“Is there no other food? Why would you eat deer feed?”
“I often get told I look like a deer”
“This is driving me crazy.”
Ignoring Lancelin’s muttering, Anis asked the man about his identity. The man answered.
“I’m just a wandering knight acting as a mercenary, staying at a nearby inn.”
The man suddenly adopted a stern expression and looked at Anis.
“When an adult is speaking, you should look them in the eye, you know?”
Lancelin turned his head, curious about what was happening. Anis had her back turned because the rope was rotating. She squirmed but merely swung side to side like a pendulum without turning back.
Glancing between the mercenary and Anis with a bitter expression, Lancelin turned Anis back around.
Only then did the mercenary smile gently again.
“But why are you two alone? This area is dangerous, with many bandits. Could it be that the adults…?”
Seeing him struggle to finish his sentence, it seemed he was trying to ask if they had fallen victim to bandits. Anis gave a vague response.
“We got separated from the adults… something like that. We’re looking for an inn to stay for the night. It’s already getting dark, and I don’t see any village either.”
“You two don’t look dangerous. I could introduce you to the place where I’m staying.”
“Thank you.”
“You should say thank you while looking at the adult, you know?”
Lancelin irritably turned Anis around again.
* * *
The man’s name was Saing. He guided them to an inn relatively close by.
In a desolate intersection with nothing else around, there stood a small inn.
The inn had a stable, a chicken coop, and a vegetable garden. Though it was a two-story wooden building, the height of each floor was so low that it looked more like one and a half stories.
A man was sitting idly in front of the inn, and his eyes widened upon seeing Saing, Anis, Lancelin, and the horse.
“What’s with these kids? I thought you were checking the deer traps.”
Anis quickly scanned the man out of habit. He looked a bit slow, but his body showed signs of wielding weapons since his youth.
“These kids got caught instead of a deer. They looked like they needed help, so I brought them along.”
“I see. Come on in. It’s just as well, the madam just slaughtered a chicken.”
As Lancelin dismounted, Saing took the horse, saying he would give it water and feed.
Anis glanced at Lancelin and then entered the inn first. Lancelin glared at the shabby inn with wary eyes.
When Saing returned from tying up the horse in the stable and looked at him as if to say, “What are you still doing outside?”, the boy reluctantly moved his feet, feeling that whatever happened, happened.
It wasn’t just because a pleasant smell wafted from the wide-open door. Really.
The first floor, set up like a dining room, had only four four-person tables. There was a passage leading to the kitchen, a door to the backyard, and a bar-shaped table. In the corner was a narrow, dark wooden staircase leading to the second floor.
Anis had already taken a seat and seemed to have exchanged greetings with the people present.
Lancelin sat across from Anis, cautious and vigilantly surveying the interior.
There was a middle-aged woman who looked like the innkeeper, a young boy who seemed to be her son and three older men.
“I didn’t expect there to be more guests besides us. Business must be booming, Madam?”
Anis asked in a lively voice. Then, the man who had followed Lancelin responded.
“Oh, we are not guests, we are wandering knights and mercenaries.”
“I heard from Mr. Saing.”
They introduced themselves as the ‘Little Sparrow Brotherhood’. Baldwin, who introduced himself as the leader, spoke in a hearty voice.
“But why are you two passing through such a dangerous place?”
Anis shrugged, saying it wasn’t that dangerous. She explained that she was traveling with this quiet boy due to certain circumstances.
Fortunately, the Little Sparrow Brotherhood did not inquire further about their situation.
“Hey, new guests?”
Anis turned her head towards the unfamiliar voice coming from the back door. A young man with short, reddish-blond hair and green eyes, exuding a friendly demeanor, entered.
One of the Little Sparrow Brotherhood acknowledged him, saying, “Ezio, you’re here?”
The young man, called Ezio, appeared to be in his early twenties and wasn’t particularly tall. Given his name and subtle accent, he was a foreigner.
“Hello?”
Ezio waved lightly upon seeing the new faces. His carefree smile suggested a cheerful disposition.
Anis returned the greeting with a wave, while Lancelin ignored him.
As the madam brought out two portions of warm dinner, Ezio quickly helped her with the serving.
The menu consisted of a bowl of warm chicken and vegetable stew, some bread, and pickled olives. The Little Sparrow Brotherhood received a simpler meal along with a mug of beer each.
In Anis’s opinion, the meal was not particularly excellent in terms of hygiene or taste. Nonetheless, Lancelin ate without complaint, and Anis observed the boy closely.
Lancelin’s eating manner was impeccably neat, almost to the point of being obsessive.
