My head hurt.

 

   Within a faint dizziness and a gust that for some reason was blowing strong, the only thing I felt was confusion.

 

   For certain… after Eldmia had left saying he was going to finish the work. I remembered up to wondering with aunty about what to do about the bloodstain in front of the inn while waiting for Jinn to bring the guards.

 

   And turning my head for a second towards aunty, who was heading in saying she’d have to give Eldmia a warm tea or something when he returned later, too.

 

   And my memory ended.

 

   “I see you’re awake. Lady Lien.”

 

   My body was tied like a sack. I’d realized a moment later that I was wearing a hood. It likely seemed to be a measure taken against the possible cold while flying. Thanks to that, I didn’t feel cold despite the wind that definitely seemed to be blowing incredibly.

 

   Like that, while held in the arms of the person whose identity I couldn’t even guess with just the voice, I stared at the dizzying view spreading below me and collected my thoughts.

 

   “As I thought, it was a drake.”

 

   “Did lady and that mysterious friend deduce it together? It’s an excellent analysis.”

 

   The owner of the voice was a young man, but she didn’t remember him. It could be that she had forgotten from the memory being too old, but it didn’t matter to her since it didn’t change that nothing came up in her mind at the moment.

 

   Because his simply nonchalant voice felt like proof that he had predicted all the moves she and Eldmia had taken, she unconsciously bit her lips.

 

   “Was it a diversion?”

 

   “That’s correct. In truth, rather than watching out for that friend, it was something that we had the King faction’s obstruction in mind. Acquiring two drakes and needing to use the drake pilot in our hands as a pawn was an excruciating expense, but… since it succeeded like this, I think it was meaningful.”

 

   “To think a drake knight would feel meaning after participating in a perverted kidnapping like this, I see the honor of the Noble faction has been rolling in the gutters. Rather than flying like this, shouldn’t this be a time to dig through all of the city’s sewers? It wouldn’t be enough with merely 1 or 2 years to find the minuscule honor left in the dung pile, after all.”

 

   “Hmn. That’s a novel and harsh expression. It should’ve been arduous just to survive in the cold environment for more than 3 years, but has lady not abandoned learning and studying even then? The marquis will surely be proud if he saw you. That sir’s words were simply lacerating as well, after all.”

 

   For a second she had wondered if it was an insult that dragged in her parent, but Lagnis could tell that there was sincerity in the man’s manners. For a fact, the three-inch of a tongue her father Engrene Lien da Levien held was like swords and spears when directed at his political rivals.

 

   Seeing how he properly knew about that, it certainly felt like she would’ve had seen him at least once before, but… she simply couldn’t tell.

 

   “And I’m not a drake knight, Lady Lien. And it also seems to be a fact that I’m feeling simultaneously relieved and yet disappointed that lady doesn’t remember me very well.”

 

   “Treason! You dare pilot a drake and learn swordsmanship despite not even being a drake knight?”

 

   “Well, it’s fine if I don’t get caught.”

 

   Lagnis felt a creeping chill at the reaction that spoke as if it was simply obvious. How was he that nonchalantly doing what counted as treason as if it was nothing?

 

   “Lady Lien should be unaware since lady doesn’t know yet about the dark sides of the nobles, but there surprisingly are quite a many who quietly and secretly learn drake handling if one travels a little beyond the capital. Although most are those doing preliminary studying in the hope of becoming a drake knight someday rather than having impure thoughts, naturally there are those who aren’t included in that ‘most’, too.”

 

   “… what happened to Eldmia?”

 

   When she abruptly broke the conversation and changed the topic, the man closed his mouth for a moment.

 

   “I see. I didn’t properly hear what they were saying from watching from afar, but they were saying ‘Eldmia. Eldmia Egga’, hm. He’s probably dead.”

 

   It felt as if her heart dropped to the ground, but not minding her such feeling at all, the man calmly and naturally, and nonchalantly continued his words.

 

   “I like to place the perfect bait even when setting a simple trap, you see. I’ve assigned four friends who only have passing the knight exam left on the side with the drake pilot. Even though that friend knew how to fight a bit, in the end it was no more than a ragtag fistfight. Against them, he should’ve died within a few or less exchanges.”

 

   Her crying instantly turned back right before the tip of her throat. At the same time, her heart began beating for a different reason.

 

   ‘Ragtag fistfight’?

 

   That Eldmia, who had used aura since at the very least 11 years old and was learning techniques from a 120-year-old elf?

 

   The man thought he had read all of their moves, but at the very least, he had completely misjudged Eldmia’s skills.

 

   ‘If I do that, then their guards will shoot right up.’

 

   With a chill, the words Eldmia had said on the rooftop of some unknown person’s building brushed through her mind.

 

   “Hm? Are you crying, lady Lien?”

 

   Noticing Lagnis shaking, the man quietly hummed as if troubled.

 

   “Ladies do often say that they like wild-looking men, but… rather than being wild, that friend was more of a hooligan. Even when putting aside being a commoner, too. Please don’t mind it too much.”

 

   She couldn’t answer. Because she had realized that the man’s misunderstanding was the final hand to turn everything around, she chose to be silent.

 

   Lagnis was smiling.

 

   🔷

 

   “So, that guy called Delt decided to fly the drake himself?”

 

   Being surprised by the far more comfortable than expected ride the drake provided was something tens of minutes in the past.

 

   Sitting on a drake ferociously flying, I was hugging the drake pilot’s waist.

