Chapter 48 :

Chapter 48 - Escort (3)

Watching the children walking in line, Jing recalled his own old self, now faint in his memory.

It was so long ago that he could not clearly remember things like the weather that day or the people around him, but he remembered the atmosphere of that day vividly.

The dark room, the priest covered in a white robe, the liquid in the basin glowing blue, and his father’s proud face.

In a way, the Tinas ritual could be called a new starting point in life, where one was reborn as a true person of Abiran.

Separate from when one came out of one’s mother’s womb, it would not be an exaggeration to say that one received a new life.

Those children must be the same.

Children undergoing the Tinas ritual stayed at the temple for several days, preparing by offering prayers several times a day.

The hired mercenaries guarded the children as they moved in groups until the Tinas ritual, and on the day of the ritual, they escorted the priests and children together with the temple knights.

The anxiety and anticipation felt in the eyes of the children, who looked around here and there as if it was awkward to walk in line among the adults like this, made his heart ache again.

The young duke would undergo the ritual soon too.

Since many things had happened this year, it would probably be around next year.

There were many things he wanted to look after, from one to ten.

There were also many things he wanted to teach him before he entered the academy.

To do that, he first needed to part ways with the young man beside him as soon as possible.

“What are you looking at like that?”

With this person who spoke sullenly.

“I am looking at the children. My son is just around that age. That child was also very much looking forward to the ritual.”

“All children of the empire wait only for that, after all.”

Jing looked at Ratel as if this was unexpected.

“For someone who says he has no religion, you know it well.”

“I lived in the empire when I was young.”

Ratel, who answered with a shrug, turned his eyes to the procession of children.

“I also know that once the First Princess completes the Tinas ritual in the capital, the rituals begin at the remaining temples, and that when the ritual begins, each child enters the room one by one and dips their hand in the water according to the priest’s guidance.”

He knew more detail than Jing had expected.

Then when he lived in Abiran, was he from a commoner background?

Jing hurriedly cut off the thoughts that naturally trailed after one another.

No, there was no need to think too deeply.

In any case, it was a relationship that would soon end.

There was nothing good about knowing too much about the other party.

Just as there was nothing good about thinking too much about someone one had to kill.

If, depending on the situation, it seemed possible to shake Ratel off here, he should quickly run away.

“Aah!”

At least not now.

Jing grabbed the arm of the child who had nearly screamed and fallen to the ground right in front of him, then pulled him upright.

The child, who had narrowly avoided having the ground and his face meet each other, seemed very startled and looked up at Jing with wide eyes.

‘I thought he looked familiar. He is the child from the dining hall.’

“Are you all right?”

This time too, Jing put as much strength as possible into his facial muscles and smiled kindly.

“Y-yes, I’m all right.”

Seeing the child step back in fright, it did not seem to have much effect.

‘Seeing this, my son must have been quite brave.’

While he was thinking like a doting fool, it was Ratel who removed the child’s arm from his hand.

“You will make the child faint like that.”

He met the eyes of the stiffened child and asked bluntly.

“How old are you?”

But though he was better than Jing, there was no way Ratel’s gleaming gaze would reduce the child’s fear.

“T-twelve years old.”

Before the stammering child could come to his senses, Ratel turned him this way and that, confirmed that there was nothing wrong, and tapped the child’s shoulder.

“It seems you are not hurt, so go now. Next time, watch the ground carefully when you walk.”

Perhaps relieved that he had moved away from both the burly Jing and Ratel, who was slightly less burly but had a nasty impression, the child glanced back and forth at the two of them, bowed his head once, and returned to the procession.

“This is how you handle a child. As expected, having a son is a lie, is it not?”

“I have told you repeatedly, my son used to say playing with his father was the most enjoyable thing. And you are the one lying.”

“What do you mean?”

Jing’s eyes, looking at Ratel, who was still playing dumb, turned sharp.

“Watch the ground carefully? Anyone who heard you would think the child tripped over a stone.”

When you were the one who suddenly tripped a child who had been walking just fine.

“He does need to watch the ground carefully. That way, he will know whose long legs might be stretched out below, or whether there is a stone lying there.”

“At that speed, even if he walked with his eyes glued to the ground, he would not have avoided it.”

