CH 54

An Unexpected Visitor

Things took an unexpected turn.

The possibility that the lost Abby, whom she happened to save in the royal capital, was being targeted for kidnapping has surfaced.

Abby and her parents were taken to the headquarters of the Patrol Corps to hear a more detailed story.

Both her mother and the soldiers who took care of the lost Abby believed her testimony that she had found her friend and strayed away.

Although she felt creeped out by the hair ornament seller, the girl dared to keep quiet because she didn’t want her mother to be angry with her.

After the interview, she was chastised by her mother for not telling her something important, but in the end, she was tearfully hugged and told that she was glad she was safe.

In any case, with this, it would be possible to investigate the case as a kidnapping rather than just a disappearance.

The reason why Isaac was injured the other day was also revealed this time.

He had seen a suspicious, black-robed figure, and when he became wary and called out to him, a battle ensued.

He was quite skilled and eventually got away, but if someone as skilled as a corps member was hiding in the city, there must be a good reason for it.

There was a consensus within the Patrol Corps that it might possibly lead to a kidnapping case.

Then came Abby’s testimony. That was the final straw.

The assumption that the series of disappearances had been carried out by a kidnapping organization was suddenly becoming a reality.

“Sheila, you’ve done a great job. This proved that it was a kidnapping case, not a missing person case. Now we just need to find out who’s behind it.”

With nothing left to hide, the students were finally told what had happened.

However, since they were only students, they weren’t asked to cooperate with the investigation, but only to avert a crisis.

It was frustrating to be unable to do anything, but if the decision was made within the group, it had to be followed. Sheila was now an apprentice, and it wasn’t her intention to aggravate the situation by disrupting the process.

While the corps members were busy with meetings and patrols, Sheila and her colleagues were going about their daily lives as usual.

On the day of training at the training ground, Isaac and Zola were busy, so Sheila and the others had to self-study.

While she was somewhat absent-minded and in a daze, a member of the corps who was on standby at the headquarters came to the training ground. It seemed that Sheila had a visitor who wanted to meet her.

“A visitor?”

When she tilted her head slightly, the corps member scratched his head and answered.

“He was dressed a little differently. Like some kind of folk costume.”

When she heard the word “folk costume,” the first thing that came to mind was the attire of the village of Denan. That would be quite out of place among the residents of the royal capital.

Perhaps someone from the village had come to see her. With this in mind, she called out to Cody to inform him, then headed for the visiting building.

The visiting building was a confidential building. Since the Patrol Corps was in close contact with the Imperial Knights, there were too many important documents to casually invite outsiders in.

Considering the risk of intrusion by unauthorized persons, a visiting wing was built at the entrance to the gate.

She went to the private room she was told to go to and opened the door.

Her gaze was drawn to the very nostalgic attire of the person standing by the window.

The cylindrical hat and ankle-length coat were made of the same white cloth, with red embroidery in a geometric pattern that stood out vividly. At the waist was a cord made of twisted hemp and a geometric-patterned sash. The pants were tight-fitting to follow the lines of the body, and the shoes were boots made of tanned animal skin. Without a doubt, that was the usual attire in Denan Village.

A tall figure slowly turned around.

“It’s been a while, Sheila. I missed you so much, I had to come over.”

“――Brother!”

It was definitely Felix, although his silver hair, which shimmered in the sunlight, was neatly hidden by his hat.

It had been a long time since she had seen him in his village attire, but once she got used to seeing him dressed as a nobleman, she could see that it didn’t suit him very well.

When she ran over, she was gently flicked on the forehead.

“Hey, I told you to call me by my name, didn’t I?”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

She was so taken by his nostalgic appearance that she ended up calling him in a familiar way.

“I was so lonely because your vacations have been irregular since you started your training, and you haven’t come to see me because you were too busy.”

“Ahaha, I’m sorry. I haven’t gotten used to the work of the corps yet, so I sleep like a baby on my days off.”

She could never tell him that she was working on her days off.

“Well, let’s take a good look at your cute face, shall we?”

When she looked away and smiled awkwardly, Felix lifted her chin. A superb beauty with a charming smile was in front of her. His gray eyes narrowed gently, and she always felt like she was being trapped by his eyes.

“Felix, why are you wearing the village attire?”

“It’s not the right time to be out in public yet. I thought it would be better to dress this way than to look strangely suspicious.”

A disguise, she supposed. Although he would certainly stand out if seen on the street, his beautiful face might be less impressive because of his disguise. That was probably why he was hiding his conspicuous silver hair.