Once their stomachs were somewhat satisfied, Baldwin spoke to Anis (likely guessing that Lancelin would not respond if addressed).
He asked Anis about their destination. When she answered that it was Golden Mist Village, Baldwin’s smile faded into concern.
“That place has been gone for a long time. It’s become a dangerous bandit hideout, they say. Do you have a reason you must go there?”
Anis, about to say she needed to meet someone, hesitated, worried they might be mistaken for bandits.
“I think you two don’t have a specific destination.”
Anis, who was about to drink water to avoid the question, paused. Despite being a wandering mercenary, his observational skills seemed sharp.
As she pondered how to answer without seeming suspicious, Lancelin quietly interjected.
“…As long as I can leave the Kingdom of Saint-Jean, anywhere is fine.”
Anis blinked. Baldwin nodded without surprise or further questioning.
“In that case, you should go to Saltmaine.”
Saltmaine.
The city of Saltmaine flourished since the establishment of Saltmaine University. One of the advisors to the Grand Duke of Varandian was reportedly a court scholar from Saltmaine University.
Saltmaine was located near the border, with a large river flowing directly to the sea, making it a thriving commercial hub populated by various nationalities.
As a place untouched by war, it had become one of the largest cities in the South, especially after the fall of many Southern families.
Moreover, Saltmaine had better public safety than other places. It was also where the dueling prohibition law was enacted due to university students constantly getting drunk and dueling, resulting in murders. As a result, even brandishing weapons as a threat became a reportable offense and subject to punishment.
‘Was Aunt Valize planning to take Lin to Saltmaine? The direction is the same, after all.’
Should they wait for Valize here or head to Saltmaine? Anis thought she should discuss it with Lin after their meal.
“If you go to Saltmaine…”
Baldwin pondered for a moment, then lightly tapped the table and exclaimed.
“Oh, right! How about taking that guy along?”
“That guy?”
“Ezio.”
Anis reflexively turned her head to look for Ezio. By then, Ezio had already gone to the kitchen to wash dishes with the madam.
“Ezio is the golden youngest member of our Little Sparrow Brotherhood and an outstanding guy. Plus, he’s good at cooking. He also has an identity verification token from his connections with the Duke of Giz of the Saint-Jean Kingdom.”
“…Oh?”
More than the identity token, the fact that he was a good cook was enticing. As Anis was about to tear off a piece of bread, she felt a burning glare from across the table. Lancelin was glaring at her.
Anis smiled kindly and offered him the bread.
“Hah…”
Lancelin sighed.
After experiencing a series of shocks and irritations from one person, he had no strength left to speak.
Baldwin continued to persuade Anis. He said that the Little Sparrow Brotherhood and Ezio had entered the Saint-Jean Kingdom through Saltmaine, so they would know the way well. Baldwin also highly praised Ezio’s skills.
“Although he became a knight at a relatively late age, Ezio has talent. Who do you think raised that boy?”
“Ezio’s mother.”
When Anis answered like that, Baldwin’s mouth twitched awkwardly.
“I mean… I wanted to say that I raised him.”
“Ah, I see.”
Ezio, who had been looking back and forth between Anis and Baldwin, narrowed his eyes and muttered, “She’s like my sister”. Lancelin silently cringed at the thought of there being another woman like Anis.
“Anyway, I’ll think about it.”
* * *
Anis and Lancelin went up to the second floor.
Anis entered the room first and inspected the interior. A single cheap candle was struggling to provide a speck of light.
A large wooden shutter on the wall opposite the door was misaligned and not properly closed.
There were four beddings made of two-meter-long sacks stuffed with straw, crudely imitating mattresses. In the corner was a chest with a lock for storing valuables.
Anis roughly unpacked her belongings, chose the cleanest spot among the four, lay down, and covered herself with the blanket provided by the inn. Mixing in a yawn, she mumbled,
“I’ll refuse Ezio’s company.”
Lancelin, who had entered the room cautiously with a doubtful expression, replied.
“He did seem useless. With that dull face of his.”
Anis, still lying down, only raised her head and looked at Lancelin with narrowed eyes.
“What?”
“Never mind. Just put out the light.”
Following Anis’s command, Lancelin naturally blew out the candle and felt a sense of self-loathing.
‘What am I doing right now?’
However, as the pent-up fatigue suddenly rushed over him like a flood, Lancelin fumbled for his bed, instinctively feeling uncomfortable with the unpleasant bedding. He positioned himself as far away from Anis as possible.
As he lay down, the mattress filled with dry straw made a rustling sound.
Despite his fatigue, he could not fall asleep. The sound of his thumping heart felt too loud.
