The Unwelcome Suspicion

Lien thought everyone had gone up to their rooms, but the tall knight among the group was out in the backyard.

Hearing Lien’s footsteps, he turned his head.

“Oh, you are the son.”

“I am Lien.”

“I am Derek. I came out to check on the horses.”

Seeing that Lien’s previously bright expression had stiffened, Derek let out a deep sigh to himself.

He could completely understand.

How startled must he have been after being subjected to such a sudden, absurd incident?

When Lien opened the stable door for him, Derek stepped inside.

The stable was clean and well-organized, and the horses were chewing their fodder with relaxed expressions.

“I am glad the facilities are well-maintained.”

“It’s because travelers pass through here quite often.”

Derek smiled brightly as he watched his beloved steed snort and shake its head contentedly.

This inn had far more likeable traits than he had anticipated.

Of course, the innkeepers probably didn’t feel the same way about them.

“Your father was bragging about you quite a bit. He said his son takes excellent care of the horses.”

Lien’s stiff expression softened.

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking a little embarrassed.

“Since you’ll be staying for a long time, I’ll tell you this in advance. My father tends to view everything I do through rose-colored glasses, so take what he says with a grain of salt.”

“You two have a good relationship.”

“It’s just ordinary.”

“I envy you immensely.”

Derek, who had briefly recalled his own father who lacked even an ounce of humor, quickly brought up the main point.

“Another colleague will be arriving tomorrow. This place happens to be his hometown, so he was permitted to sleep at his family’s house tonight. Will there be space left in the stable?”

Ah, Suzanne’s son.

Lien had wondered why they rented the exact number of rooms even though they were short one person compared to when he first spotted them on the road. It seemed he had gone to see his family the moment he returned to the village.

The minor question that had been pushed aside by the chain of chaotic events was finally answered.

“Yes. There is plenty of room.”

Gently stroking his horse with an affectionate hand, Derek finally stepped out of the stable.

Lien organized tomorrow’s tasks in his head.

Since fewer people had come than expected and they were all easygoing individuals anyway, the workload didn’t seem like it would be too demanding.

“Excuse me……”

At Derek’s hesitant voice, Lien looked up.

The knight asked carefully.

“Lien, is this truly the first time you’ve ever seen our commander?”

Derek couldn’t help but harbor doubts about Lien’s existence.

Just how much did he resemble the lost bride for the commander to engage in behavior he had never once displayed before?

However, Lien shook his head firmly.

“If I had ever seen someone like him, I don’t think I would fail to recognize him.”

It was a calm reply, yet it didn’t conceal his discomfort.

There was no other emotion attached to it.

Is it really just the commander’s delusion?

If so, this employee truly suffered an unfair ordeal.

And yet,

“I will head inside first, then. Please call for me if you need anything.”

Lien could not ignore the way the commander’s gaze had tenaciously locked onto his retreating back.

“So you are Lien?”

“Uh, yes.”

“I’ve heard so much about you from my mother! She said there is a lot to learn from you!”

“Please don’t take it seriously……. What on earth did she even say to you……”

Just as Derek had mentioned, the knight who arrived the next day was a cheerful man with sparkling eyes.

His name was Bent, and one look at his face made it obvious he was Suzanne’s son.

As expected, Petrick was not the one related to her.

In any case, what exactly did Suzanne say to make a literal knight talk about having ‘a lot to learn’ from him?

Bent struck up a conversation affably with the flustered Lien.

“By the way, where did everyone else go?”

“They went out early this morning to conduct inquiries.”

“They aren’t usually the type to work this diligently.”

Lien tilted his head at Bent’s words.

The knights had left early this morning for their investigation.

He had heard they were going to ask the villagers and the remaining laborers about the situation, but what did he mean by saying they weren’t diligent workers?

Thinking that the commander must be exceptionally strict with himself and his subordinates, Lien unconsciously shifted his gaze toward the stairs leading up to the top floor.

“Is there anyone left behind?”

“Ah, that… the person who is the commander.”

“Ah. The other three handle the actual work anyway, so don’t pay any mind to him.”

“Only those three?”

“Yes. I came along for a vacation, and the commander accompanied us for other business.”

Taking a vacation but staying at an inn instead of his own house?

Noticing Lien’s silent confusion, Bent answered sheepishly.

“I don’t have a room at home anymore.”

That made sense.

Suzanne’s financial situation wasn’t affluent enough to keep a spare room vacant for a fully grown son who had already moved out and gained independence.