 

   “T, that’s correct. I could have escorted the lady if those adventurers defeated M, Mister Eldmia, and since Mister Eldmia will come to our side through the wrong information and di, no. I mean, be delayed even if they failed…”

 

   “So he thought I’ll die, huh? By those 4 guys before?”

 

   “…….”

 

   “It’s not something you did, so what’re you flinching for? Rather, I’ll cut your fingers if you don’t answer, okay? Are you going to help me backtrack my path by searching for hints of your fingers when going back home?”

 

   “I, I’m sorry, sir! What you’ve said is correct! Delt was confident that Mister Eldmia will be killed by them!”

 

   “Were those guys that strong?”

 

   They were people who couldn’t even use aura, though? When I pondered the question like that, the drake pilot, who introduced himself as Giesse, fumbled through his memories and opened his mouth.

   “That’s… I don’t exactly know either, but I do remember Delt asking them if they can’t take things slow and relax after this job and until the knight exam.”

 

   “So that means they should’ve been skilled enough to easily pass the ordinary knight exam, right?”

 

   “That’s exactly correct.”

 

   As I thought, it was an unfair world. To think the difference between having something sort of like aura and not having it would be this big.

 

   If there was this big a difference even though the kingdom’s ordinary knight exam wasn’t some checkers or a card game, then I hadn’t even a clue on just how slanted the power balance in this world was.

 

   Even so, it was definite that that Delt bastard who might or might not be a drake knight had completely misjudged my skills. Even just by that, I saw a chance.

 

   “But just why in the world did you get dragged in here? Aren’t drake pilots high-valued technicians? Isn’t it all over for you if you get wrapped up in a conspiracy like this?”

 

   “M, my parents had debts, so…”

 

   Holy fucking shit! Drake pilot Giesse, whom I thought was an unforgivable son of a bitch, was in truth a rare devoted son in this shit for a world!

 

   According to his words, it seemed that his becoming a drake pilot through near self-made efforts was all nice and well, but inversely because of that, his parents’ overspending turned excessive at their child’s abruptly increased wage, and they were sitting on a pile of debt before he knew it. And because the moneylender that lent the cash in that process was owned by one of the Noble faction’s nobles, he ended up helping out with this work in return for having the debt forgiven.

 

   “However you look at it, didn’t you get scammed?”

 

   “Eh? Scammed?”

 

   Giesse asked back with a tone that completely didn’t understand what I was saying, so I kindly explained it. Having heard all of my speculation that they approached over a long period of time and piled on debts to strategically blackmail a drake pilot and use him, Giesse couldn’t help but show shock.

 

   “Is that something even possible in this world?! How could a person even come up with such an evil thought?!”

 

   “Fraudsters are always overflowing everywhere. It might not work if you saw your parents as pieces of shit, but wouldn’t you say it’ll be really effective?”

 

   At first I was irate with everything and wanted to actually slice off at least a digit of his finger whenever I got the chance, but having had the thought that he might also be a victim, that feeling completely disappeared.

 

   “I… I really don’t know what to think. I want to think that it can’t be true, but… when I look back, there’s too many suspicious moments.”

 

   “…Hey! Fucking don’t worry about it! You know who I’m going to rescue right now? It’s Marquis Lagnis Lien da Levien. She’s the heir who’ll be fully inheriting all the fortunes and rights so long as she meets the King faction. Let alone the chase, all of this would’ve been the end if you hadn’t cooperated and bit off your tongue and died instead, so I’ll explain well to Lagnis that you really helped out.”

 

   “R, really?”

 

   “I’m not forgiving to ungrateful kids that dare call themselves their parents’ children ‘cause I lost my parents when I was young, but I’m a bit partial to devoted kids who look after their parents. I’ll think up something to erase the felony you have, too, so just work with me later to keep the story straight. After all, you gotta get at least one good thing out if you get exploited by fucking pieces of shit nobles.”

 

   “…sniff. T, thank you, sir.”

 

   Really, the Noble faction bastards didn’t sit well with me from top to bottom. Of all things, they even fucked up commoners with loansharking. I did get an unexpected friend thanks to that, but that’s besides the point of them being loathsome.

 

   Even so, Lagnis came first right now.

 

   “Anyway, we can really catch up to them, right? If we ultimately fail, I’ll be fucked, too, and your future will be the same exploitation even if your debts disappear for now, you know?”

 

   “Y, you don’t have to worry about that. Because Mister Eldmia moved far faster than what Delt predicted, catching up to them is literally just a matter of time if we just fly like this. Though, it won’t be possible right away and we’ll have to fly for a few hours to see them.”

 

   “It’s fine if we can just catch up.”

 

   “But… isn’t there nothing we can do even if we do catch up?”

 

   “I’m gonna bet my life and pull a fucking trick.”

 

   “F, fucking trick?”

 

   In the first place, he was a guy that might be a drake knight. The reason I found his misjudging my skills a good thing was because I could really buy time thanks to that, and not because I thought I could beat him with it. However much I thought about it, there was just one way I could beat him in the air.

 

   “Yeah. I’m gonna jump down from somewhere higher than him and stab a drake’s skull.”

 

   It was a fucking lunacy even if I’d thought it up, but there really was no answer beside this.

 

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Translator: CSV

TL note: Thank you for the wait. And Ch.22 will also be coming up in few hours, probably sometime between late tonight or early tomorrow.

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Ch.20

Chapter List

Ch.22