The smooth movement of swiftly slipping out his foot and pulling it back in an instant was not the skill of someone who had done it only once or twice.

“Why on earth did you do that?”

“It is nothing much. Jing does not need to know either.”

He was a young man who spoke so prettily.

“Is he not the child we ran into at the dining hall last time? Is there something about that child?”

Jing asked with a frown, but Ratel merely closed his mouth and looked forward.

“You there! Why are you talking so much?”

Perhaps their conversation had gone on too long, because one of the stern-looking temple knights warned Ratel and Jing.

Jing had no choice but to turn his head forward.

“Fine. Talking will only hurt my own mouth. I hope you apologize properly to the child later.”

Thinking that he hoped Ratel would not cause anything bigger.

Unfortunately, Jing’s complacency stabbed him in the back again.

That night, a great fire broke out in the temple’s ritual room.

Fortunately, no one was hurt, but it was a fire large enough to burn all the items prepared for the ritual.

The temple, where a reverent ritual should have been held, was filled with chilliness from the sudden commotion.

The priests, knights, and hired mercenaries who had gathered from dawn were looking at one another seriously.

“Just how were you managing things for something like this to happen?! Who was guarding the ritual hall last night?!”

The priest, Gael, who was furious to the top of his head, pointed at the line of mercenaries with a face flushed red.

“Priest, yesterday all of us went in early. You said it would be more trustworthy to leave important places like the ritual hall to the knights, so.......”

Young Jing stepped forward and explained, then awkwardly trailed off.

Gael, whose face had already been red, turned completely like a tomato and glared at the knights.

The knights, who had been glaring at Jing, pressed their lips shut, then hurriedly opened their mouths.

“It seems the fire spread during the brief moment of the shift change. Because the inside of the door melted, it would not open, so the suppression was delayed. Even now, we will quickly prepare the necessary items. If you only give the order.......”

“With what? With what are you going to get them?! The room is a problem, but what about the holy water?! Where are you going to get holy water?!”

At the knight’s answer, Gael beat his chest in frustration.

Jing furrowed his brow at the sight.

This is unfolding strangely.

Gael’s appearance, raging wildly in a way unbefitting someone who served a god, was ugly, but Jing could understand it.

The holy water needed for the ritual was water that came out in extremely small quantities between the western Kor Mountains.

No, how small the amount was did not matter.

Compared to the fact that the only ones who managed it were the imperial family.

The temples in each region held the Tinas ritual once a year under the imperial family’s management with the holy water sent from there.

Since that had all burned and disappeared at once, it was understandable that panic would come.

“Wh-what should we do?”

“Naturally, you who failed to manage it properly will take responsibility! Surely you will not say you value your life after committing something like this?!”

At the knight commander’s question, Gael spoke roughly.

The knight commander’s face turned even paler, but perhaps thinking this was something he had to accept, he said nothing.

“What will happen to the Tinas ritual immediately? Should we not inform the people?”

“Are you trying to kill all the priests here?”

If it became known outside, it would not be surprising even if this temple disappeared without a trace.

Even if they somehow held someone responsible and settled the matter for the moment, it would still be a problem.

It was an opportunity that came only once a year, and in cases like this place, where even children from small nearby villages had been gathered, the situation would become complicated.

In exchange for that, they would have charged fees to the temples of the small villages.

It would look bad among the priests of the small temples to swallow it, so in the end, they would have to spit out everything they had eaten.

It would be nice if they could simply return it, but who knew?

Jing glanced over the priests’ gleaming garments and the knights’ well-maintained armor.

One wrong move, and the mercenaries might have to return empty-handed.

No, putting money aside, what would happen to the children who could not undergo the Tinas ritual this year?

The children who were twelve this year would have to go to another region holding the Tinas ritual.

There was no way commoner parents who lived by farming could leave the region together with their children.

In the first place, if they had delayed until the child became twelve, they were probably either extremely lazy or extremely poor.

“Send them to the capital.”

The low voice that cut through the murmuring people was clear.

Jing looked at the source of the voice that had been standing silently beside him until now.

It was Ratel.

“The temples in the capital should have a more generous store of holy water than this place, should they not?”

Gael, who had been glaring unpleasantly at Ratel for suddenly butting in, snorted.

“Do you think they will obediently hand over something so precious to us?”

