~Chapter 122~
The Captain wet his lips for a moment, then spoke again, as if it was difficult.
“……When I saw you carrying him back in your arms.”
“You saw that?”
“Yes.”
I roughly knew what he was talking about.
‘When I came back to the Grand Duke’s mansion with Karl.’
I don’t clearly remember how I returned.
I just remember hugging Karl tightly after he collapsed from using too much power.
The smell of blood, the smell of gunpowder, the heavy weight that fell onto me.
…The soldiers tried to pull him away to move him, but Karl, even unconscious, wouldn’t let go of me.
‘This is bad, isn’t it…’
‘……Carry the Grand Duchess together!’
In the end, the soldiers couldn’t separate us, so they put me on the stretcher too.
That’s how I came back lying on top of Karl, like some kind of human sushi roll.
‘Thinking about it now, that’s embarrassing.’
But back then, I didn’t even think of that.
I didn’t want to let go of him either.
I wanted to keep feeling his heartbeat.
‘We only separated when the doctor finally arrived.’
After that…
I looked in the mirror, had some time alone, got angry by myself, then calmed down.
…And then later we kissed.
The memory made my shoulders stiff with embarrassment.
“I must have looked ridiculous.”
“No. You didn’t.”
“You always see me too kindly, Captain.”
“At that time, you looked like you were truly worried for the Duke.”
“……”
“You were pale, your hands were shaking, and you didn’t know what to do because you thought he might die.”
Was I really like that?
Hearing someone else describe me made me feel strange.
The Captain’s voice grew heavy.
“I reflected on myself when I saw you then.”
“There’s no need to reflect that much…”
“No. That’s when I finally knew for sure.”
“Knew what?”
“That I should never think of the Duke’s death as a chance.”
“Captain?”
“That would have been something unforgivable to you.”
“……”
“To you.”
The Captain sighed, unable to meet my eyes.
“Because he must have been someone precious to you.”
“……”
“Just as precious as you are to me.”
His sincerity was heavy, and it made my chest ache a little.
If he said he cared for me as much as I cared for Karl…
That meant he cherished me deeply. Too deeply.
Even as I thought that, the Captain kept speaking.
“So that’s why I confess, Elaine.”
“……”
“With this guilt inside me, I can’t properly look at you.”
He lowered his head. The atmosphere had become so solemn it made me embarrassed too.
I hesitated, then spoke.
“…Honestly, I don’t think I have the right to say I forgive you or not.”
“……”
“Because I had the same worry as you.”
“The same worry?”
“I wondered if I had hesitated for even a moment when saving the Duke. If that hesitation made me shoot a little late.”
“No, Elaine. You weren’t late.”
He answered immediately, without the slightest doubt.
So sure, it almost made me want to ask how he could be so certain.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because you’ve never once missed your timing.”
“……”
“Your long experience and trained habits are like instincts. Instincts don’t disappear.”
“That’s…”
“You must have fired at exactly the right moment this time too.”
Hearing the confident voice of someone who knew me well… it gave me comfort.
‘That’s a relief.’
Maybe what I needed was for someone to reassure me.
That I wasn’t late.
That I didn’t let the Duke die, even unconsciously.
Yes. Karl is here.
I wasn’t late.
I didn’t lose him.
‘That’s enough.’
I felt lighter after sorting my thoughts.
Smiling, I placed my hand on the Captain’s head, just like in a confession ritual.
“It feels strange. Usually it’s the opposite.”
“……”
“I was the one kneeling, and you placed your hand on my head.”
“You never really knelt. You just stood and confessed.”
“You caught me.”
“I liked that, though.”
His voice carried a faint smile, as if recalling old times.
He seemed lighter too.
I looked at him and added softly:
“Hm. I don’t feel bad either. Thank you for always worrying about me. I mean that.”
I’m okay.
That’s what I wanted to tell him.
“I absolve your sin, Captain.”
“…Thank you.”
He slowly stood up, looking half relieved but also somewhat bitter.
I smiled at him, thinking again what a good person he was.
Alright, time to talk about what really mattered—
“…Elaine, and actually…”
“Ahh!”
Suddenly, as if he still had more to confess, the Captain knelt down again.
“Wait, Captain!”
Before his knee could touch the ground, I quickly shoved my foot under it.
‘Ow, he’s heavy!’
I barely held up his weight and asked, trembling:
“Do you really have to do this now?”
“That is…”
“Can’t we talk about something else first?”
“Something else?”
“That’s why I came, to ask you something. It’s urgent.”
Finally, he awkwardly stood back up.
I rubbed my sore foot and asked:
“Before… you said you found something in the central archives of the temple, right?”
He had told me that while we were dancing in the capital.
“…Yes. That.”
His face instantly turned serious.
“Uh, Elaine?”
“What.”
“Can you explain why I’m here?”
“Because you’re also a temple gorilla.”
“Huh?”
A little later—
I had called Zion in a hurry, and now he was sitting with me and Captain Ista in the guest room of the Grand Duke’s mansion.
‘Good thing we found a meeting place.’
That was thanks to Jeremy.
Even though he stiffened when he saw Zion and the Captain together, he reluctantly gave us this room after I said it was important.
Thankfully, he didn’t glare or show hostility, since I promised to share what we discussed with him later.
“Here it is.”
Rustle, rustle—
Papers spilled out from Zion’s arms.
These were the documents and books I had asked him to secretly take from the temple archives in Saint Portu.
His clothes were torn in places, showing how hard it must have been.
I acknowledged his effort.
“You worked hard.”
“Mm. Yeah. Normally it wouldn’t be this difficult…”
I’d heard the Saint Portu temple was now like a locked-down monastery.
Even the Holy Knights were nowhere to be seen, and both the head priest and vice priests had disappeared.
Still, Zion looked lively.
“Can’t believe I finally came to the Grand Duke’s mansion.”
“I feel bad for making you do spy work.”
“No, it’s fine. According to Scripture, chapter 51, verse 315: ‘Seeking hidden truths and stripping away falsehoods is also…’”
“Alright, alright.”
“So what exactly are we looking for?”
This time, Captain Ista, who had been quietly watching, answered.
“Records about the relationship between dragons and monsters.”
“What?”
“And the records of the temple searching for dragons.”
“Uh…”
Zion scratched his cheek.
“I suspected it, but… so those records really were about finding dragons?”
The Captain nodded. Zion’s eyes widened in shock.
“Why… no, before that.”
He scratched his head and asked:
“Relationship between dragons and monsters?”
“Yes. According to what the Captain found in the central temple archives…”
I continued his words.
“It said monsters are the creations of dragons.”