With most of his questions resolved by Bent’s words, Lien turned his head.

It wasn’t any of his business that the man was cooped up in his room. His only worry had been the threat of running into him since he was staying at the inn.

More than that, a pressing curiosity took priority.

“Are there really no attendants coming later?”

“Yes. We are all.”

“You don’t employ any servants?”

“We can handle most things ourselves, so don’t worry.”

It was true; all five of them were knights, yet they brought absolutely no servants or pages.

Thinking they were a peculiar bunch, Lien nodded.

He had no reason to know what knights did, and even if he did, it was useless knowledge.

His only real interest lay in how quickly and efficiently they would resolve the issue.

The knights’ start wasn’t bad at all.

It seemed they had already begun their inquiries from the moment they entered the village yesterday.

Since they were out again early this morning questioning villagers to grasp the situation at the mine, their reputation for being earnest and diligent spread across the village within a single day.

Seeing the knights working so earnestly, the villagers began to hope that the matter might be resolved much faster than expected.

Because the mine had been temporarily closed due to the monster sightings, the miners who had been forced to take leaves left the village, making the place far quieter than before.

Lien’s inn was no exception, so he also hoped this matter would be resolved swiftly.

Well, though he now had other worries to contend with.

Perhaps noticing that Lien had unconsciously glanced upstairs again, Bent chimed in.

“I heard a huge incident occurred yesterday?”

“You heard about that?”

How did someone who wasn’t even present yesterday and hadn’t met his colleagues today know to ask that question?

When Lien looked at him suspiciously, Bent shrugged his shoulders and spoke.

“Our baggage got switched, so Derek stopped by my place last night. He looked absolutely haggard, so I asked him what happened.”

“Ah.”

“You must have been incredibly flustered.”

“Immensely.”

“Understandable, given his usual aura.”

Bent shook his head side to side.

Judging by his casual attitude, this didn’t seem to be the first time such an incident had occurred.

Bent spoke as if making an excuse on the commander’s behalf.

“You were likely startled, but he won’t trouble you anymore. He must have simply mistaken you for someone else.”

Lien raised an eyebrow. His look implicitly asked, ‘And how would you know what’s inside his head?’

“Our commander has been searching for someone for a very long time, and that person happens to have the exact same hair and eye color as you, Lien.”

“……Is that so?”

“But the person he is searching for is a woman, so he completely mistook your identity.”

Maybe he’s too embarrassed to come downstairs.

Though he knew that was absolutely impossible, Bent blabbed purely to set Lien’s mind at ease.

Lien pondered over something for a moment before nodding his head.

Bent let out a sigh of relief internally.

The fact that his commander was still searching for his missing wife was something anyone who mattered already knew.

The disappearance of the Princess of Estin, which occurred immediately after their wedding when the commander was a mere fifteen years old, had escalated into a national crisis. In the end, it became the spark that ignited the war between the Grand Duchy of Marcen and the Kingdom of Estin.

Though two years had already passed since the three-year war ended, the disappearance of his wife seemed as vivid to his commander as if it had happened just yesterday.

While countless people believed she was already dead, no one dared to say it to his face. It was a tragic tale, and they all understood just how deeply he had loved her.

Still, he shouldn’t be acting insane toward a civilian.

They had to restrain a commander who had lost his mind to the point of calling a man he met for the first time his wife.

Bent spoke apologetically to Lien.

“He is absolutely not a person who would harbor strange intentions, so though you were startled, I hope you can forgive him.”

“Ah, yes.”

Even as he replied, Lien wore a skeptical expression.

Bent felt a wave of secondhand embarrassment for Lien, who had suddenly been subjected to such thunderous nonsense from a massive, intimidating man he had never seen before.

Honestly, it’s a miracle his face isn’t entirely filled with disgust right now.

Bent gave up on trying to convince him any further. He had done his part.

If a rumor spread that the commander of the Elhardt Knights had gone mad, it would bring shame not only to the knight order but to their entire homeland, which was why he had gone to such lengths to smooth things over.

Of course, absolutely no one thought the commander was sane.

It was just that when they first met him, he was already half-mad, and over the past five years, he had broken down significantly further than before.

There was only one truly unexpected element in all of this.

I knew he was a bit unhinged, but who knew he had gone completely off his rocker!

If I had known he was this insane, I would have never agreed to come along on this mission.

Recalling his conversation with Derek, Bent shook his head. This was exactly why one should never go on a business trip with their boss.