Chapter 36

Moving Forward
Suspicion toward Hank was growing within the Knights—Miracca stated this concisely.
However, she went on to say that the issue seemed to run deeper.

"Recently, Knight Commander Solard’s actions have been odd."

"Knight Commander Solard’s?"

At first, I didn’t understand why his name had come up while discussing suspicions about Hank.
But when I heard that the two had been seen whispering to each other at the royal council, I began to see the situation differently.

"Are Hank and Knight Commander Solard working together?"

"But that wouldn’t benefit Knight Commander Solard at all, would it? If anything, as a Knight Knight Commander, he should be outraged that someone like you—a distinguished Holy Knight—has been reassigned from royal defense to farm work. He should be the first to push for a reinvestigation or take action to bring you back..."

"Farm work?"

"... Forget that part."

Hearing my words, Elina hastily covered her mouth with her hands.
… Too late for that.
Miracca graciously chose to ignore it, though.

"Anyway, as Elina said, the things that Vice-Commander Bellows has been doing should originally be Knight Commander Solard’s responsibility. Instead of taking action, he’s avoiding it and is instead associating with Hank, who is under suspicion. That’s what bothers me."

"Could he just be probing Hank for information?"

"If that were the case, wouldn’t he at least consult with other knights about it?"

"That’s true..."

Miracca's observations made sense.
Something was off about the Knight Knight Commander’s behavior.
She and the others planned to investigate further, but... it frustrated me that despite this being my own reassignment issue, I could do nothing. The current Knights Order wouldn’t take me seriously. I had no choice but to rely on my allies.

After explaining everything, Miracca gave me a long, searching look and asked one final question.

"Do you really want to return to the capital?"

"Eh...?"

The sudden question caught me off guard.
Sensing my confusion, Miracca explained her reasoning.

"Watching you talk with the villagers at Chief Ganun’s house, it was clear to me that you’re truly enjoying your time here. And at the same time, the villagers clearly rely on you... I was wondering if you've started feeling attached to this place."

"That’s..."

As expected of Miracca.
She had sharp insight.
I had been aiming to return to the capital, but deep down, I had felt something pulling me toward staying here.

"You’re struggling with the answer, huh?"

Seeing my hesitation, Miracca smiled.
She had taken my silence as an answer in itself—and she was right.

"I can’t say for sure."

That was my honest feeling.

"Whether you return to the capital or not is up to you.—Our goal is simply to prove your innocence."

"... Thank you, Miracca."

"Don’t thank me. Personally, I’m happy to see this side of you."

As always, she was quick to ease the situation.
I really couldn’t compete with her.

With that, our discussion came to a close.

I was informed that the second royal council meeting was coming up, and depending on the circumstances, I might be required to testify in person.

A royal council meeting...
I had only ever observed from the outside during security duty, and now, I might have to stand before them myself.
It wasn’t certain yet, but I needed to be prepared.

What do you think about this chapter?