I'm coming all the way to my feet. I shake off my tiredness and at the same time I get to Isel, my legs stop moving.
Naturally, he ran all the way from my house to here in a thick coat for an hour.
He also keeps breathing and sits out in the middle of nowhere.
But it's still early in the morning, so there's no one around. That won't bother you.
After breathing on his shoulders, he suddenly talked to someone from behind him as he slowly tried to get up on his feet.
"Hey, what are you doing?
"... Huh?
Turning around, there was an appearance of Aruba with his luggage on the carriage.
But after the first time in ten years, I don't know who I am for a moment, and I get stuck in words.
"... Alba, is that you?
"Hmm? Oh. What's the matter with you?
"Um, where have you been...?
"I was getting a request in a far away country.... How have you been?
Aruba smiles with one eye.
The moment I saw that laugh, I felt the load inside me finally come down.
"... Mr. Alba. Long time no see."
"Ooh, it's been a while. I heard about you over there.... Good luck."
I hold my tear glands with my fingers to his words so that my eyeballs get hot, but I don't get it.
He then rises up in his breath and heads to the castle.
"Where are you going? Besides, what happened?
"... I have to tell the Knights. Even to Sofia......!
"Sophia? Oh. But before I do, I'd better talk to Bettenburg's husband..."
I reacted to the words and turned around at a whimpering speed, but I saw his expression and realized that I didn't know.
"Bettenburg is no longer…"
"... are you serious. That husband? I don't believe it..."
"... sorry"
When I lowered my head, Aruba put her hand on my head.
... It just hurts a little bit because I'm a little strong.
"It's not your fault. So, who's succeeding the Bettenburg family now?
"That's what Sophia inherits. I have lived with Bettenburg for the longest time and I think it is appropriate because I am a hero"
"... well. You're really dead."
Aruba closes her eyes and stops moving for a while.
After that, Aruba walked out to the castle, pushing my back.
"You're going to the castle, right? I need help with the king too! Let's go with him!
"... Yes!
We spoke to the Knights, the gatekeeper, and I was put through to Zahr.
Aruba seems to have something to do with other humans, and we were to split up second-hand along the way.
I follow the back of a knight who guides me, walking out into a castle courtyard place.
There was a figure of Zahr in a tank top with his arms together and a hanging voice on the front of the soldier, who was uniformly standing on his arms.
Looking at him like that, Zahr seems to have noticed this way, and he runs over to me with a break decree.
"What's up, Lazareth? You wanted to join the group?
"No.... I'm talking about the Sage Act"
……
Zahr, after looking me in the eye for a while, gave the members a break of just over an hour.
... That's why I'm thanked for crossing Zahr's back with my hands together.
But Zahr seems to be aware of the condition, and after a slight bitter laugh, he weaved his coat and fixed his standing.
"Let Sir Bettenburg also take part in this conversation. Is it important?
"Oh. It's important enough to have Sophia report to the King."
Zahr nods to my words and then walks through the castle.
I decided to follow as fast as I could so I wouldn't lose sight of that back.
Reaching the back of the castle, heavy wooden doors stood.
Zahr spoke out loud, stretching his spine as he knocked without cowering at the door.
"Sir Bettenburg, let me show you my guests. Knight Commander Zahr. I'm coming in."
"Go ahead."
I'm perplexed for a moment that the relationship between the two of us is so formal, but I don't have time to worry about that.
When I met him gently and then knocked over the door, there was a figure of Sophia dressed in deep green aristocratic clothing for men sitting in a chair on the other side of the big desk in the front.
But she doesn't move one eyebrow when she sees me, and orders Zahr with a chilling voice.
Zahr, please close it.
"Yes, excuse me"
Zahr closes the door as carefully as possible, while Sophia leads to the chair and disguises herself.
Zahr leaned against the nearby wall in the same way, and his earlier courtesy vanished somewhere.
"Lazareth, it's been a long time"
"Oh, yeah. Long time no see."
"Really, make more faces. Otherwise, I can't find an excuse to take a break."
I laugh and try to laugh off her jokes, but I could tell from the massive paperwork arranged beside her that they weren't jokes.
But not if we're talking about that right now.
"You both remember the Wise Men's Act, don't you?
"Naturally."
"Don't you forget?"
"... Actually, there are organizations trying to rebuild it. Alice could have been a part of it."
"What do you mean? And why is Mr. Alice here?
Sophia stood up from her chair and sat down in front of her desk.
I try to keep talking, but Zahr opens his mouth.
"Who's Alice?
"Huh? Oh, that's the woman you were with me ten years ago. I think that woman is the perpetrator of this kidnapping of children…"
"What makes you think that?
"I hear she was targeting the wealthy. Maybe Dahlia messed with my inferiority."
"... Dahlia"
At the same time as I hear that name, the look on their faces darkens.
That's right. Because if it's her fault, maybe she's still alive.
No, now that the Wise Men's Act is about to be re-established, it would be too hopeful to have her.
"And she was craving equality. There's plenty of chance you'll be on that side of the Wise Men's Act that makes it equal."
"… equality, is it"
"But if she's the only one, there's only one thing that's suspicious."
"Numerous children from the poor have also been reported among those who are gone"
I doubted my ears for a moment.
... the poor, too, have been kidnapped?
So the killer isn't Alice?
"... was there anything suspicious about this city?
"I don't know if it's a suspicious point... but I haven't seen anyone I know who had disappeared in ten years. Sophia, remember Aruba?
"Yes. You're the one, aren't you?
"It's been a long time since he showed up. Maybe it's relevant..."
Suddenly the door opens so as to block my words.
At that moment, Zahr wakes up from the wall, and she rises from her desk and behaves like anything with tea.
And Maire, the maid who was at Bettenburg from the gap in the door, glanced at her face.
"Sir Bettenburg, Commander of the Knights of Zahr. His Majesty called for you... is that it? Lasalles... Wasn't it?
"Yes. Long time no see. How have you been?
"Yeah, it looks like you haven't changed either."
I guess sometimes it was just Bettenburg's maid who laughed at my words and relayed them.
Sophia talked to me like that, hanging on my desk.
"Lazareth, come too. If you're my assistant, it shouldn't be a problem."
"Is that good?
"That's okay. Instead, shut up."
When I nod to her words, I gently hand pay for my filthy coat.
And walked after their backs as they walked fast.