Chapter 50
Aquila called in the guards stationed at his lodging—namely, Cahena and Heinen.
He was not in a position to wander around on his own, after all.
In any case, once summoned, they told him that it was fine if he wished to go out.
Portplum was crowded enough that as long as he did not stray beyond a distance they could not cover, they were confident they could block anyone who came.
It was an impressive level of confidence, but it was not something that could be dismissed as mere arrogance.
Because it was true.
“Once the Founding Festival begins, the streets will be even more crowded, so if you wish to take a leisurely look around the city, now would be the better time.”
Heinen added his advice.
Of course, when he learned that Aquila’s destination was not the streets or the Grand Temple, but the Raiesel estate, he could not hide his surprise.
After a brief explanation of the situation and the contents of the letter, the two nodded.
“Well, we understand the circumstances, but the lady would not know the details, so it is understandable from her side, I suppose…….”
Cahena scratched the back of her head with a subtle expression.
“Does she seem very angry?”
“It is hard to tell from the letter alone, but the handwriting made it seem that way.”
Judging by how firmly the letters were pressed into the paper, she seemed to have a stubborn side, at the very least.
Cahena crossed her arms and tilted her head.
“…I met her once when she came to Igrail. She struck me as confident and mature. Of course, that is only her outward appearance. I cannot say what she is really like.”
Aquila had no memories from before, so he had nothing to refute or add.
He vaguely remembered the tomboy who had taken a liking to Ark, but if she was described as quiet and mature, that did not seem to match.
In any case, the one needed for the scenario was Count Raiesel, not his children, so Aquila had never paid them much attention.
“If we visit House Raiesel, will the Temple Knights be allowed to accompany us?”
“House Raiesel maintains good relations with the Temple of the Sun, so it should be fine. However, they will likely ask for a clear reason as to why we are accompanying you.”
Heinen explained.
It had been revealed that the Curse of Deadly Poison was connected to the Guild of Darkness, but Aquila’s personal circumstances had not spread.
They might know that the Temple Knights had gone to Igrail and Celteng, but not what had actually happened.
Moreover, while each member of the Temple Knights was formidable in terms of divine power and ability, none of them quite matched Heinen, who held the position of commander.
And yet, here was Heinen, the Second Commander of the Temple Knights, openly staying by Aquila’s side.
“Should I say I might get stabbed by a member of the Guild of Darkness while walking around?”
“…You should phrase that a bit more tactfully.”
Thus, Aquila’s suggestion was relayed to House Raiesel in a more refined manner, with the mention of the Guild of Darkness removed.
That Aquila was currently receiving assistance from the Temple Knights, and therefore could not go anywhere unless Heinen accompanied him.
House Raiesel would have understood that Aquila was facing some sort of threat serious enough to require the Temple Knights’ protection.
Even so, the reply that came back through a courier stated that the Temple Knights of the Grand Temple of Portplum were brothers to them, and that within Portplum there was no place where those who served the benevolent Sun God would not be welcomed.
Surprisingly, permission was granted immediately, without a single question.
‘…House Raiesel is not usually that easygoing. What are they thinking?’
Aquila narrowed his eyes after receiving the response, but there was no reason not to go now that permission had been granted.
Even if things did not go smoothly, it would still be good to make an impression on Count Raiesel rather than Merien.
After letters went back and forth once more, the time for visiting House Raiesel was set for one o’clock tomorrow.
***
As Aquila stepped down from the carriage, he took in the familiar sight of the estate before him.
The Raiesel estate was refined and tidy overall.
Unlike the architecture of House Reschenhardt, which was closer to a fortress, it was, so to speak, more aristocratic.
The servants who had come out to greet them bowed their heads upon seeing Aquila.
Among them was a person wearing a rather elegant dress.
“It has been a while, Aquila Reschenhardt.”
Long black hair that flowed like waves.
Green eyes that looked resolute.
A woman with sharp, upturned eyes, giving her a fierce impression, greeted Aquila.
And the moment Aquila saw her face, he remembered exactly who she was.
‘The eldest daughter of House Raiesel. She looks quite different.’
As Aquila remembered it, the eldest daughter of House Raiesel had had a darker impression.
More importantly, aside from Merien, there was no one who looked like they could be Count Raiesel.
‘He always came out to greet guests himself. I thought he would be here this time as well.’
There was no sign of Count Raiesel.
Aquila found it strange, but he did not show it and simply nodded.
“…Yes, it is good to see you again. Thank you once more for inviting me.”
At those words, Merien’s expression shifted subtly.
She looked flustered, or perhaps dumbfounded.
But it only lasted a moment. Merien, who had been stiff, gave a small cough and brushed her hair back.
“Let us go inside and talk. I have prepared tea perfectly.”
Merien showed a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
Together, they entered the Raiesel estate.
