Three days had passed and Gis-nee still hadn't returned.
Lately, I'd been starting to genuinely worry that she'd been quietly killed off to keep the royal family's scandal from leaking out. The apothecary was already ready to open, but it couldn't open without its owner, and Rille-nee's holiday had come to an end.
I had plans to head to the palace tomorrow to discuss the magic tools. I could try to sneak around and look for Gis-nee while I was there, but from the Chancellor's explanation, I wasn't even sure if she was really at the palace. If they were still trying to keep her from meeting Princess Philia, then considering the princess's determination, there was every chance they'd taken her somewhere else entirely.
But how was the princess holding up mentally? Did she even have the composure to prepare for her own wedding?
The streets were as lively and bustling as ever. Just the other day, the Chancellor had shown up, the princess had shown up, and a person had been taken away, yet no one seemed to have noticed a thing. It was a strange feeling.
During my lunch break, I couldn't even bring myself to eat. I sat at the counter, absentmindedly watching the unfamiliar profiles of passersby walking past the shop, when a familiar face suddenly appeared.
"Oh, there you are."
"G-Giedt!"
Startled, I'd let out a loud noise without meaning to, and Giedt, who looked surprised in turn, froze for a moment.
"Oh right, I forgot about you."
I'd been thinking for ages that I needed to thank someone, and I'd finally remembered who. The last time we'd seen each other was when we'd parted ways in El Alley. I felt relieved that the weight was off my mind. Though I might have been wrong to say, "I forgot". His right eye which was not hidden by his eyepatch was showing his displeasure.
"Is that your attitude towards a benefactor you haven't seen in ages?"
"No, sorry. It's not that I forgot about you, Giedt, alright? I just forgot the promise."
I quickly made excuses to the person who was approaching me with a menacing look. But he looked at me puzzled, "Promise?" Huh, so he doesn't remember either.
"I said I'd treat you to a meal once we got back to the capital."
"Huh? Aah, now that you mention it."
"Anyway, what brings you here today? Day off?"
Giedt wasn't wearing armour and didn't have a sword at his side. It was obvious he was off duty.
"Day off. Not that I came to mooch, mind you. I just heard a rumour you'd opened a shop, so I dropped by."
In other words, he had no particular reason to be here. If I'd been in a better state of mind, I could've invited him to lunch, but I just wasn't feeling it today. I'd save it for next time.
"Feel free to look around. We haven't opened yet, though."
"When does it open?"
"We're planning to open soon, but..."
"...What, more trouble?"
"Well, a few things... ah."
Come to think of it, as a palace soldier, Giedt might know something about Gis-nee or Princess Philia. Then again, he wasn't a royal guard. As I observed him, debating whether to try and get some information out of him, a hand suddenly stretched out and blocked my view.
"Wah. What's that for?"
"Right back at you. Don't stare at people's faces like that."
I swatted his hand away. His right eye drifted off into the distance. Ah, I get what he meant now.
"Embarrassed?"
"No."
His sulky expression was proof enough. He's even easier to embarrass than before.
Teasing a teenage boy is fun, but messing with him wasn't my real goal here. Well, I might as well ask. There's no harm in asking.
"Hey, has anyone been thrown into the palace dungeon recently?"
I'd heard the military had a tower for criminals. I didn't actually think Gis-nee was being treated that unfairly, but it was worth checking just in case.
"Huh? What's that about? Why're you asking?"
"Please, just tell me. Like, has anyone really big and burly been brought in?"
"...No. There've been no major arrests lately, and no one matching your description."
"Really? Then that's a relief. What about elsewhere? Have you seen anyone unusual, or heard any rumours about someone being locked up?"
"Nothing in particular."
"Alright, got it. Thanks."
Gis-nee's build was hard to miss. But if there aren't even any rumours about her, then she wasn't being held by the military. Probably. I couldn't say for sure. If she was anywhere, it had to be the Central Palace or the inner palace.
"Oi, don't just nod to yourself. Who's this guy? You're not seeing some sketchy bloke, are you?"
Before I knew it, Giedt was eyeing me with suspicion. It seemed I'd asked in a way that worried him.
"It's fine. Everyone I know is a decent person with a clear background."
"Then who is he?"
