8
To bring back the unauthorized visitor from the empire or dispose of him…
Ferris stole a glance at Julius when Chisha announced his intentions. Even Julius was not so dense as to miss the anxiety in those golden eyes. The problem the emissary from Volakia had come to address instilled a great anxiety in the both of them.
“…Captain, we will accompany Master Chisha on his endeavor to apprehend this missing person. Am I correct in understanding that to be our duty?” Julius’s face didn’t so much as change a shade; the Spirit Knight looked completely unperturbed. Naturally, it was Ferris who felt deeply shaken as he listened.
Marcus, though, didn’t seem to notice Ferris’s uncommonly wide eyes. “That’s right.” The captain nodded. “I’ve explained to you what the kingdom wants. You’ll work with Master Chisha until his business here is over.”
“Understood, sir. Ferris, I assume you have no objections?”
“Huh? Uh, oh, ummm…no, we’ll, uh, certainly do our best…?”
“You don’t sound very sure about that. Say it like you mean it.”
With the demi-human’s stumbling acceptance, the orders were formally issued. Julius walked over to Chisha and offered his hand to shake. “I’m Julius Juukulius of the Knights of the Royal Guard. A pleasure to meet you.”
“And indeed, you as well. This will be my first foray into the Kingdom of Lugunica. I do hate to think of troubling you, but I’m sure I shall be needing your assistance.” Chisha shook Julius’s hand, then offered a handshake to Ferris as well. The purple-haired knight watched his fellow knight accept it somewhat hesitantly, then turned to Marcus.
“Very well, captain. If you’ve nothing further for us, we’ll proceed with Master Chisha.”
“Nothing from me. Make sure your behavior and actions uphold the honor of the royal guard.” Marcus’s tone was more formal now that a Divine General was among them. This last admonition seemed especially directed at Ferris, but in any event, the three of them silently left the room.
Chisha was the first to speak when they were safely out of Marcus’s office. “My goodness, he is even more fearsome than rumor told. I thought I was about to break out in a cold sweat.”
The Volakian was referring to Marcus, but from the lips of one of the Nine Divine Generals, it was apt to sound like a show of weakness. “I agree the captain’s got a scary face, but is that something one of the empire’s own generals should be saying? I thought any kind of weakness or fear was no good for your people.”
“You wound me. Though, I must say, the empire’s way of life rather disagrees with me… One might say it’s only natural I should have wound up in the place I am now.”
“You simply wound up as one of your nation’s highest-ranking generals, sir? You are too modest. One’s talent often brings about one’s own destiny. Are you not living proof of that, Master Chisha?”
“I must say, I find the thought rather lonesome…” The alabaster man shook his head slowly. He responded no further to Julius’s probing gaze but turned to look out of one of the windows in the hallway. “I pride myself on the elegance of our imperial capital, but I must say, your royal city has abundant charms of its own. Would that I could wander at my leisure through its streets…”
“Don’t you think you’d have a little too much on your mind to enjoy sightseeing? Hope you can wrap up what you’re doing and get out of here.”
“Your consideration for me is much appreciated. Surely, one of the Knights of the Royal Guard could not rest at ease knowing an imperial like myself is traveling the streets of the capital freely. I suppose we will have to focus on business on this occasion.”
“When you’re right, you’re right. I sure couldn’t ‘rest at ease’ knowing that.” Ferris shrugged but managed to shoot a glare in Julius’s direction. The target of the look hunched over a little, knowing he was being rebuked for hiding Cecils. Ferris’s eyes, though, carried more than reprimand; there was anxiety, too, showing a window into his complicated emotions at that moment.
And indeed, the demi-human knight was at the height of confusion. Chisha had come here to apprehend someone from his home country who was on an unauthorized visit to the kingdom. Ferris knew someone who fit the bill exactly—he was quite confident he knew exactly who it was.
I was against this from the start! he thought, feeling caught between his friendship with Julius and his loyalty to the kingdom. Julius, for his part, seemed oddly gratified by this agony. It proved, in its own way, just how deeply Ferris valued their friendship.
Thus, the spirit mage was eager to remove that weight from his companion as quickly as he could, but…
“Master Chisha, perhaps we might go somewhere to discuss this at more length. I have an idea. How about my house? It’s right here in the capital.”
“What?!” Ferris said, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head. The person in question, the one freely walking the streets of the capital at that very moment, was at the very place Julius intended to bring Chisha to. To Ferris, this was like a stab in the back after he had racked his brain trying to prevent just such a turn of events.
However, the knight merely winked at Ferris and said softly, so that only his friend could hear, “Don’t worry. I’m thrilled to know how dear you keep our friendship.”
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