I let Lise's head lie down with my coat instead of a pillow, then I get out of the house and look at the sky.
The sky was stained blue as if it could penetrate through, and there were several birds dancing there.
"... it's cold"
I exhale shaking and look around.
In the meantime, I see where this is going.
But it wasn't easy going back to Isel that this climate was proving to me.
Besides, when I get back to Isel now, I'll be away from Rick's house.
I don't want to be forced to leave the house that you lent me because of my favor.
"... Speaking of which, you lent it to us often strangers"
Maybe we're bandits, but still he let us in the house.
... How many people are you, or is there a reason?
Either way, it's a favor. It would also be rude to think weirdly.
I tried to get home exhaled white and my coat was accidentally hung on my body.
The coat was stained with the smell of ink and soon found out that it was mine.
Turning around, Lisette, still sleepy, rubbed her eyes, looking up at me.
I break my knees to listen to her like that.
"Good morning, brother"
"Oh, good morning. What's the matter with you?
"... where is Mr. Rik going?
"Oh. He's back at work. Thank you later..."
It was then.
One arrow blurred between our bodies.
When I saw it, a man dressed like Rick had a crossbow pointed at me.
With no arrows loaded on that crossbow, it was obvious where he had unleashed the arrows toward.
"Lisette, get inside!
"Whoa, don't move. You're already surrounded."
"... the voice is"
The voice sounds familiar.
Earlier, a man walked out of the house saying he had a job to do.
"Hey, Lazareth. How you doin '?
"Rik, deceive us......!?
"It's not like you guys don't know what Isel did to us at Peswen, is it?
When we're silent, Rick snorts uncomfortably after a while.
"Then I'll tell you. You Isel took our territory from Peswen in the war."
"That's because of the war, right!? We..."
"No. If it was national power, we would have won. But there was only one traitor!
"You know perfectly well, Bettenburg betrayed us!
That's what they said, and I didn't say a word.
Speaking of which, I've heard a long time ago that he didn't originally belong to Isel.
I didn't know the country was Peswen.
"So here in Peswen, there's not a single one of you who welcomes the Isel people. Your cunning is well known."
"... ugh."
"Follow me. We'll let you decide what to do in your own country."
When Rick signals the other Knights with his neck, a rope will be wrapped around our wrists.
Of course I couldn't resist, but I didn't want to risk Lisette without guarantees that I could win.
"... hey, Rick. Why did you help us?
……
"I wish I could leave you alone, how could I have saved your life!?
"Take him."
"Hey, Rick! Answer my question!
Rick lays down his eyes and sighs as if he can't hear me.
I was curious about that attitude.
"... brother"
"It's okay, it'll always help..."
I look up anxiously and tell Lisette to rest as if to tell herself too.
At least, that's all I can do now.
"Come."
The Knights throw us into the carriage and start walking down the snow path.
In the meantime, we were silent.
After a while, we were brought to Peswen's country and place of thought.
Peswen is a cobblestone with a face out of the snow on a wall of stone enough for my body to fit perfectly.
And there were a number of log house houses lined up and an impressive castle with white walls in the back.
But we're not looking out for the castle right now.
Tossed from the carriage, the red carpet is forced to walk in the castle laid on the floor and thrown into the dungeon.
"Make yourself comfortable here until you decide to treat me."
That's all the knights who brought us in say, they climb the tips and the stone steps we came down.
Strange silence existed because no one was in that dungeon.
"... brother"
You were anxious about the boulder, Lisette calls me.
I guess she was out of fear or couldn't raise her voice from earlier.
"... I'm fine. I'm sure."
Like a spell, that's all I can say.
That's when this silence-breaking footsteps came in front of our house.
"... alive, Lazareth"
"What can I do for you, Rick? I thought I'd never see you again."
"I have a question for you."
"Was Bettenburg loved?
... For a moment, I didn't know what the question meant.
Why should I care about Bethenburg, who's supposed to be a traitor?
But the look of Rick, who speaks his name, was not the face of those who seek to ascribe him very much.
"... oh. I was counting on you."
"... right"
"But why would you do that?
"... he's a traitor who ended the war in the form of our loss. But apart from that, I admired him."
"Did you admire it?
Rick laughs at himself and then sits down near the barn.
"I admired him for being smart and always thinking about the people of my territory. Unfortunately, he handled the sword better than I did."
……
"... so I can't forgive him. But apart from that, I want him to live."
Rick laughs bitterly when he says that, then he shuts up.
... a while later, Rick opened his mouth.
"I don't know why I helped you. But I don't want to kill you. That's what I thought."
"... it"
"Somehow, maybe because you look like a former Knights Commander."
Rik adding a dry laugh to that word.
That's when I visited the name out of curiosity.
"What's that person's name?
"Scott. Scott-Mercure. I married a witch and fired the Knights."
"... Mercurus"
Also, I heard the name.
But I don't know that name.
I should have known.
"... I don't know about that person, but my last name is Mercure, too. Lasalles-Mercures"
"... don't be ridiculous"
"I'm not kidding. I don't know about a guy named Scott, but I'm definitely a Mercurian."
"Then where is that pendant!? If you're the Mercury family, you must have that!
... that pendant, Sophia has.
That's why Rick pointed to my body when he answered the question.
"... that dagger"
"Huh?"
"Why do you have that dagger!?
In the direction he has been pointing, my dagger did exist.
... Speaking of which, how long have I had this dagger?
"That dagger is what Captain Scott asked me to make! Why did you...!
I'm confused by him suddenly barking my voice.
Rick noticed how he was, or opened his back mouth after taking a deep breath.
"... damn, chest shit is bad. I'll be back at night."
He scratches his head and goes straight somewhere.
I could only look after him like that.