“Would that I was able. Perhaps it would save me from enduring so many hardships.”
Elvie hadn’t changed one bit. We decided to share dinner.
I also thanked Elvie for warning me about the dangerous drugs a while ago.
“I suspected they were coming in through one of Felind’s ports, but I didn’t expect you to destroy the trade entirely. Drug circulation has ceased completely thanks to you.”
I decided not to linger on the topic. Rila was here, and the conversation probably brought up some unpleasant memories.
“I’m guessing you didn’t come all this way to see me,” I said.
“Of course not.” Elvie paused, clearly choosing her words carefully. “The last time we met, I knew you withdrew from your previous line of work to become a guild employee, and Almelia has since told me of your arm.”
“You don’t have to be so delicate about it. Get to the point.”
“King Rubens has passed.”
The atmosphere grew slightly tense. Rila, in particular, seemed on edge. She’d likely deduced why Elvie was here.
“I believe news has yet to spread to this country.”
“If you’re telling me this, his death can’t have been from illness or accident.”
Were it anything that benign, Elvie wouldn’t need to inform me.
“…The official report is that he died from a disease.”
“Officially,” huh?
“Now, see here, waif. Do not dare make any careless suggestions. Depending on what you say, you may not leave here in one piece.” Rila had murder in her eyes.
“Rila,” I called, signaling for her to stop with a look. She snorted irritably. “Elvie, just tell me what happened. There must have been something off about the king’s passing for a marquis’s daughter to ride all the way from Rubens.”
“As quick on the uptake as ever. I’m glad this conversation won’t take long… His Majesty was likely assassinated. He was one to wield his power as he liked, so it’s easy to imagine he had many enemies. However, I was the one in charge of his protection.”
“And? There must have been a weakness in your defenses,” Rila said.
I was the one who’d trained Elvie in the principles of security. I had taught her all she needed to know, whether it was protecting someone alone, in a group, or with dozens of people. Plus, I’d made certain she understood how to make a target more challenging or undesirable for assassins.
Elvie leaned in toward me. “There are very few who could accomplish this undetected. I’d like to hear your thoughts.”
Rila let out a long, frustrated sigh. “That is what this is about? Your life has been narrowly spared. Had you accused him, you would be amongst the refuse by now.”
“The thought crossed my mind, but Roland wouldn’t kill for no reason.”
“Yes. That’s exactly right.”
Elvie looked me straight in the eyes, then lowered her head. “Roland, please help me.”
And so Rila and I headed off to Rubens with Elvie.
To hasten our journey, we went to the capital and informed King Randolf of the situation to borrow faster horses.
“You, Goody Two-shoes—during times like these, you must give people time to consider.” Rila was offering Elvie some candid advice from her spot behind me.
After Elvie requested my help and bowed her head, she refused to budge until I agreed.
“To be honest, I couldn’t think of anyone else to ask. If he said no, then the truth of His Majesty’s assassination would never be uncovered.”
“Really now. I know that you rely on him, but you should have tried to figure something out on your own. It’s only reasonable. Ridiculous.”
“The only thing I could do was find the man I knew I could count on and entreat him.”
“This reminds me of Roje. She is stubborn as well, though in an entirely different way, I suppose,” Rila remarked.
“Elvie’s always been like this,” I said. “Asking her to be a little more flexible is a fool’s errand.”
“Roland, please remember that I can hear you. This is simply my natural disposition. I doubt I shall ever budge on that.”
We hurried to Rubens while talking all the way.
The three of us stopped at inns twice to give the horses breaks before finally reaching Wegal, the capital of Rubens. I’d visited several times before the war, and it looked nearly the same.
“What type of nation is this place?” Rila inquired.
“Forty percent of the land is covered in steep mountains, and rivers cross the ranges,” I replied.
Elvie added, “That’s right. It’s smaller than Felind, but our eastern edge borders the sea, and our trade flourishes for it. We use the rivers to transport materials, as well. Our people are proud to be the greatest shipbuilders and navigators.”
This was also the place for sailors to study water and wind magic. Those who manned ships devoted themselves to learning how to create tailwinds and currents using magic and other techniques so vessels could travel faster.
“Oh-ho. You use rivers for transport? How resourceful.”
“And because the territory is relatively small, we’re able to ship products from the coast quickly. Even the capital has access to fresh seafood.”
“Fresh seafood!” I heard Rila swallow quietly.
Rubens maintained strict control over its waters, which kept pirates away. Transporting goods via caravan meant paying a share for the guards, but that was necessary.
I had explained Rila away as a housemate to Elvie. There was no telling whether she’d believed it, but she didn’t press me on the subject.
“Roland, I know it’s odd of me to ask, considering I requested your help, but what about your job?”
“That’s not an issue. Do you remember how I left when we reached the inns?”
“Yes. What about it?”
“I used a Gate to jump and finished my duties at the office.”
“I—I thought you took a break.”
“I can’t ask for days off out of nowhere, and I certainly couldn’t explain the reason for my absence.”
Elvie’s shoulders slumped. I gave her a slight pat on the back.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“From what I gather, Iris goes very easy on you. If you worked for the demo—for me, I would not accept three- or four-hour workdays. I would fire you immediately.”
“Iris knows to cut my pay based on the reduced hours. She’s not giving me any special treatment.”
“Hmph,” Rila snorted.
Elvie nodded in admiration. “Your job sounds like quite the ordeal.”
“Is yours any different? Are you sure things will be okay with you gone? What about the rest of the royal family?”
“I was worried… But I believe there won’t be multiple attacks, and the people I’ve left the royal family with are excellent. It was more critical that I get your aid.”
Elvie was part of Rubens’s aristocracy, so she managed a territory in a town southwest of Wegal. There were estates for the nobility in the capital, however, and that’s where she currently lived.
When we left our horses in the stable, a person I believed to be a stableboy gave us a polite bow.
“Welcome home, my lady,” he greeted. He patted the horses’ necks to thank them for a job well done. Elvie handed him the reins to her steed, and I did the same with mine.