Chapter 6: Let’s Chat
We arrived at Holy Knight Ashley’s mansion, guided by Anon’s coachman. The sun had already set, and darkness was creeping in around us.
“I’m glad we made it just before it got dark,” I said.
“Thanks for that. I appreciate you bringing us all the way here,” Anon replied, stretching his shoulders and neck to loosen up his stiff body.
“Hm? Are you perhaps misunderstanding something?” Anon said, raising an eyebrow.
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind. Let’s go.”
Holy Knight Ashley’s mansion was an impressive Western-style building. To someone like me, who grew up in Japan, it seemed incredibly luxurious, but compared to the noble residences I had seen in the Royal Capital of the Arcana Kingdom, it felt somewhat lacking.
I was curious about how the size of the mansion reflected their status, but more than that, I felt a strange tightness in my chest at the fact that Ashley lived in such a remote area, far from the almost deserted town.
The entrance to the mansion was, of course, firmly closed. Next to the door was a spherical magic tool embedded in the wall, about the size of a palm. Anon placed his hand over it. This was a summoning magic tool, he explained.
Soon, the magic tool emitted a buzzing sound.
‘…’
I could definitely sense a presence on the other side. Perhaps because it was late, it seemed like someone was watching us. Anon, unfazed, said, “Heh. That’s probably Mr. Justus over there, right? It’s Anon. Hurry up and welcome us.”
Not long after Anon’s remark, the front gate creaked open, and a man in a tailcoat appeared from the mansion. He had an unusually sharp gaze. Compared to the attendants I had seen in the Royal Castle, his posture was impeccably straight, as if a wire were piercing through his back.
“Thank you for coming, Anon-sama,” Mr. Justus said, expressing his gratitude before immediately turning his attention to me and Sensei.
“So, Anon-sama, who are the people behind you?” he asked.
“Oh, I should introduce them. They are my friends. They will surely be of help to Ashley,” Anon replied.
Mr. Justus narrowed his already sharp eyes, scrutinizing me and Sensei with a piercing glare. Anon’s atmosphere shifted to something more tense.
“Mr. Justus, I don’t want to say this, but I am a friend of Ashley’s, and I have been working for her lately. You know that, right? Yet, you don’t even invite us into the mansion and instead direct an impolite gaze at my friends. Is that the consensus of this household? Hm?”
“N-No.”
“Then hurry up and let us inside.”
Though Anon’s tone was calm, it carried a weight of authority. Mr. Justus was sweating profusely.
“I apologize. Anon-sama, and to your two friends, please come this way.”
With that, Mr. Justus led the three of us into the mansion.
We were each assigned guest rooms. After dropping off our belongings, we headed to the hall where we had agreed to meet. Anon and Sensei were already there.
“Row, you made it. Let’s go see Ashley,” Anon said.
He mentioned he was acting for Ashley’s sake. I couldn’t quite imagine what kind of relationship he had with her. Perhaps because he had visited the mansion several times, he seemed familiar with the layout, leading us confidently as he walked alongside Mr. Justus.
“This is it. The young lady is inside, but please—”
“I know. They’ll understand without you having to say it,” Anon interrupted, dismissing Mr. Justus’s caution as if it were a common exchange between them.
We opened a particularly lavish door and stepped into the room. Inside, we found a beautiful woman with strawberry-blonde hair lying on the bed.
She was none other than Holy Knight Ashley Noble.
When I and Sensei saw Ashley lying there without moving, we were momentarily speechless. It was clear this was no ordinary sleep. The only sound in the room was her steady breathing.
“Who is she?” I asked.
“She is—” Anon began to answer, but Mr. Justus took over.
“That day, the young lady went to the shrine. Her task usually takes about half a day, so we were busy with our work in the mansion, hoping for her safe return. However, an hour earlier than usual, a signal for help was raised from where she was.”
Mr. Justus’s voice trembled.
“When we hurried to the shrine’s cave, we found the young lady collapsed. Fortunately, she had no injuries, but she was unconscious. We approached her and desperately used healing potions to rouse her. Thankfully, she regained consciousness for just a moment.”
The story Anon had told me before coming here was now being confirmed by Mr. Justus.
“The young lady is a very responsible person. That sense of responsibility must have briefly awakened her.”
Mr. Justus paused for a moment before continuing, as if he were about to spill something significant.
“She regained consciousness for just a moment and conveyed this to us: ‘The Sealed Sword has been taken, and the seal has been broken. The usurpers are the Hero Party.'”
Holy Knight Ashley had conveyed crucial information to Mr. Justus and the others before losing consciousness again. Though she had no visible injuries, the reason for her unresponsiveness remained a mystery. After hearing what we needed to know, we left Ashley’s room. We all agreed that the discussion could wait until tomorrow and headed back to our assigned rooms.
As I walked down the hallway, I caught sight of stars outside the window. It was already a splendid night.
Suddenly, I thought of Sena. The thought of her spending the night alone made my chest tighten. Hearing about Ashley raised many concerns, and there were countless things I needed to think about. Yet, more than anything, my mind was occupied with thoughts of Sena. Was it alright to leave her alone? Was she feeling lonely? What had happened in her past? I had so many questions, but I hesitated to ask them. My thoughts and feelings for Sena swirled around in my mind.
Clack.
At this hour, the mansion’s residents were likely in their rooms, either working or resting. So, what was that sound of footsteps behind me?
I turned around to find Anon. He smiled slightly, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“Ah, what the— you startled me.”
“Did I surprise you? I had no intention of doing so,” he replied, his tone typical of Anon’s roundabout way of speaking.
“By the way, Anon, what do you want?”
“Well, I wanted to have a little chat with you.”
I was too preoccupied with thoughts of Sena to engage in conversation.
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”
“Nope. What’s the harm in chatting today? It’s not like anything will be lost,” he insisted.
“True, but…”
“See? It’s fine, Holy Knight Yamada Ichiro.”
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