A messenger bird sent from the Silveria garrison confirmed this; they had records stating that after their stay in the infirmary, Frol and Julia were sent straight to the refugee camp on a supply wagon. The knight who had been aboard the wagon with them was part of the cleanup crew here at the border, and could confirm the information firsthand.
“So...” said Shiori, looking at Alec and sharing his wry grin.
“It’s impossible,” he said. “Even if there was a spy among the knights, it still doesn’t add up.”
“The Rakhmanin family owned that area until about three hundred years ago. That’s more than a hundred years before the dragon was ever sealed away. We can’t be sure they had any idea that the dragon was even there.”
“Actually, the suspects have a whole lot of desperate ‘excuses’ regarding the involvement of the Rakhmanin family,” said Kristoffer. “None of their testimonies are consistent. It’s more like they just remembered there were some Rakhmanins at the camp and tossed them out there.”
The emperor’s supporters knew their way around the history of their home, but had no idea how hard Frol and Julia had been working at the camp, nor any clue about the near-death predicament they had experienced some six months ago.
“What horrible trouble to be caught up in,” muttered Shiori.
“You said it,” said Frol.
Despite having made up their minds to live honestly and to the best of their abilities, Frol and Julia had found themselves embroiled in somebody else’s revenge scheme. They chuckled, but their faces showed how weary of it they were.
“But we’re all in the same boat,” said Frol. “So we’re joining the suppression squads.”
“Our people got the kingdom wrapped up in another one of its problems,” said Julia. “We can’t just sit by and do nothing.”
In other words, now that they were in this deep, they were involved whether they liked it or not. The Rakhmanin family had lost out in a time of political strife, and had been forced to surrender the title of margrave. They had been demoted to small-time nobility, and given a tiny corner of the region to govern, upon which they had seen out the last three hundred years.
Frol and Julia had been collateral damage, and now they were not even members of the nobility. Nonetheless, they intended to take some responsibility for what had happened. Their resolve was praiseworthy, and yet on some level it was twisted out of shape; it spoke to the deeply rooted problems of the nation they had once called home.
The vast majority of former Imperial nobility—who had committed atrocities against their own people in order to see vast profits—were mostly locked up. Many were looking at long sentences, and some even awaited the death penalty. It was they who should have been tasked with solving the problem now at hand, and yet in some sense, they currently resided in the nation’s safest location. It was those who longed to live as ordinary citizens who had been left with the burden of facing their empire’s many problems, much as Frol and Julia were doing right now.
“Please, just...try not to overdo it,” said Shiori.
The two Imperial refugees looked shocked for a moment, then relaxed into smiles.
“You Storydians really are so very kind,” said Julia.
“Indeed,” added Frol. “The knights were nothing but good to us when we were in their care. Your parting words, too, have remained a source of encouragement for the both of us. We think of Storydia itself as our savior. We merely want to give back.”
For Frol and Julia, this was more than just self-sacrifice.
“I...I see,” said Shiori.
“We won’t overdo it, though,” said Frol. “I never want to be so ill I’m stuck in bed for weeks ever again. That, and I’ll do anything to avoid that Dennis fellow erupting into a rage again.”
Frol admitted that in the midst of his fever, with no way to deal with his agitation, he’d lost days and nights to what felt like endless brooding.
“I realize now that death is not a way out, and not the answer,” continued Frol. “I will not act in desperation. You have my word.”
They could stand on their own now, and so the most Shiori and the others could do at this point was watch over them. Alec gave Shiori a pat on the shoulder, and she smiled up at him. Rurii wobbled by their side, and Clemens and Nadia were also touched by the moment. Violid and Bla, who knew nothing of the backstory, were unfortunately left puzzled.
“We don’t intend to send our valuable fighting forces to their deaths either,” said Kristoffer. “We’ll be sending someone to keep an eye on you, but the truth is we need as many skilled individuals as we can get. I’ve heard Frol knows his way around a sword, and that Julia is a physicker. I’ve high hopes for the two of you.”
In Kristoffer’s words was another message—one that went unspoken: “If that’s how you feel, then use this opportunity. Fight, return, and scrub away some of the sullied reputation of the former Empire. It will not be easy, but I will give you the platform to see your wishes granted.” Kristoffer was giving them what they asked for, but for the margrave of the kingdom’s north, this was also a trial of sorts. Indeed, it was entirely possible that he had known they were innocent right from the very start, and had used these circumstances to enlist their support.
You don’t want to get on his bad side...
Kristoffer remained calm and in control, but Shiori was not sure what to make of him. For a moment his eyes met her own, and they narrowed just slightly, as though he were hoping for something from her. It was just a moment later that a voice spoke slowly, drawing her gaze away from Kristoffer.
“Speaking of skilled individuals, might I have a word?”
It was the man seated in front of Leo Nordman—the high-ranking official in the combat support division. The corners of his lips curled into a smile, his eyes on Shiori.