals had Kiyen experienced? How many Larkans had disappointed his expectations?

Cullen had experienced much loss, but he had never experienced betrayal. That was an emotion he did not know. Therefore, he could not easily make a judgment. As he remained silent, Kiyen asked something else.

“What did he say?”

“Ah.”

Cullen remembered that he hadn’t explained the details even to Kiyen. He had only mentioned the form of his mother’s death.

“…He knew how my family died.”

It was painful even to speak of, but because the listener was Kiyen, Cullen could speak more resolutely than before. However, his voice lowered.

“My mother died exactly after being stabbed, then burned. My entire family did.”

“…That’s not something one would talk about, especially you.”

Kiyen, unusually, observed his expression. He had held Cullen’s hand when he was anxious before, but he had never seen him scrutinize his condition like this. Was he paying more attention because they were lovers?

“Are you sad?”

Kiyen asked. Purely, as if he genuinely wanted to know.

“…Yes.”

“Even after so much time has passed?”

“Yes. It was far sadder than when you lost your bird, Kiyen.”

“I can’t comprehend it. I’ve never cherished anything to that extent.”

Kiyen said that, then asked again.

“Will you be as sad if I die?”

It was a cute question. It felt like an extension of the conversation from earlier in the day, and the sadness that had quietly crept in was swept away. Cullen nodded, then shook his head.

“You are immortal, Kiyen, so I don’t want to think about that. It is said that it is best not to speak of unfortunate things.”

Kiyen tilted his chin. Stroking his tilted chin, he turned his body.

“Is that so.”

Although his tone was unclear, Kiyen did not ask further. Just then, the group arrived at the inn Ulli had booked. The conversation ended there.

After a minor squabble over assigning rooms, Ulli was allowed to have a room to herself as she requested. She received suspicious glances a few times when asking for bathwater, but Arne covered for her with the excuse that she was extremely dirty.

Exhausted from the long night outdoors, the group quickly fell asleep. Kiyen was curled up beside Cullen.

Stroking his hair, Cullen watched Lasano. There were no suspicious movements. Seeing him sleeping soundly with Arne as a pillow, he made a decision. He would ask him directly after observing him a bit longer. It seemed like the polite thing to do among comrades.

The sun rose, with Cullen barely sleeping as he watched Lasano. After having breakfast with food brought by Ulli and Arne, they all gathered to make plans.

“Since it seems like there’s no problem with you two just walking around, I’d appreciate it if you could scout the city. You might see people in black cloaks, or perhaps hear rumors in taverns or other places. I will look for an informant.”

Lasano waved his hand.

“What should I do?”

“It would be best for you to stay here with Kiyen. Both of you have conspicuous appearances, and you don’t know how to hide your presence, so moving around doesn’t seem like a good idea.”

“I can’t leave you alone.”

Kiyen objected, but Cullen shook his head.

“I will act as safely as possible. Since Zarkas is difficult for me to handle alone, I will only be looking for an informant. If I happen to encounter them, I will head towards Kiyen.”

Kiyen looked displeased, but perhaps due to their conversation last night, he didn’t object further. It seemed he realized Cullen was worried about leaving Lasano alone.

“Will you be alright? Be careful.”

“You two be careful too.”

“We’re fine. Pretending to be a married couple from the countryside is surprisingly manageable.”

Despite her initial reluctance, Ulli seemed to be enjoying the act with Arne. Arne nodded as well.

“If we settle down later, I could write love stories or join a theater troupe.”

“Then let’s ask Cullen to fund the theater troupe.”

While listening to their lighthearted banter, Cullen gathered his equipment. After Ulli and Arne left as a pair, he also prepared to depart.

Then, before climbing onto the roof via the window, Cullen approached Kiyen, who didn’t hide his displeasure. Kiyen looked down at him, as if asking what he wanted. Cullen slightly lifted his foot and kissed his cheek.

The moment his lips touched his cheek, Kiyen blinked. With slightly widened eyes, he looked at Cullen in surprise. His pupils momentarily elongated.

“As lovers, I hope you can forgive me for this much.”

“……What are you doing?”

“I did it hoping to ease your displeasure.”

