33: Liz
I arrived at the royal castle without incident.
The journey was uneventful. Bridget had told me, “Don’t attract attention,” so I hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary. And likewise, nothing out of the ordinary had been done to me.
Bridget’s subordinate was competent. Even without his superior’s supervision, he’d followed orders, treating me as a ‘prisoner, but also a guest.’ While his tone was generally formal, he wasn’t rude, and I was provided with adequate food and lodging.
He seemed to understand that prisoners were valuable assets. Considering that the concept of prisoners of war didn’t exist in this world, this was quite surprising.
Bridget must have been a highly respected leader.
“Arrangements have been made. Come with me.”
“…Yes.” His tone was slightly softer now.
“This is the guest of Dark Knight Commander Bringit Finis, correct?”
“Yes, please take care of her. —Take care of yourself, too.”
His parting words, while simple, were heartfelt, coming from the knight who’d been responsible for me for the past few days.
“…Thank you.”
It seemed I’d officially been upgraded from ‘prisoner’ to ‘guest.’ While it didn’t guarantee my safety, and the treatment wouldn’t be drastically different, it was better than being treated entirely as a prisoner.
First, I had to talk to them. I’d deal with the rest as it came.
“This way…”
I was escorted by a royal guard and a dark elf maid with dazzlingly silver hair. The room they led me to was surprisingly luxurious.
“If you require anything, please ring the bell. An attendant will be with you shortly…”
“Yes.” I bowed my head slightly.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me…”
The maid left, and I heard the click of the lock.
I nodded. Right, house arrest.
I looked around the room. It was quite spacious, with a large window letting in soft sunlight.
Outside the window was a courtyard. I tried opening the window, but it seemed I was on the second floor. Even so, judging by the number of stairs we’d climbed, I must have been quite high up in the castle, so it was still technically a courtyard.
I looked up, but all I could see was a square patch of sky.
I closed the window and surveyed the room. It was luxurious, but sparsely furnished.
A bed, a side table with a water pitcher. A fireplace… or rather, a space for a fireplace. There was no firewood, no poker. Only an ornate, delicate ornament on the mantelpiece. It wouldn’t be much use as a weapon in a pinch.
Was this a room specifically designed for this purpose? Perhaps I was overthinking it.
I opened a door and found a bathroom. It reminded me of a hotel suite I’d once stayed in due to a booking error.
“Right.”
I kicked off my shoes and jumped onto the bed.
The simple pleasure of being the first to use a freshly made bed.
I snuggled under the covers and closed my eyes. The cold sheets gradually warmed beneath my body heat, and I felt myself drifting off to sleep.
I’m tired.
The unfamiliar carriage journey, treated more like cargo than a passenger. Bridget had warned me. I was being transported to the royal castle along with the initial wave of personnel being evacuated from Fort Garnalk, primarily those with serious injuries, as part of the preparations for its abandonment.
But they couldn’t put a ‘human prisoner (and guest)’ with the injured, so my designated seat had been a small space in a wagon crammed with supplies.
Clean sheets. A soft bed.
Bridget wasn’t here, but this was probably similar to the room I’d been given in the fortress. A tangible expression of her consideration.
So, I indulged in the luxury of a comfortable bed and fell into a deep sleep.
“…Fufu…”
“What are you laughing about?” Liz, lying beside me, looked at me quizzically.
“Just remembering how we met.”
“…You can forget about that.”
“That’s a bit difficult.” Incidentally, in Japanese, “a bit difficult” often meant “impossible.”
“You were the one in a compromising position, Master.”
“I won’t deny that.”
Thinking back, it was quite extravagant. To have an assassin from the Royal Guard sleeping beside me as my bodyguard.
“Remembering how aloof you were back then… makes me appreciate how things are now.”
“Could you please forget about that?”
“That’s a bit difficult.”
I could never forget. Every expression of hers was a precious treasure to me.
“You know about everything up until I met His Majesty, right?”
“Of course. …I’m glad I didn’t have to ‘dispose of you on the spot.’”
Liz sighed.
“Me too.”
If things had gone even slightly differently, she would have been the one to kill me.
Even a luxurious bed and delicious food got boring after three days. Especially with nothing else to do.
There were no bookshelves in this room.
No view from the window.
No one to talk to.
While I’d initially enjoyed my confinement, even with the initial culture shock of the ooze bath, there were limits.
So, in the afternoon, I rolled around on the bed, then lay on my back, staring at the ceiling.
“…Hey, are you there? I’d appreciate some company.”
There was no reply.
The next day, at the same time, I sat on the bed and addressed the ceiling again.
“…How about today? Won’t you come out? Like I said yesterday, I’d appreciate some company.”
No response. I flopped back onto the bed—and my eyes met those of a figure standing beside it.
The air was thick with awkwardness. Unable to bear the silence, I spoke.
“…Hello.”
Lying on my back wasn’t exactly the most appropriate posture for a first meeting.
It was a dark elf girl. Silver hair, cut short, her mouth hidden behind a red scarf.
She wore black leather that looked more like a swimsuit. It was the kind of outfit that probably only looked good on someone with a well-proportioned, ample bosom, like hers. A brown leather belt was fastened around her waist. Two large black knives hung at her sides in leather sheaths, and three thick, needle-like black daggers, likely for throwing, were strapped to each thigh.
Her narrowed eyes seemed to be studying me.
I considered sitting up, but that would just confirm that I’d been slacking off, so I decided to maintain my position. Though she probably knew anyway.
We stared at each other for a moment. This time, she spoke first.
“…I have received permission to reveal myself. How did you know I was here?”
“Should I be honest?” I tilted my head, still lying down.
“Yes. I am an assassin from His Majesty’s Royal Guard. —Your ability to detect my presence significantly increases your threat level. If you make any suspicious moves, I will… eliminate you… on the spot.”
Her words, spoken in a flat, emotionless tone, sent a chill down my spine.
“Please don’t do that. I’ll be honest.”
“Go ahead. I have been instructed to treat you as a guest. As long as you don’t do anything suspicious, I won’t take any action.”
I sat up and got out of bed. I stood facing the assassin girl, the bed between us.
“I was bluffing.”
The girl’s brows furrowed slightly.
“…What do you mean?”
“I was wondering if anyone was watching me, so I… well, I was bluffing. I just called out, hoping to see if anyone would respond. I had no idea if anyone was actually there, or where they were. Your concealment skills are impeccable.”
I was actually surprised someone was there.
“What reason do I have to believe you?”
“None. But it’s true that I wanted someone to talk to.”
“I have no reason to entertain you. I am here to observe you.”
“Then I’d appreciate it if you’d tell your superiors. I understand I’m under observation, but as you can see, I’m not a threat.”
“I’ll inform them.” She nodded curtly, her gaze unwavering.
“Also, do you have any books? I’m incredibly bored.”
“That’s unlikely. Even works of fiction can reveal a considerable amount of information.”
“Alright, I’ll give up on that…”
“Then…” She brushed past me, silent as a shadow. I called out to her.
“Wait. —What’s your name?”
She didn’t turn around, her pace unchanged as she replied.
“I have no reason to tell you my name.”
“…I’ll be waiting. See you tomorrow.”
“If you live that long.” She opened the door, slipped out, and I heard the click of the lock.
…I didn’t even hear the lock open. When and how did she get in and stand by my bed…
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