Giedt leaned over the counter. His faint irritation felt similar to what I had felt towards Chancellor Leonard when he wouldn't tell me what was going on.
I could try to brush him off, but Giedt was perceptive, so it might not work. Or I could just tell him everything and quietly pull him over to my side... no, bad idea.
"An acquaintance got caught up in a bit of trouble. Rille-nee and I are being kept out of it, so don't worry."
In the end, I went with a half-honest brush-off. But Giedt picked up on a lot just from that.
"You were told to keep quiet from up top, that sort of thing?"
"That sort of thing, yes. But I can't shake the worry, so I'm poking around. That sort of thing."
"...I get the gist. Don't go doing anything you shouldn't."
He leaned back from the counter and offered a warning that was very much like his wise and careful self.
"Yeah, I know, but I don't want to regret doing nothing."
"You can regret doing something too, you know."
"Yeah. True."
I knew that, but since the future is uncertain, when I'm forced to choose between two paths, I tend to lean towards taking action. That said, I do try to be as careful as possible.
"...Well, if you need any help, say so."
When I lifted the gaze I'd briefly dropped, Giedt had turned his face away and continued,
"I don't mind helping out a little."
"Nah, that won't be necessary."
I replied without a moment's hesitation, and the guy who was trying to act cool took a tumble.
"Yeah, sure, fine!"
He must have mustered all his courage to say that despite feeling embarrassed. Giedt's face was slightly red. I found it amusing and ended up laughing, which earned me another glare.
"Sorry. You're just too easy to tease, Giedt."
"Ngh..."
"Sorry, sorry. Thank you, though. Just the thought makes me happy."
It was hard to believe those words had come from him since he hated being dragged into trouble.
I really was happy. But Giedt sulked and turned his back.
"Forget it. I'm never helping you again."
"Aw, don't say that."
Hm, my bad. Maybe I'll ask him for a little help after all to cheer him up.
"Umm... oh, right. Hey, have you ever heard the name Daute?"
Surely the story of a farmer rising all the way to the royal guard would be famous among soldiers. I faintly hoped that I could get whatever scrap of info on Gis-nee as I could.
But, Giedt's demeanour shifted in an instant.
"You don't know who Daute is?"
He spun back around to face me, looking as though he couldn't believe it.
"Is he really that famous?"
"Of course! When you say Daute, you're talking about the strongest soldier ever, with legendary feats like demolishing a thousand-man bandit hideout all on his own, snapping a giant tree in half with his bare fists, and wiping out a pack of wolves with a single glare!"
Hey, hold on, what shonen manga is that from?
"You don't seriously believe that nonsense, right?"
Giedt's right eye started sparkling, which made me uneasy.
"Sure, some of it's been wildly exaggerated, but it's true he was the first commoner ever to join the royal guard, and his record of thirty undefeated matches at the royal palace tournament is also for real. Bottom line, he's insanely strong. Of course any man would idolise him."
She's actually a woman, mind you. I had to wonder how much of it was fact and where the embellishment started. The fact that you couldn't even tell where one ended and the other began was what made Gis-nee impressive.
"Daute is my goal."
Saying that, Giedt launched into a passionate speech, and wouldn't stop.
"I heard he could swing a sword in each hand while riding a horse, you know? You'd need ridiculous arm strength to pull that off. A real superhuman. They say he died during a bandit hunt, but I don't buy it. The story goes he fell off a cliff and they never found the body, so there's no way a superhuman like him could die from something like that. He's gotta be alive somewhere. Aah, dammit, it really pisses me off to think if I'd just been born earlier, I might've met him at the palace..."
He really wouldn't stop! I wonder how ecstatic he'd be if I told him she was actually alive. We like different things, but maybe he's a bit like Princess Philia. Our Gis-nee really had admirers everywhere.
I was wondering where to cut him off, when Giedt suddenly fell silent for some reason.
"...Hey. Does what you were just talking about have anything to do with Daute?"
He'd caught on. I wanted to tell him more but I knew I couldn't at this point.
"Nope? Nothing to do with it. I just happened to hear the legend from someone recently and got curious, that's all."
"Really?"
"Really."
"You really mean it?!"
Completely averting my eyes from Giedt who was pressing in closer and closer, I went on dodging the persistent "really?" and "really really?" questions for a while after that.