One of Waalthe’s successors, Pfeil, raced through the capital city at night.
His light-colored, pale blue hair fluttered in the wind, and the way he silently kicked off the roofs of houses was less like an assassin and more like a spirit playing with the wind.
Though clad in combat uniform, with a bow in hand and a quiver on his back, he wasn’t headed for battle.
It was neighborhood watch, a ritual he’d performed every night since he started living at the Alway Ducal Family Villa. At first, he only patrolled around the mansion. Gradually, he expanded his range. Now, he used his own two feet to cover the center of the capital, albeit for a short time each night.
“…This isn’t like me,” he muttered.
Every night, he repeated the same words. It had started because he had time to spare. Strangely, missions from Waalthe’s leader, Wahash, had stopped. It was the same for Rosa Roen, Wahash’s daughter and also a successor.
She didn’t seem concerned, and instead seemed to be using this opportunity to sneak off and watch the youngest son of the Ducal Family. He had no intention of reprimanding her for her personal actions.
Pfeil liked his current life. Meeting Jared and the others, he could finally say he’d found peace. He didn’t regret his past nor did he wish to abandon Waalthe. But considering how he’d been forced to become an assassin in his youth and lost his beloved family—these past three months had felt like a dream.
“Indeed, this isn’t like me. But perhaps, it’s for the best.”
Kicking off the roof with a high leap, Pfeil smiled slightly in the moonlight. He was aware of the change within himself. He found himself wanting to protect the people living in the mansion. That was why he kept watch over the capital, centered around the mansion.
He had already shot the legs of some men attempting a theft tonight. Seemingly peaceful, the capital was rife with petty crimes, and sometimes, people died without reason. For Pfeil, who had never enjoyed killing, seeing innocent people suffer unjustly was unbearable. This, too, was likely a sign of his change.
“–Hm?”
Something caught his eye. A woman was looking out from the second-floor window of the mansion. Without much thought, Pfeil headed towards her. It was almost time to return to the mansion, but he didn’t mind. He gathered strength in his legs and leaped, landing on a large tree branch right beside the window the woman was peering from.
“Eh? –Kyaa!”
Startled by Pfeil’s sudden appearance, the woman cried out and fell backward into her room.
“I apologize for startling you.”
However, the woman seemed to recognize his voice. She stood up and cautiously peered out the window again.
“…That voice, is that you, Pfeil?”
“You can call me by my name.”
“Ah, yes. Then please call me Ernesta.”
The woman—Ernesta Kaif—was a skilled magician belonging to the Royal Mage Corps. After her initial shock, she quickly regained her composure, though she wondered why he had appeared.
“I happened to notice you. Can’t sleep?”
“Yes. It’s been three days since I returned from Duke Rüdiger’s territory, but I still can’t recall why I collapsed outside. Um, thank you for saving me.”
“I’ve already heard your thanks. Does the lack of memory worry you?”
Ernesta nodded. Upon returning to the mansion, she was plagued by the missing memories. She couldn’t tell her family; she didn’t want to worry them. She had even seen a doctor, but since there were no external injuries or physical problems, they concluded it was psychological.
“I’m terrified that something might have happened to me during that brief period I can’t recall.”
“What makes you so afraid? The doctor said there’s nothing wrong, didn’t they?”
“I don’t know. I don’t understand why I’m so scared myself…”
She was afraid of her own inexplicable anxiety, stemming from her missing memories. Ernesta, for the first time, voiced her distress, feeling as though an inexpressible intuition was sounding an alarm.
“My daily routine involves patrolling the area around the mansion where I’m staying.”
“Um, yes. Thank you for your efforts.”
“That’s not what I mean. If you wish, you could leave your window open like tonight on nights you feel anxious.”
“You mean…”
“Anxiety tends to grow when you bear it alone. If you’d like, I can listen.”
He was aware he was saying something out of character. Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t leave Ernesta to her worries. In the past, he might have simply dismissed her as someone worrying on her own. Or rather, he wouldn’t have approached her even if he had seen her like this. He realized that ever since he found Ernesta collapsed in Duke Rüdiger’s territory, he had found himself concerned about her.
“Won’t this be a bother?”
“If it were a bother, I wouldn’t have suggested it. Of course, it might be difficult to confide in someone you’ve only spoken to a few times, but…”
“No, it’s not like that…”
Ernesta felt she could speak to him precisely because their connection was limited. However, she hesitated to accept his kindness.
“I am merely making a suggestion. I have no intention of forcing you, nor will I pry your anxieties out of you. Naturally, if you tell me anything, I have no intention of divulging it.”
“Why are you concerned about me?”
“Well… I don’t know either.”
Seeing Pfeil smile curiously, Ernesta nodded. Her intuition as a magician, no, her intuition as Ernesta Kaif, told her he was trustworthy.
“If I leave my window open, will you come like you did tonight?”
“I can’t promise I will every time, but I will do my best.”
“Then, I’ll leave it open.”
“That’s your decision. Well, it’s getting late. Can you sleep now?”
“Yes, talking to you has eased my mind. I think I can sleep tonight.”
“Then that’s good.”
The boy, who seemed to be only in his mid-teens, had a gentle and calm voice.
“Good night—Ernesta Kaif.”
With a voice that was pleasant to hear, the boy vanished silently. For a while, she searched for him, but there was no trace of his presence. It was as if he had never been there, enveloped in silence.
As Ernesta, feeling a slight disappointment that Pfeil had disappeared, reached to close the window, her anxiety that had recently settled in her heart lessened.
“Good night.”
She murmured, hoping that perhaps he, though out of earshot, was still listening. Closing the window and returning to bed, she somehow fell into a peaceful sleep.
From that day on, Ernesta Kaif and Pfeil began to meet nightly, engaging in casual conversation as if it were their daily routine.
