NOVEL NEXT #61
#61
“I will inform you immediately, young master, if there are any meaningful results.”
“All right.”
Jersian watched Merheim’s back as he was about to leave the office, carefully holding the letter. He was someone Jersian had been observing for the past few years. Like showing the letter just now, Jersian could trust and entrust everything to Merheim.
However, the lie he heard from Marchioness Elmerila’s mouth at dawn today brought about a huge upheaval that could completely overturn the past few years. What if even this trust was a lie? I might just be seeing what I want to believe.
Thinking this, Jersian softly called out his name as Merheim grabbed the doorknob to turn it.
“Merheim.”
Merheim, standing at the door, immediately turned his back towards Jersian sitting in the office.
“Yes? Is there anything else you need?”
“…”
It wasn’t that he called Merheim’s name because he needed something. There was something he wanted to ask, but he thought that if he asked it outright, he might hear an unexpected answer.
“Young master?”
As Jersian closed his mouth tightly and hardened his face, Merheim opened his eyes wide and slowly walked back. It wasn’t often that his young master, who always gave orders confidently and efficiently, hesitated like this.
“Please speak. I’m listening.”
Merheim said with a loyal face. Judging by his words alone, he seemed ready to find out how to go to the demon realm right now if Jersian ordered it.
Jersian opened his lips, looking straight into Merheim’s eyes.
“Have you ever been betrayed?”
“Betrayed… you say?”
He asked back with a pale face, as if he had heard a question he shouldn’t have.
“Did, did I do something wrong?”
Jersian frowned. At times like this, Merheim was brighter than anyone when it came to business acumen or numbers, but unnecessarily timid.
“If you had done something wrong, I would have drawn my sword immediately instead of speaking indirectly like this. Don’t think unnecessarily and just answer what I asked.”
Merheim let out a big sigh with an exaggerated posture. Then, returning to his usual self, he answered Jersian’s question in a businesslike manner, as if reporting.
“Betrayal. Of course, I have experienced it.”
“Really? Who was it?”
Thinking it was a very peculiar question to the point where he couldn’t understand the intention, Merheim recalled his memory.
“Well… it’s cliché but… it was a lover. Looking back now, it doesn’t seem serious enough to use the word betrayal, but it was quite serious at the time.”
“How was it?”
Jersian asked with a serious expression.
“Pardon? How was what?”
“How did you feel at that time?”
“…”
No way, Merheim’s expression became very serious. He slightly bent his upper body and whispered to Jersian.
“…Did Kain Starchis betray you, young master?”
“Merheim.”
“Yes.”
“I told you not to think unnecessarily.”
Jersian was already having a headache because of Marchioness Elmerila. He imagined what it would be like if the one who betrayed him was Kain Starchis. If that were the case, he would go to Kain Starchis’s room right now and ask him. Since he can’t lie, he might confess the truth immediately. And after that. Jersian slightly furrowed his brow. …Honestly, he didn’t even want to imagine what would come after.
“Ah, I see. Haha. I apologize.”
After confirming Jersian’s angry expression, Merheim scratched his chin with an embarrassed face and said,
“If you ask how I felt… Of course, at first, I couldn’t believe it. We had been together for quite a long time. She had been deceiving me all that time. But as more time passed, my thoughts became clearer. The fact that no matter how much I tried to hold on, my relationship with her was already over at that point.”
“…”
It’s over at that point…
I wish the current situation was as simple as that.
Jersian remained silent as he listened to Merheim’s voice. As he closed his mouth as if lost in thought, Merheim looked at him worriedly.
“Are you alright?”
“…No, I’m not alright.”
He answered like that and then shook his head, waving his palm.
“You may go.”
“Pardon? But why did you ask such a question?”
“I’ll explain that later. First, after confirming the authenticity of that letter.”
“…”
Merheim seemed to have many questions, but due to Jersian’s firm refusal, he had no choice but to leave the office.
* * *
Peep-
The fist-sized bird let out a bright sound and flew vigorously into the air.
“The wound has healed well.”