***
The interior of the estate differed in a few places from Aquila’s memories, but it was bright and immaculate.
Following Merien and the servants, Aquila entered one of the rooms.
Tea and desserts for teatime were already prepared on the table.
“I considered going out to the garden, but the weather is a bit chilly, and I was concerned you might feel unsafe outside, so I moved it indoors. Is that all right?”
“Yes. Thank you for your consideration.”
After a brief reply, Aquila quietly took his seat across from her.
A servant approached silently and poured black tea into their cups.
Steam rose from the cups, crimson waves gently rippling.
Clink.
Merien lifted her cup.
“I will be direct.”
After taking a sip of tea, she immediately set the cup back down.
“Are you ignoring me now because I rejected your confession?”
“…Pardon?”
“You were talking about love at first sight, and now you have completely changed your attitude. Are you that dissatisfied?”
“Khk, cough…!”
Cahena, who was standing by the door, swallowed her saliva the wrong way and began coughing loudly as it went down the wrong pipe.
Shen turned his head and glared in Cahena’s direction.
Heinen kept his lips tightly shut, but he thumped Cahena’s back forcefully.
“Ah, ugh! Sir, that hurts…! Khk!”
Struck by the thick gauntlet, Cahena twisted about, complaining in pain that was not entirely exaggerated.
Amidst all this commotion, Aquila was simply dumbfounded.
He had not expected her to bring something like that up so abruptly.
More than that, had Shen not told him yesterday that Aquila had asked the young lady to be friends?
Aquila added in a dazed voice.
“…I said that?”
“Oh? Your face turned red like that hair of yours, your voice shrank until it was barely audible, and you could not even look me in the eye… Did you really think I would not know?”
Merien curled her lips crookedly in disbelief.
“My eyes are not just for decoration, you know.”
Cahena, who had finally stopped coughing, gave one last hack and glanced around nervously.
Of course, she was not the only one.
Everyone in the room was staring at Aquila.
‘Oh. He was quite innocent, apparently.’
That was the extent of Aquila’s impression.
He showed no reaction, as if he were listening to someone else’s story.
But something about that face seemed to hit a nerve with Merien.
“You are wearing that expression again, as if nothing ever happened. Those were your own words, and yet……”
Merien tilted her head as if she could not understand.
At that, Aquila realized why Merien had been acting so subtly.
From her perspective, the young man who had blushed and acted so pure when asking to be friends now seemed utterly indifferent, not even a month later.
It was something she could not comprehend.
As if once someone liked her, they should continue to like her……
‘Then again, it is not just the real Aquila Reschenhardt. It seems the young lady herself is rather naive as well.’
He was flustered by the blunt topic, but in a situation like this, it did not seem difficult to cut things off cleanly.
After all, it was not his relationship to begin with.
“In one more week, it will already be a month.”
“It has not even been a full month yet. Even so, it would have been enough time to send a letter with some news—”
“No, Lady Merien. What I wish to say is this.”
Aquila gently interrupted her.
In an exceedingly calm tone, he spoke quietly.
“That amount of time is enough for me to have overcome it.”
“…….”
Merien’s eyes widened in shock.
Aquila took a slow sip of the warm black tea and continued.
“As for the party, unforeseen circumstances overlapped, and I was unable to give it due attention. It was a matter of my family, so I cannot go into details, but……”
It was far better to draw a clear line than to allow her to try to manipulate him, knowing that he liked her.
Compared to the main scenario that lay ahead, even the Guild of Darkness felt trivial, let alone something like this childish dalliance.
It was easier to dispose of it altogether and not think about it.
“However, there is no excuse for having forgotten about it. I apologize.”
“…So you truly forgot about the party.”
“Yes. I have no excuse.”
He bowed his head lightly.
Merien’s expression showed that her pride had been hurt.
After seeing his face flush at her every reaction, she had felt pressured and preemptively rejected his confession.
But hearing him say that he had already overcome it scratched at her pride instead.
Still, she could not voice her dissatisfaction.
Doing so would wound her pride even further.
Finding her own thoughts childish even to herself, Merien took a deep breath.
“…You have no intention whatsoever of telling me what you went through, do you?”
“It was a matter of my family. All I can say is that I did not even have the leisure to concern myself with anything else.”
Once Lexenbert returned and things were settled, there might be an official announcement, but for now there was no reason to offer any explanation.
Merien stared intently at Aquila, then lifted one corner of her lips.
She had realized that no matter how much she pressed, he would not say anything.
“…Then you truly have no idea what happened afterward. Is that right?”
“Yes. I am sorry about that as well. If you would tell me, I would be grateful to hear it.”
After a brief silence at Aquila’s words, Merien let out a sigh.
“Fine. After my coming-of-age party, House Raiesel gained a new nickname.”
She set down the cup she had been holding without a sound.
“‘The Hall of Blood.’”