Ratel shrugged.

“Send the children. There must be places there holding the ritual as well. Send the children there directly to a place with the right timing and have them undergo the ritual. It will cost some money, but it will be better than having this matter revealed and taking responsibility with your deaths, or spitting out everything you have received as it is now.”

Although Ratel spoke arrogantly and even slipped in informal speech, Gael seemed to like the tempting proposal and did not notice it.

“......Good. How many children are there in total?”

“Fifty.”

At the answer of the knight beside him, Gael frowned.

“Damnably many. How long will it take to reach the capital?”

“If we ride horses all day without stopping, we will arrive. Since there are children, about a week......”

“Can you get there within three days?”

At the question whose answer had already been decided, the knight opened and closed his mouth a few times, then nodded.

“Yes, I think it will be possible.”

“Um, Priest......can we receive our money?”

This time, a voice came from the group of mercenaries.

Priest Gael frowned sharply.

“We will reduce the personnel to one-third. Since the period will become longer, we will pay more. The rest will be paid after calculating what they have done so far.”

Dissatisfied sighs flowed out here and there, but perhaps because they were all people of Abiran, no one uttered any rougher words toward the priest.

Those for whom the extended period did not work quit, and those who wanted to earn more stayed.

Since more people wanted to stay, there was no choice but for some to be selected again and others to be eliminated.

Everything flowed in perfect order.

“Jing said you needed to go to the capital, right?”

Ratel asked Jing, who had chosen to go to the capital with him.

Jing looked at Ratel, who was still expressionless.

“Where were you last night?”

“.......”

At Jing’s question, Ratel kept silent, then raised one corner of his mouth.

“I went to bed early. You know I originally sleep early and wake early.”

Jing could not erase the feeling that this situation, flowing like water, was all going according to Ratel’s intention.

* * *

“Why are your steps getting slower and slower?”

At Jack’s question, Seya tightly gripped the paper bag and shook her head.

“What are you talking about? I always walk like this. There are so many things to see in the world, so why are you only trying to go quickly?”

Jack narrowed his eyes and looked at Seya.

Now the child’s steps had become as slow as a snail’s, to the point that the rope between them grew taut.

Since he had already confirmed with his own eyes how fast the child could run, it could only be a ridiculous lie.

“You know the ant crawling beside you is faster than you, right?”

Even at Jack’s sharp remark, Seya could not bring any speed into her steps.

Looking up at the back of Jack’s head as he walked ahead while shaking his head, Seya busily worked her mind.

She had wondered if it would be the case, and as expected, the man was moving toward the Feedus ducal residence without hesitation.

‘Is he going straight to the base?’

Since this was the first time in her short life that so much information had entered her head, Seya’s head hurt.

Seya, who had not even known that the entity building the new structure was the Feedus ducal house, slowly organized his thoughts.

The other children had disappeared after going to receive food at the distribution center.

This big man, who seemed to be in league with those people, was now dragging her to the Feedus ducal house.

‘Then......the Feedus ducal house is an evil organization?!’

Having thought that far, Seya covered her mouth.

It was a ridiculous misunderstanding, but inside Seya’s head, where there was no one to correct it, things were running wild like a dragon.

‘Did Mir know this?’

Seya recalled her clever friend.

If it was that child, surely he had.

Because he always thought several steps ahead of her.

When they sent off the young master of the ducal house last time, Mir had shown a subtle expression too.

Seya had simply thought it must have been because he felt regretful about missing out on rare money.

Even the children who had no reason to become involved with noble lords knew the Feedus ducal house.

A large and beautiful castle that could be seen even from the vacant lot where the children gathered to sleep.

The Feedus ducal house from the story of Sierra Abiran that she had heard when she was young.

Because in the empire, it was strange for someone not to know them.

The sword and shield that protected Abiran.

It was a phrase every child born in Abiran heard at least once.

That kind of Feedus family was kidnapping children? Why on earth?

Then did the young master who threw her the coat back then also know about this?

The young master whose name was Pl….something, who had said she should not let her body get cold.

Although she had briefly thought of taking advantage of him, Seya still remembered that soft-hearted young master.

If that was the case, it did not make sense to feel disappointed when she had not particularly expected anything, but she thought it would feel somewhat strange, and again slowly followed behind Jack.