Kain Starchis, looking up at it from the ground, muttered with a pleased face. It was fortunate that the injury was to the body, not the wing.
Flutter flutter- The bird flying in the sky moved its small wings and landed on Kain’s shoulder.
Peep-
At the chirping of the bird on his shoulder, Kain said,
“Really? Can you go now?”
Peep-
“Alright.”
Peep!
The bird, understanding Kain’s words, nodded its small head up and down and then rose into the sky again.
As if Jersian had given orders in advance, a servant came leading two horses, as if he had been waiting. One horse was black from ear to tail, and the other was the complete opposite, a white horse. Judging from Jersian’s preferences so far, it seemed the black horse was the one he would ride. If so. Kain thought as he made eye contact with the horse with snow-white fur.
“…”
It seems that’s the horse I should ask permission from.
“Me, me! I’ve never seen an elf before.”
“What brings you here?”
The horses had already recognized Kain and were curious about why an elf was here, with gentle eyes.
Kain Starchis made a strange expression.
“Why?”
Jersian was already on the black horse, looking at Kain who was still standing hesitantly.
“…It’s nothing.”
Kain took the reins offered by the servant and swiftly mounted the horse.
“An elf is riding on my back now?! I’m so excited!”
Neigh-! The white horse exclaimed excitedly while rolling its front legs in the air. It was full of energy, befitting a young horse.
“Kain, are you alright?”
Jersian, unaware of the horse’s feelings, spoke with a concerned tone. Whoa, whoa, the servant below also waved his hands trying to calm the horse with a flustered face. Kain stroked the white horse’s mane and said,
“My horse is just a bit excited. Don’t worry.”
“Where are we going? I want to visit the village where elves live!”
Kain smiled as if finding the lively horse cute and gently stroked its mane, saying,
“That’s for another time.”
“Today?”
Peep-
The small bird circling in the sky above urged them with good timing. Kain’s gaze went up to the sky and then immediately came back down. It was towards Jersian riding the black horse in the distance.
“Shall we go then?”
The image of Jersian riding the black horse came into Kain’s mind like a perfectly drawn picture. He was the young man who suited the pitch-black color the best among all the living beings Kain had seen so far. Even though he was riding a horse much larger than his own body, Jersian looked like an emperor who had this vast prairie and blue sky in the palm of his hand.
The cold expression and straight back staring at the bird flying far away moved slowly. He had turned his head this way.
Kain quietly observed all of this as if examining it. Jersian’s red eyes, meeting in mid-air, were sparkling and shining.
“Let’s go.”
After saying that, Jersian raised his hand holding the reins and started moving. Despite his young age, he seemed to have been riding horses for a long time, as his handling of the horse looked very skilled. Perhaps because of this, the black horse Jersian was riding seemed to be very proud of its master, a feeling that could be felt even from here.
In many ways, he was suited to stand above others. Thinking this, Kain scratched the head of the horse he was riding.
The white horse snorted once excitedly and then stretched its long legs, galloping after Jersian’s horse with a clatter.
The bird circling in the sky above seemed to notice that the two had departed and started flying quickly in a certain direction with a shrill cry. The sound of hooves hitting the ground from the two horses ridden by Jersian and Kain resonated loudly.
“It shouldn’t be too far from here.”
At Kain’s words, Jersian asked while looking ahead,
“Why do you think so?”
“That bird. It’s small and not a species that can fly for long periods like migratory birds. If they were going to send a carrier pigeon to a distant place, they would have chosen a different species.”
“That makes sense.”
Jersian nodded after hearing Kain’s words and stared intently at where the horse’s head was pointing.
“I wonder who personally sent a carrier pigeon to the Gerold mansion.”
“Just wait a little. We’ll know soon.”
Swish- At Kain’s firm answer, Jersian’s gaze moved sideways. Then he slid his lips with a smirk.
“…Right, I suppose so.”
The next steps can be considered after that. Jersian focused solely on chasing the bird together with Kain, who was sitting next to him with a straight back that seemed unbreakable by anything.