Chapter 242: ‘I thought so’
After that the night broke with nothing happening. The time was six in the morning. Students who had packed tents and gear sat with some looking sleepy. Around them people lent shoulders to the sleepy ones. It was a heartwarming sight. I looked it over with my arms folded. The older sisters were smiling and watching too. Even if it was morning with the sun low, it was the hot season. Still, feeling that the wind running across the plain was just right was probably only at this time of year.
"Good. Let’s end the camping training. You should have been told from the academy, but because we did camping training today our year is off. Rest your bodies properly."
"Yes!"
"In exchange for being given the day off there should be homework from the faculty. Please don’t forget that side either, all right? Otherwise I’ll get scolded."
"Ye~~s!"
I smiled wryly at the students answering in drawn-out voices with reluctant faces, called "Dismissed!" and they stood and started walking toward the open castle gate visible a little away. The royal capital’s gates opened between five and six in the morning, which was early compared to other towns. Among the students I could see some pulling the older sisters’ hands and heading to the gate together. They seemed to have gotten close, which reassured me. When I pricked up my ears to the talking voices, it seemed they were heading to Filim Fountain for a morning bath from here.
I hugely understood wanting to soak in a bath after camping ended. Male adventurers would have said they wanted to drink. I looked sideways at Relia, Tia, and Karinal. They were talking with Erika and laughing together in a troubled way. I tilted my head at the unusual combination, walked over, and spoke. Seeing me they laughed more, so a question mark floated over my head.
"...? Was there something funny?"
"This. It was left with me, but I thought Relia-san and Tia-san needed the information shared."
"I have roughly understood. Raide-sama’s students are amazing as well."
"I see several people I would like to welcome into the royal castle. May we recruit them, Raide-sama?"
"Ah. Tears of the Plain. As an instructor I’m happy at you two’s evaluation. But if you’re going to recruit students I want you to do it near graduation. Right now they’re still searching for their own path to live."
...What was that smile that said we expected that answer. The four looked at each other and laughed happily. I looked at that, smiled with a troubled face, and rubbed the back of my neck with one hand. Then Micon and Scon came toward Erika with Sateur and the others and walked off saying they would go home first. Relia, Tia, and Karinal started walking toward the gate as three, but Tia suddenly smiled in a troubled way, looked at me sideways, and said,
"By the way, what happened with Teine?"
"Hn? Ah... well, it is my fault. She won’t leave me..."
"...Watching how Raide-sama associates with fairies I am surprised to see a new side."
"That’s probably so. But basically they’re a race that’s kind to people they let their guard down with, you know? I don’t think that’s written in any document."
Teine hugged my right arm tight as if answering my words, smiled with a troubled face, and tilted her head a little toward Tia through me. Because immature me let the past show on my face I made Teine worry, and since then she would not try to leave me. For me I was glad I could enjoy Teine’s warmth and scent, but seeing she still could not feel at ease made me feel guilty. While I was thinking that Teine gently poked my right cheek with her index finger. I turned my face and she was smiling wryly.
"You were thinking something off again, Raide-sama."
"...I wasn’t."
"Raide-sama is easy to read. Right, Tia?"
"Kusukusu. Yes, Ane-sama. I also think Raide-sama is easy to read."
The three said that to me. I turned my face toward Karinal coming behind us as if asking for help. Karinal noticed my gaze, smiled with a troubled face, and shook her head as if to say "Impossible." I faced forward and let out a small breath.
While rubbing the back of my neck with my free left hand I noticed a soldier standing at the castle gate looking this way and narrowed my eyes. I had been a little wary, but the one standing was a familiar gate-soldier captain. He gave Relia and Tia a slight bow and looked at me. When we stopped in front of the captain he smiled at me happily and said,
"Raide-dono, good morning. You have good students. They’re popular with the soldiers, you know?"
"That’s a happy thing to hear. Having such students to be proud of makes my nose high."
"Hahaha. You don’t say you raised them yourself."
"Should I as their instructor steal the evaluation those kids got from study and training. I only lend a little hand. I think the evaluation is there because the students worked hard."
