Will You Trust Me

It sounded like a very simple favor.

But judging from Ellie’s reaction, the expression on her face could only be described as exaggerated delight.

She lightly clapped her hands once.

There was no loud sound, but a small current of air caused her hair to sway slightly.

She seemed to want to widen her eyes in anticipation, yet her smiling cheeks squeezed those eyes into narrow slits.

“It’s not really a big deal.
Just give me the location.
If the bandits really are there, it would count as a merit anyway.
But where did you meet this intelligence broker of yours.
What kind of background does he have.
How accurate is his information.”

Firth spoke as he always did, without any beating around the bush.

Although he had already decided that he would help Ellie, he still wanted to reconfirm the details.

Firth was fairly confident in his own strength.

In his previous life, he had been one of the top assassins of the Nightingale House.

In this life, although he no longer engaged in such shady work, his abilities were still not to be underestimated.

Previously, he had brought many knights along to suppress the bandits because the area marked on the map was simply too large.

There was no way for him alone to search it thoroughly.

If Ellie could point out a more precise location this time, it would be far better for him to go alone than to have a crowd of people piling in together.

“The intelligence broker…
He doesn’t want me to reveal his identity.
But the information should be accurate enough.
I’ve been keeping an eye on this matter for quite some time.”

“I see.”

Hearing this answer, Firth nodded.

Intelligence brokers were hidden in all walks of life, and they did not necessarily obtain special information through any particular identity.

Their refusal to expose themselves was a correct means of self-preservation.

Not being able to pry further was not much of an issue.

“Then—Firth, are you willing to trust me.”

Sitting across from Firth, as she asked this question, she seemed to recall the scene of her past conversations with him.

Will you trust me.

No, Eric had not asked it that way back then.

What he had asked was, “Can I trust you.”

At that time, Firth had not been standing on equal footing before him.

He had been kneeling on the ground, pressing himself low, kissing the tip of his shoe.

“Yes.”

The voice of the Firth before her overlapped with the two words in her memory.

One voice was firm.

The other breath was trembling.

“I naturally trust you.”
“……You may naturally trust me.”

The same voice.

Similar words.

Yet completely different tones, and completely different subjects.

“……”

A silent smile.

Both Eric and Ellie responded in this same way.

Because everyone else had changed, and only she was still him.

“Alright, then I’ll leave everything to you.”

This, too, was the same kind of entrustment.

He had trusted Firth before because he was her most trusted assassin.

She trusted Firth now because this time he was a knight.

In Ellie’s eyes, she held a certain idealized image of knights.

After all, they had once been the army of her imperial brother, guards who remained loyal to him until death.

So when it came to the loyalty of knights, Ellie trusted it.

In some sense, she even felt a bit envious of it.

“I’ll set out tonight.
You just need to give me the exact location.”

Firth ignored the thoughtful Ellie and stated his plan.

“Do you need any other help from me.”

“No.
I alone am more than enough for this kind of thing.
Bringing you along would only be troublesome.”

“……”

That was truly blunt.

But—she was used to it.

Ellie let out a sigh and lowered her head slightly in acknowledgment.

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

In response, Firth said nothing.

He merely nodded, returned the courtesy, and then left the carriage.

After Firth had exited the carriage, Ellie finally let out a breath.

Communicating with Firth felt more tense than she had imagined.

Throughout the entire exchange, she had been constantly confirming whether the current Firth was the same as the one she knew.

After all, after this new world came into being, everyone’s story had changed.

Even Falk, that guy who always used to look stern and cold, had become a seemingly fragile cleric.

It was hard not to wonder whether Firth might have changed as well.

But—fortunately, he seemed mostly the same.

Aside from differences in interpersonal relationships, Firth had not changed much.

If anything, there was one difference.

He talked a lot more than before.

Although he still looked like someone who disliked beating around the bush and preferred to get straight to the point, the old Firth could barely squeeze out a few words in an entire day.

By comparison, this was already an improvement.

Forget it…
She would get to know the rest slowly over time.

In the past, Iveria had become much more cheerful through her time with “Yalman.”

This Firth would probably spend some time with Egmaide as well.

In the future, perhaps he too would become more open and cheerful.

In any case, understanding his way of doing things was a good thing.

At the very least, if any problems arose in the future, communication would be much smoother.

Not long after Firth left, Ellie instructed the coachman to take her back to the royal palace.

Today’s gains were unexpectedly substantial.

She had not only met Firth, but also encountered the Falk of this world.

Was this a kind of fate.

Or was it a kind of ill-fated bond.

But if that was the case, then perhaps after some time, she really could gather everyone from the Nightingale House once again.

“……”

After returning to the palace, Ellie did not feel particularly tired.

Her experiences had been quite something.

Back when she had been a prince, she had no idea how many matters she had to deal with in a single day.

Whether it was facing those members of the Nightingale House whose minds were somewhat unbalanced, or planning her entire life as a prince, Ellie’s days had always been very “fulfilling.”

Now, having become a princess who had nothing to do, staying in her bedchamber like a decorative vase, she felt so idle that it was almost uncomfortable.

Earlier, she had been recuperating from her injuries.

Her body had hurt badly, and she did not want to trouble herself, so she had not wandered around.

Now, although there was still some pain, it was no longer to the point where she could not walk.

So she decided to go out again.

But… where could she go, exactly…

Ellie sat on the bed, staring thoughtfully at the flower tea and pastries on the table.

Ah—got it.

Since there was nowhere else to go, she would go look for Solor.

She had just referred to herself in front of Firth as “a younger sister who wants to be worthy of her brother.”

She could not then act too distant toward Solor.

Otherwise, wouldn’t those words be exposed as nothing more than empty talk.

If Firth, as a subordinate, had inherited her imperial brother’s suspicious nature, he might start wondering what her true intentions were.

Rather than letting him guess blindly, it would be better to put on a show herself.

Thus, Ellie stood up once more.

She had only just returned and had not rested for long before heading once again in the direction of Solor’s workplace.