Felix had been hiding his identity for a long time, but it seemed that there was still a need to do so.

“Will there ever come a day when we can be together proudly?”

When she looked straight at him and asked, he let his gaze wander out the window. He squinted at the summer sky and the dark green trees.

“Well…. I might be able to go see your brave figure at the Fall Technique Competition.”

“Really? Then I have to do my best to make Felix proud.”

When Sheila flashed a bright smile, Felix patted her head and chuckled. He muttered something irrelevant, “I still wish Sheila would grow her hair longer.”

“…. Though it’s true that I wanted to see your face, there was one more thing I was worried about, so I forced myself to come see you.”

Felix touched Sheila’s cheek with a painful tinge in his gray eyes.

“I heard you found a witness to a child kidnapping case in the royal capital?”

“Felix, you know a lot.”

“Information comes in from all sorts of places. I’m sure Clauschezade already knows it and is probably getting nervous right now.”

Sheila’s spine naturally straightened as she recalled her guardian who had urged her not to do anything reckless.

Felix reached out with his other hand and cupped Sheila’s face in his large palm. Their faces moved even closer together. His gray eyes flashed sadly, and his silver lashes slowly droop.

“Sheila….. I’m worried about you.”

When he hugged me softly, she could smell his familiar fragrance. A scent as clear as cool spring water. She closed her eyes and leaned against him, feeling nostalgic.

“I knew from the moment you chose to become a knight that you could be in danger. Even so, I still want to protect you from even the smallest of things…..”

Felix’s voice resounded directly in her body.

The desire to support her and keep her away from danger. Both were his true feelings, and his voice conveyed his emotions, wavering between conflicting desires. While she savored the warmth of his body through her clothes, he continued.

“I also heard that you happened to be at the scene of the attempted kidnapping of the child. Why was Sheila at the kidnapping scene?”

“…. It really was a coincidence. Until yesterday, I thought the child I helped was just a normal lost child.”

Even as she answered, Sheila was puzzled. She hadn’t expected Felix to be that knowledgeable about the situation.

“Only the corps members and the higher-ups were supposed to know I was involved….. Why does Felix know about this?”

Everyone in the Patrol Corps knew, of course. However, the fact that a student from the academy was involved was considered confidential. Even the Commander, Matt Keenan, was under strict orders not to talk about it. It was kind of scary that Felix knew so much about it.

Perhaps sensing Sheila’s suspicion, Felix leaned away a little and smiled bewitchingly.

“Why do you think that is? For example….. Am I connected to that organization?”

It was a dangerous question, but Sheila didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Felix would never do that.”

His stiff beautiful face would surely appear ruthless to the onlooker. If he were to say it in a dismissive way, it might make her heart quiver.

But the love in his eyes made Sheila feel no fear whatsoever.

“But if it were true, then――”

She yanked Felix’s arm away from her and looked at him with firm eyes.

“I will get Felix with my own hands, I promise.”

Felix’s eyes welled up at Sheila’s determination.

His precious little sister has grown up so much. As an older brother, he felt a little lonely, but most of the time, he was moved by her.

“I love Sheila….”

“Waaa…!”

This time he pulled her in with such a strong force that Sheil was buried in his chest. She almost couldn’t breathe with her brother’s love for her.

“How lucky I am to be loved so much. I’m glad I met Sheila… You taught me how to be a better person. About family, comfort, trust, love… Everything.”

He grabbed her shoulder and lifted her face. She was met with a gaze that contained a painfully earnest light.

“Sheila, you have to promise me. I believe in you, too. That’s why I will continue to support you in your dreams. ――In exchange, no matter what difficulties you face, you have to come back safely.”

The words of the pledge immediately came to her mind. The declaration of Felix was as precious as the prayer of a devout believer.

“I promise. I will definitely return to the place where my loved ones are.”

Felix’s face softened in relief and he pulled away. At that time, him gently stroking her cheek was already a natural contact.

“Oh yes, I almost forgot.”

Felix slowly took out a small bag from the lining of his outfit.

“I have a sweet gift for you. They’re called macaron, and it seems to be popular in the royal castle right now.”

What rolled out of the package was a round, cute, colorful pastry. Felix picked one up and offered it to her.

“Thank you, Felix! Aaahh…”

Sheila obediently ate the macaron that was brought to her mouth.

“How cute is my little sister to eat something this big in one bite?”

Sheila spent a sweet and peaceful moment being adored by her brother, who was able to turn anything related to her into something cute.