Bad Guy Theorad
Thud.
Leviham collapsed to his knees.
Beynon frowned, still holding his sword.
“…What's wrong with him?”
“I have no idea.”
How was I supposed to know?
The bishop sat with his mouth half-open, muttering to himself. His eyes had lost all focus.
I could think of only one explanation.
The elf had done something.
After all, it had started the moment she touched his back.
There was nothing Beynon or I could do about it now, so we stood and watched.
“…Yes. I'll remember…”
The bishop's eyes finally began to focus.
But there was no life in them.
The man who'd been calling on the God of Light with such ferocity only moments ago now looked utterly drained.
“Ah… I'm back. I'm back…”
One tear slipped down Leviham's cheek.
He rose slowly, looked around with a hollow expression, and found me standing before him.
His face changed at once.
“F-forgive me for the misunderstanding! I'm leaving! I'll go right now…!”
What?
I was so bewildered by his sudden apology that I couldn't even answer.
He edged backward, turned, and fled through the trees.
He ran as if something terrible were pursuing him.
Beynon looked no less puzzled.
“Young master… forgive me for asking, but is the bishop under the influence of some drug?”
“Of course not. Don't be ridiculous.”
“But look at what happened!”
Shing.
Beynon lowered his blade into its scabbard.
“He challenged us to fight, started looking around as though he couldn't see anything, conjured flames in his hands, dropped to his knees and begged someone for mercy. Then he jumped up, apologized and ran away! That's hardly normal behavior.”
“You're right. It isn't normal.”
Not after the elf's been tormenting him.
Still, it wasn't right to make accusations against a bishop without evidence.
“Beynon, go after him. Escort him safely out of the forest. These paths can be dangerous.”
“Pardon? Didn't you just order me to arrest him?”
“I did. But the misunderstanding appears to have been resolved. There's no reason to create more trouble.”
“Well… if you say so. I'll see him out.”
Beynon gave me a puzzled look, mounted his horse and set off.
“Hyah!”
He urged the animal between the trees with the ease of an experienced rider.
I watched him go and allowed myself a small, wicked smile.
Whatever the elf had done, surely Leviham had realized that she was the source of the evil he'd been sensing.
Why else would he apologize for misunderstanding me?
There was no need to drag him back to the mansion now.
And if I hold out just a little longer, the Church's knights will come.
You stupid elf.
I was certain the bishop had learned what you really were. Surely it was only a matter of time before the Church sent knights to subdue you.
Enjoy your freedom while it lasts.
Soon enough, the knights would come to the mansion, and that would be the end of you.
“M-Master…”
Oblivious to my private triumph, the elf came toward me with tears in her eyes.
She threw her arms around me.
Her chest pressed against mine, making the embrace awkwardly uncomfortable.
“I knew you'd come to rescue me, Master…”
“You insect. I wasn't worried about you. I was worried about the bishop.”
“You say that, but I know you were worried about me…”
I'm sorry, but I wasn't.
Not in the slightest.
The next day.
For some reason, the elf had been unusually docile ever since the bishop left.
I didn't have to keep watching her every moment.
That gave me an opportunity to visit one of House Deharem's workshops for the first time in quite a while.
More precisely, I went to our spice farm.
It's growing well.
Rows of pepper trees spread across a broad, level field.
My father had begun the work of breeding them for this climate. After years of effort, a tree once believed to grow only in the southern Kingdom of Igella could now be cultivated in the central Empire.
This year, we expected to begin harvesting in earnest.
The prospect pleased me for reasons beyond profit.
Until now, almost all of the Empire's pepper had been imported from Igella.
Transportation costs and customs duties increased the price as it crossed the border. Merchants bought up the imported supply, and the cost rose still further.
Pepper had become a luxury reserved for nobles.
Ordinary people couldn't afford it even if they wished to.
But if House Deharem could grow it here and sell it for far less, common families might finally be able to use the spice.
And the county would become wealthier as well.
I rode along the outer edge of the plantation with a broad smile.
Someone came running toward me from the other side of the field.
He wore a neat tunic.
As he drew nearer, I recognized him: Hedian, one of the enslaved workers at the farm.
The young man had sun-browned skin and a broad smile that showed his yellowish teeth.
“My lord! If you were coming today, why didn't you let us know?”
“I didn't want to put anyone to trouble. I'm only out for a ride.”
