“I was fourteen years old when I was placed in the care of a house as a knight apprentice.” (Laocles)
Laocles begins to speak.
“It was a house that ruled a territory west of here. It was not a very large territory, but it prospered modestly through good government.” (Laocles)
“Is it similar to the Redgarde territory?” (Tougo)
“I don’t know. The area alone is much smaller than this one, and there is not a vast, impenetrable forest in the center of the territory, so is not comparable.”
Come to think of it, it was. The Redgard territory is inconvenient because of the forest I live in.
“…Well, I served in such a lord’s house. I was recognized as a full-fledged knight at 18… and this sword was given to me by the lord at that time.” (Laocles)
The lord of the house. I think he meant the lord himself.
Laocles was looking at the sword, with an expression of a bit of nostalgia, a bit of joy, and a bit of melancholy. …Yes. I’m glad I got his sword back.
“I heard that it’s a sword forged from meteorite iron. If you take good care of it, you can use it for a long time. I hope it will serve your family for that long.” (Former Lord)
“……yes.” (Laocles)
But Laocles did not.
“The Lord of the house was a good person. The people loved him. I was determined that I would protect him… But he had a younger brother who was no good.” (Laocles)
As I waited for the continuation while somehow imagining what happens next… Laocles spoke words that cut him to the core.
“And the lord was killed by his brother… probably.” (Lacocles)
“…the evidence.” (Tougo)
“The assassin was found. They say he planted poison. He was tried as a criminal, of course. But that’s all. They wouldn’t say who ordered the hit.”
I see… I guess that’s hard to accept.
“It seems that it’s not uncommon in the world of nobility. The weight of a person’s life is like that. If it’s covered up, that’s all there is to it. Following in the succession line, his younger brother became the lord. But he is just a fool.” (Laocles)
Laocles, says, “fool”, with a scary expression.
“…The territory fell into ruins within a few years. He squeezed people for taxes and purged any who disobeyed him. If there was a young and beautiful woman, he would kidnap her and make her his concubine. People sent several appeals to the royal castle, but never received a reply.” (Laocles)
I see. …He has come to hate the Royal Capital.
“The knights were not there to protect the lord and the people they became the lord’s pawns and oppressed the people. I killed one person among them for the first time.” (Laocles)
“Eh?” (Tougo)
Seeing my reaction, Laocles smiles bitterly. It’s a rare expression, but I can’t afford to be happy for its sight.
“Yes. They were innocent people. I was just trying to correct the folly of my lord.” (Laocles)
My breathing is a little labored. It’s as if I can’t breathe air.
Seeing me like that, Laocles asked me if I was okay. I answered that I was fine, but I was more worried about Laocles than myself. Though I thought it was none of my business.
“…that night. I killed the lord. I killed a lord, and I thought it was the same whether I killed one or two more. And if it was to happen, it should be me.” (Laocles)
I almost asked him if it was hard but stopped myself. I knew I shouldn’t bother digging up the hard part.
“I talked to some of my colleagues who had been with me since the days of the former lord, and they were all on board… After defeating the lord’s newly hired guards, we got to him and… I killed him without hesitation.” (Laocles)
He doesn’t have much of an expression on his face when he says he killed him. But it was a far cry from his usual plaster statue expression, and he looked much more tired.
“I have no regrets about killing my then lord. I should have done it, and I still think I had to do it.” (Laocles)
“I see.” (Tougo)
“But… I’m miserable that I got my colleagues involved because of it. If I had gone it alone and not consulted with them, I might have been able to avoid incriminating them as well.” (Laocles)
…If I had been his colleague at the time, I think I would have thought that I would have done the same, rather than being left alone to take the blame without being consulted. …Maybe it would be more painful to be left without doing anything.
I know this is all my thoughts.
“I’m a criminal slave now that I’ve killed my master. I’ve been living as a slave for the past few years. I have been bought and sold several times. I’ve been sold to a few people, but you’re the first person to buy me because you want to paint me.” (Laocles)
“Yes.” (Tougo)
I nodded deeply, the thoughts of “Yes,” and “What a waste” coming together to make me nod my head. He is certainly a good fighter, but he is also a very good model. It would be a waste not to paint him.
“…you’re the first I ever talked about my history.” (Laocles)
“Eh?” (Tougo)
That’s right. How should I put it, does that mean I am now trusted?
“What are you thinking?” (Laocles)
At that moment, Laocles stared at me and asked.
“What do you think of me, after what I just said?” (Laocles)
His eyes were serious, but also a little frightened. I know that a brave warrior should not be frightened, but I could not help but see it as frightened. The shock of it all made my words slow down.
“Eh… after what you said…” (Tougo)
I didn’t know what to say and I was at a loss for an answer, but what did Laocles think of that silence?
This is not good. Perhaps I was misunderstood.
And if he is misunderstood, he should clear up the misunderstanding as soon as possible.
I don’t despise Laocles. I don’t dislike him. I am not afraid of him. I wish him well. I’m not afraid of him… But I can’t sum those things up in one word, so I can’t help it.
“……take care of me again.” (Tougo)
I decided to say that.
“…that’s the conclusion you got from hearing what I just said, huh?” (Laocles)
“Yes.” (Tougo)
…Yes, and then I reconsidered, and I realized that the me from earlier probably didn’t answer Laocles’s question.
Realizing this, I panicked and opened my mouth to give a proper answer. I didn’t think it was scary, or I thought it was hard work, or something like that, so I put it together like that…
But as I panicked inside, Laocles started laughing.
…Yes. A deep belly laugh.
I never imagined that he would laugh that loud… I was a little surprised, and I thought, “Laocles can laugh out loud, too.”
When I was a little surprised, Laocles noticed me and stopped laughing with a slightly awkward face.
“…that is just like you.” (Laocles)
Laocles said that and smiled wryly.
“I feel like I’m asking this question for the umpteenth time, but are you willing to stay with a guy who kills people? There are plenty of guys better than me. Sell me and buy someone else.” (Laocles)
“I’m not particularly afraid of you, and I’m not going to sell you…” (Tougo)
“Really?” (Laocles)
“Yes.” (Tougo)
Yes. That’s all I will say.
“I’m really glad it was you I chose.” (Tougo)
“…You are… The second.” (Laocles)
“Huh… Huh?” (Tougo)
“You’re my second master.” (Laocles)
Didn’t you say earlier that you moved around between a few people? And that none of them had you as a model. Did I mishear you?
“…that’s all I’m going to say. I’m sorry to have bothered you.” (Laocles)
“Hmm, I’m glad you told me.” (Tougo)
I’m glad that he told me what kind of life he’s lived… No, I wonder if it’s inappropriate to be glad I was told about the weight of his life, or that I be glad in general.
“Go to bed.” (Laocles)
“Yes. Good night.” (Tougo)
Anyway, he told me to go to bed, so I did.
When I got into bed, I smelled something nice and immediately felt sleepy. Maybe they use a good fabric softener because it’s a bedding of a noble family.
The next day. When I woke up, Laocles was already awake. I got up and stared out the window… Well, I don’t think he was keeping watch through the night, but he was looking out the window.
“……good morning.” (Tougo)
“Oh, you’re awake.” (Laocles)
“Laocles, did you sleep properly?” (Tougo)
“I slept.” (Laocles)
If he says he slept all right, I won’t say anything more. I skip lunch myself, I don’t stop people who like to sip mentsuyu [T/N: Cold soba dipping sauce/soup base.], and I don’t complain when people don’t tell me if they went to bed or not.
After we were served breakfast, we decided to go out of town for a bit.