When I said that with a smile the captain narrowed his eyes and smiled happily, then quietly let Relia and Tia know a carriage was stopped nearby. I glanced and saw a carriage with unshowy decoration beside where you passed through the gate. I said goodbye to Relia, Tia, and Karinal and went through the gate into the royal capital first. That captain would have the surroundings guarded tightly. They should be fine even if I was not beside them. ...Now that I was in the capital I thought it, but for morning coolness the plain was cooler.
[Karinal]
When I confirmed Lady Relia and Lady Tia had gotten into the carriage I let out a small breath of relief. Once I called the two "Lady Ariales, Lady Retia" and was told to call them by name like Raide-sama, so I was reluctantly following. I had consulted Lady Erika. She said with a troubled smile, "You got involved with that person, so give up," and right now I was thoroughly at a loss. I turned toward the gate-soldier captain standing behind with his posture correct and started to bow. He stopped me with one hand. Then he looked around with his eyes, smiled in a troubled way, and opened his mouth.
"Karinal-dono, that will make the surroundings notice."
"That’s true, but... um, I’m still not used to it."
"Hahaha. Even that Karinal-dono has changed. Now you only look like a cute woman. Truly, getting involved with Raide-dono puts stimulation in life and is fun."
The captain laughed quietly and happily like that. I felt my face get hot and looked down. In position I was above him, but I did not know his name and he was probably above me in age and experience. It was true that until I met Raide-sama I was an inflexible, stiff knight. Every time I participated in training at the academy I was made aware of that.
I honestly thought Raide-sama’s training was necessary to look over myself, and more than anything the training content was too outside the standard. The knight order did not train like that, and I had never even known how to raise Mastery. I consulted with Lady Relia and Lady Tia and we have not reported it to the knight order, but if we did I think the Kingdom of Libertonia’s military force would lose to no other country. They said they would not because they wanted to keep evenness with other countries. That I still thought it was a waste might be because my field of view was still narrow... Something bothered me a little. I lifted my face, tilted my head, and asked him.
"Captain... um, may I ask your name?"
"That was rude of me. I am Dalai. A pleasure, Karinal-dono."
"Please treat me well, Dalai-dono. Um... have you known Raide-sama from long ago?"
"...No. Since the war ended, so these past few years... that we’ve associated. Did you want to ask something about him?"
"There is little information on the unit Raide-sama belonged to..."
I dropped my voice and answered him. Dalai-dono looked around warily with his eyes again, then let out a small breath. I had heard about Raide-sama’s unit from my uncle, but that was talk of strength. He did not tell me what they had been doing. I had asked several times, but maybe because there was liquor the talk always derailed toward strength.
Lady Relia and Lady Tia got curious too and we looked into it together, but records remained that the unit existed and of the unit’s numbers, and that was the end of not knowing what they did. Lady Relia and Lady Tia asked thinking the king, the queens, or the chancellor would know, but their mouths were firmly shut. On top of that the only known whereabouts of soldiers who belonged were the woman who was captain, vice-captain Taylor, and Raide-sama, three people... the names of soldiers who belonged to the unit were unknown. It did not make sense.
Even Lady Relia and Lady Tia who were protected not knowing what they were doing was endlessly strange as a knight. It was true they were protected near the end of the war, but making you feel you did not know what they were doing was a stretch. They had been doing that so I could not help being interested... I am aware it is my bad habit.
Dalai-dono looked at my state, closed one eye, smiled with a troubled face, let out another small breath, then started talking.
"From that look you have not asked Raide-dono, have you?"
"Yes... um, he looked like it hurt..."
"...’I thought so.’"
"Eh, just now"
"From me it is ’this far,’ Karinal-dono. I want you to ask Raide-dono for the rest. You may share this with the two listening from the carriage."
Dalai-dono glanced at the carriage, set one finger to his lips, and smiled. I nodded even with a surprised face. Dalai-dono saw my reaction, nodded, and went back to his gate-soldier duty. Even if his skill was above mine, could an ordinary gate soldier notice someone was listening? I was actually not in the carriage so I was in a waiting state, and Lady Relia and Lady Tia were probably listening.
His way of speaking knew Raide-sama’s past. Maybe... I opened the carriage door, bowed to the two with composed faces, got in, and told them the talk just now.