Kiyen slowly raised his hand and rubbed his cheek. He furrowed one eyebrow and then turned his head away sharply.

“Go.”

Lasano, who had been watching from the side, said in a languid voice.

“It doesn’t seem to have had much effect.”

“Then Lasano can cheer Kiyen up.”

Cullen took one last look at Kiyen and climbed over the window.

The Duke Refellon’s territory was truly vast. It was more magnificent than the capital, and the knights seen here and there seemed formidable. The troops appeared substantial, enough to mount a rebellion. Without Kiyen, it wouldn’t be strange if they had already overthrown the royal family.

Then, does Zarkas wish for a change in royal power? Considering Duke Renon’s actions and his ambition, it was a quite plausible objective. The Larciel Empire was created by Larkan, the symbol of the goddess, and Zarkas’s mark means killing the goddess, so that also aligns.

Even for Cullen, who didn’t know much about history, it was undoubtedly remarkable that one family had ruled for 1500 years. And the Larkan Imperial Family, as rulers of the continent, actually did nothing. As could be seen from Kihelene, the emperors had no experience with troops or military might, so if Kiyen weren’t there, rebellion would be a viable option.

In that case… Zarkas would want to eliminate both Kiyen and the Larkans.

Clues began to emerge and scatter repeatedly. It would be good if only they could find out exactly what Zarkas intended to do in the Duke Refellon’s territory.

Besides instigating conflict between the Duke and himself using Young Duke Refellon, there must have been another objective. Wherever Akesis’s power appeared, Zarkas was invariably involved, so it must have been them who summoned Kwanu.

Accumulating complex thoughts, Cullen surveyed the city. As Ulli had said, there were no public informants in sight.

Suddenly, he remembered something Gale had said. He had heard it when passing through the southern region long ago, so he wasn’t entirely sure…

He said southerners liked to show off. That’s why flashy buildings were often used for secret purposes. That was definitely what he said.

Cullen decided to look for the largest buildings. There was much to observe from above. Unfortunately, he didn’t see anyone in Zarkas’s attire, but he figured he could follow those who looked like Duke Renon or nobles. The nobles here would be on the Duke’s side, which meant they were also connected to Zarkas.

After a considerable amount of patience, Cullen identified a large salon in the city center, not far from the ducal castle, as a candidate. People in fancy attire constantly entered and exited it. It could just be a place to enjoy tea, but he felt drawn to it.

Cullen descended abruptly and slipped into an alley to remain unseen. Approaching the salon, he secretly entered through a passage used by the staff. If this was the place he thought it was, there would be a space accessible only to those with authority.

For now, the salon appeared to be a place for enjoying tea. No suspicious areas were immediately apparent.

Cullen had no choice but to move from room to room in the corridor, observing the people inside. He didn’t recognize anyone immediately.

Then, he spotted someone who naturally commanded the servants. It was a woman with her green hair tied up high. A rapier was sheathed at her waist, and her attire was simple. Despite her unassuming appearance, she was clearly skilled. Not as skilled as Cullen, though.

However, she was skilled enough to notice him if he let his guard down. After watching her dismiss people, Cullen cautiously followed her. The corridor, with its many open rooms and decorations, made it easy to hide.

The woman turned down a bent corridor and headed towards a large, deserted room. As he cautiously tried to follow, three or four people emerged from the direction the woman was heading. They seemed to be her subordinates.

Holding his breath, Cullen hid in the corner of the corridor and listened.

“Did that person open their mouth?”

“Not yet.”

It was clearly an important conversation. Cullen focused his attention.

“Find out quickly. They surely know the location of the third artifact. There isn’t much time. If Lord Yurisis is displeased, we’ll all be dead then.”

The word artifact made Cullen flinch. As he instinctively leaned forward to observe the place, the woman he was following suddenly turned around.

“What is it, Junon?”

He quickly concealed his presence again, but the woman seemed to have noticed. With a wary expression, she looked in Cullen’s direction and gestured.

“I think there’s an intruder. Search the entire salon.”

As soon as the words fell, Cullen pondered. He could deal with them, but that would escalate the situation. It wasn’t time yet. He had promised Kiyen not to get hurt, so it was important to return unharmed. Making his decision, Cullen quickly vanished.