A Reunion with a Colleague
In the end, we got back much later than expected due to negotiations and contract discussions with a new business partner.
Reskel was eager to expand the scale of our future harvests, but he planned to discuss it thoroughly with Chief Ganun before making any decisions.
Given what had happened with the Eigenberg Company earlier in the day, it was wise to be cautious.
Meanwhile, Miracca, whom I had reunited with in Gracela, apparently had business with me.
As we shared a carriage on the way back, I asked her directly about her intentions.
"What do you need from me?"
"It's about the embezzlement allegations. Knowing you, I’m sure you didn't do it... but the way you were demoted was suspiciously smooth. It was such a rushed conclusion that the higher-ups are now under scrutiny. And, of course, I’m one of the people keeping an eye on them."
I hadn’t expected her to be looking into this as well. Having her on my side was reassuring.
"Not just what happened in Gracela—lately, more and more people have been trying to exploit the title of knight for personal gain. As for your case… Vice-Commander Bellows believes it’s nothing more than a farce staged by those who have grown arrogant in their position and abandoned their desire for self-improvement."
"A farce, huh..."
Miracca’s expression darkened slightly as she said this. It wasn’t hard to guess why. She had once admired the knighthood, endured rigorous training, and officially joined their ranks. But now, seeing the current state of the order, she must have felt deeply disillusioned.
"Actually, it was Vice-Commander Bellows who asked me to reach out to you."
"I figured as much."
Considering he had even sent his daughter, Elina, to support me, it was obvious that someone with authority was backing this.
And if I had to name the most likely person, Bellows was the first that came to mind.
"We’ll talk more about it at the village outpost. Elina’s there too, right?"
"Yeah. She’s holding down the fort."
"Hmm..."
… What’s with that reaction?
Miracca’s response was strangely loaded.
Despite some complications along the way, I had successfully completed my mission, and my short but eventful journey was coming to an end.
By the time we arrived, night had already fallen, and the village was quiet.
However, since I needed to report back, we decided to head straight to Chief Ganun’s house. There weren’t any people outside, but it was still too early for the entire village to be asleep.
"You two did well out there."
Before that, though, I stopped by the station to return Leon and Bulk to the stables.
As I was doing so, I heard a noise—Elina, apparently noticing our arrival, came rushing out with impressive speed. I had seen the lights on inside, so I knew she was still awake, but that was quite the reaction time.
"Welcome back, Senior—Whoaa!?"
The moment she saw us, Elina froze. And there was no doubt as to the cause.
"You're looking well, Elina."
"S-Senior M-Miracca...?"
Miracca greeted her with a warm smile, but Elina was stiff with nervousness.
… Did these two have some kind of history?
What do you think about this chapter?