“Even so! Ah, and thank you for the fine meat and wine you sent us the other day. There was so much we had to store the rest in the warehouse!”
“I thought there might not be enough. I'm glad you'll be able to enjoy it more than once. If you need anything else, tell the chamberlain. I'll do what I can to make life here comfortable.”
“No, my lord! You've already been more generous than we ever expected. What more could we ask? Oh, but there is something we wanted to give you. Perhaps this is a good chance.”
“To me?”
Hedian reached inside his tunic and brought out a small box.
It looked rather old-fashioned.
“What's this?”
“A bracelet, my lord. We went to a jeweler and bought it with half of our wages. We chose the most splendid one we could afford, to suit the head of our family.”
“Half your wages? You shouldn't have—”
“Most noble houses don't even pay their slaves. It's nothing compared with the kindness you've shown us. We hope you'll accept it.”
He offered me the box.
I took it, moved beyond words.
I'd never thought I was doing anything exceptional for them, yet they'd spent a portion of their hard-earned wages on a gift for me.
I was blessed to have people like this in our household.
I blinked back tears and slipped the little box inside my coat.
“Thank you. I'll treasure it for as long as I live. I won't let anything happen to it.”
“We're grateful to hear that, my lord. We'll continue to—”
“My lord! There you are!”
A breathless shout cut Hedian off.
I turned.
Maltao, a servant from the mansion, was hurrying toward us.
“Hah… hah… My lord! Couldn't you have told us you were going to the farm? I've been looking for you everywhere!”
“For me? Has something happened at the mansion?”
“Nothing bad, my lord. Lady Ashley has come to visit.”
“Ashley?”
It was unexpected.
But we'd been apart for a while, and seeing her was one of my greatest pleasures.
I immediately turned my horse toward home.
“Then I'll go at once—”
Wait.
If Ashley was at the mansion, she'd surely meet the elf.
And I had lied to the elf about my engagement ring.
I'd told her it was merely an ornament.
If she saw an engagement ring on Ashley's finger, the truth would be exposed.
“Damn it!”
I had to get there before it was too late.
I pulled hard on the reins.
Neigh!
My horse sprang forward and galloped toward the mansion.
In the Deharem mansion's drawing room, Ashley sat at a fine table across from the elf.
The elf looked like an awkward maid unaccustomed to spending time with a noblewoman.
Ashley knew it was an act.
She also knew exactly how dangerous the meeting might have been.
When she arrived, the elf's gaze had briefly flickered toward the ring finger of Ashley's left hand.
Thank goodness I took off the ring before I stepped out of the carriage.
Ashley had tucked it into her purse as a precaution.
If she hadn't, Theorad might already have been in terrible trouble.
She drew a quiet breath and smiled.
“It's all right. Have something to eat. I asked for these refreshments myself, so there's no need to worry about what the other servants think.”
“B-but… Master wouldn't like me doing that…”
“Lord Theorad? Don't be silly. He won't mind something so small.”
“The young lady doesn't know him as well as she thinks. Master tried to rape me simply because I broke a plate…”
And you think I'm the one who doesn't know him?
Anger rose in Ashley's chest.
She hid it behind a startled expression.
“Really? Lord Theorad tried to rape you because of a broken plate?”
“Yes… He said it was my fault for being born pretty, and he touched my breasts…”
“I see. Lord Theorad is a terrible man indeed.”
Ashley lifted her cup, took a small sip of tea, then placed it gently on its saucer.
“There's something deeply wrong with a person who thinks they may imprison someone or force their will upon them.”
The elf's sobbing stopped.
For a moment, she looked as though the accusation had struck closer to home than Ashley's words were supposed to.
Then she managed an awkward smile.
“Still, I can understand Master. When a beautiful woman is in front of a man, it's only natural that he wants to touch her…”
“No. I don't agree with that at all. A person's character is far more important than how they look.”
Ashley raised a finger to her chin, as though searching for the right proverb.
“You know the saying: I'd rather drink water from a silver cup than poison from a golden one. Isn't that sensible?”
“Y-yes… The young lady is very wise.”
A shadow passed over the elf's face.
She'd tried to make Theorad look vile, but Ashley had found a way to criticize her without betraying what she knew.
And Ashley found the elf's casual cruelty toward Theorad increasingly repulsive.
Insolent, short-lived human…
Don't make the mistake of thinking Theorad belongs to you.
They could not say any of it aloud.
Instead, they smiled pleasantly across the table and drank their tea.