A Little Visitor
As the resident knight, it’s my duty to protect the people of Curtis Village. But if someone’s in trouble—especially a young child around Parker’s age—it’s only right to offer a helping hand.
“Hey there, hello. Are you headed somewhere?”
“...!”
I tried to speak gently, but the girl jumped in surprise, flinching hard. Her long purple hair, tied into twin tails, and her large green eyes were nervously darting around… No doubt about it, she was scared.
“Don’t worry. I’m a knight stationed here in this village. You seemed to be looking for something, so I thought I’d check in… What brings you to our village?”
“Uh, um…”
She seemed shy, shifting her body awkwardly as she struggled to form her words.
“I-I came to look for a companion…”
“A companion?”
Her choice of words struck me as odd.
It sounded like she was searching for someone—but in that case, wouldn’t “friend” or “someone I know” be more natural? “Companion” gives the impression of something like an adventuring party or someone from a group like our Knights Order.
Well, she’s a kid, so it’s possible she just used the wrong word… but something about it felt off.
… Guess I’ll dig a little deeper.
“What’s your name?”
“A-Amira.”
“Where do you live?”
“T-the capital of the Kingdom of Landval.”
“Are your parents with you?”
“N-no.”
Despite her timidness, Amira answered each question properly. Maybe her nerves had begun to settle, because her tone grew calmer. Parker, who I’d brought along, also encouraged her with a “It’s okay,” which seemed to help her feel more at ease.
Still… I couldn’t shake this odd feeling.
She looked every bit a young girl—but talking to her, I felt like I was speaking to someone much older. Her voice and mannerisms were age-appropriate, and yet… why was I feeling so suspicious?
Maybe it had something to do with the person she was looking for. Thinking that, I asked for their name—only for her to say:
“I’m looking for a knight named Justin Foyle.”
“What?”
To my shock, the person Amira was looking for… was me.
… And suddenly, I had a very bad feeling about this.
“D-don’t tell me…”
A stranger showing up to see me at this exact timing.
The only possibility I could think of… was that she might be the “highly skilled magician” sent by the McCreed family.
What do you think about this chapter?
