With permission from the host, Ash felt at ease laying his master on the bed.
Even before, his master had already been frail and asleep, but the satisfying part was that Ash could now comfortably change his clothes.
The distance from the Duchy to the Imperial Capital was considerable.
They were not in a position to wander leisurely through the Duchy because, after the arrest warrant was issued, even soldiers from each territory had joined the pursuit of Ash.
They had no choice but to use their last resort for travel.
“Master!”
It was multi-location teleportation magic.
“Ah…? To the Imperial Capital with a knight…?”
His master’s face was lost in thought, showing distress, but it seemed their travel path was easily identified thanks to the party hitting various territories.
Baron Manor’s arrival with soldiers, claiming he would “personally punish his son’s sin,” left them with no options.
His master activated the magic and truly lost his wits.
The Imperial Capital was an area where direct teleportation magic was impossible.
It was a large city protected by a grand magic circle.
So, the place where his master dropped them off was outside the outer wall.
Ash had to carry his master from the commoner district to the innermost street of the inner wall.
Of course, the person who actually carried him was Tyllian.
He had no qualms about carrying the mage like a piece of luggage.
What he was worried about was something else.
“Wouldn’t it be better to look for someone else?”
“You’ve always disliked him.”
“How could I, a mere commoner, harbor disrespectful feelings towards a member of the imperial family?”
Tyllian said impassively.
‘But it’s perfectly fine to harbor disrespectful feelings towards me?’
Ash thought to himself.
Hadn’t Tyllian consistently looked down on the young master he served?
Of course, disloyalty to the imperial family was a grave crime punishable by the extermination of three generations of one’s family.
Disgracing one’s master also seemed to be a crime punishable by immediate execution, but…
‘Hmm. Let’s not think about it.’
Discarding useless thoughts, Ash persuaded Tyllian.
“Who else? Can you think of anyone who would help us?”
“Perhaps Duchess Chaplin, or…”
Tyllian mentioned Ash’s relatives residing in the Imperial Capital.
“If that were the case, I would have just gone to see my retainers! What good would they get from helping you?”
Ash wondered why the intelligent Tyllian was speaking nonsense.
Tyllian’s eyes widened.
“Me?”
“Who else needs help besides you? Are you even aware of the seriousness of the situation?”
Ash thumped his chest in frustration. Tyllian looked at Ash with a bewildered expression, seemingly unable to believe his own situation, hearing about “seriousness” from Ash.
Of course, Ash was also surprised to find himself nagging Tyllian.
But Tyllian was excessively knightly.
He clearly knew nothing about politics.
“Do you think I came all the way to the capital just to save myself? I’ll survive no matter what. I have so many connections. But you won’t.”
“…Are you asking Lord Carlos to save me?”
“Asking? Do I have to? I think he’d just find it amusing.”
“I don’t think saving me would be something he’d find amusing.”
Tyllian still looked as if he’d eaten something bad. And he had a reason to.
‘They used to look at each other like a cow looking at a chicken, didn’t they?’
Ash remembered something from two years ago.
One day, his father announced that they had to receive an imperial guest, and the Second Prince, Carlos, arrived at the castle.
Ash had the duty as a family member to welcome the visiting guest, but this imperial prince was extraordinary from his first impression.
As soon as he got out of the carriage, he vomited, and Ash unconsciously covered his nose.
Later, Ash learned that Carlos had been drinking heavily throughout the carriage ride due to an exile order from the Emperor.
Unable to overcome his hangover, he put on a grand display of indecency and began his life at the Ducal Castle.
Ash learned many things from him.
That is… many things that Tyllian would dislike.
Tyllian didn’t dislike the well-built, unkempt prince when he first extended his hand for a handshake, saying, “Oh, you’re Ash’s escort knight, aren’t you? I’d like to see your skills.”
That was, until he discovered him and Ash frequenting various secret social clubs… that’s the story.
“He surprisingly doesn’t dislike you. He’s not the type to hold grudges, is he? You just did your job. Of course, I still hold a bit of a grudge, but I’ve decided to forgive you.”
Ash said magnanimously.
Tyllian had reported it to Duke Mills as soon as he found out.
His father, unable to scold the prince, placed Ash under house arrest.
For a full two days.
Ash even swore to Tyllian that if he just overlooked it this once, he would behave, but Tyllian didn’t listen at all.
He was furious and locked up…
On the second day, he was caught climbing over the terrace with Carlos, who had come to find him, and was scolded again.
‘I learned a lot from him.’
Ash inwardly nodded.
Every single thing was useful.
He was the worst as a romantic partner, and likewise as a partner for night escapades.
But as a friend, Carlos was a good person.
“I’m not interested in His Highness’s likes or dislikes towards me. I wasn’t worried about that… What reason could Lord Ash have for holding a grudge against me?”
“You wouldn’t remember. Has it been just a day or two that you’ve disapproved of my behavior?”
Ash understood Tyllian.
Tyllian changed his attitude and admitted.
“I did have some lingering resentment towards him.”
“As expected. So that’s why you’re discontent?”
“If it weren’t for him, Lord Ash wouldn’t have gone so far astray.”
Here’s the translated text, keeping in mind that Ash and Tyllian are male:
***
‘No.’
You’re telling your current master he’s “gone astray”…
“I shouldn’t have left you alone when I was busy with my knighting ceremony. I still regret not preventing something I could have easily prevented if I had paid more attention.”
Tyllian said seriously.
Anyone hearing him would think something terrible had happened to Ash.
But Ash had only learned how to socialize and have fun.
However, bringing up this topic would only lead to a fight with Tyllian.
Ash changed the subject.
“Anyway. He has many friends, and we need those friends, don’t we? What’s that saying? There’s a saying, isn’t there? Sacrifice the small for the greater good? To restore your honor, let’s put past minor conflicts behind us.”
“Is my honor worth that much?”
“What do you take me for, really?”
Ash couldn’t hold back and raised his voice.
“Is it right for a master not to be able to protect his own escort then?”
“Lord Ash.”
Tyllian’s voice trembled.
He seemed greatly moved.
“For you to act with such a sense of responsibility, I have no regrets…”
“And without you, I’m ruined!”
“Huh? What were you going to say?”
“Nothing.”
It sounded like a compliment…
If it was a good word, Ash wanted to keep hearing it.
But Tyllian seemed to have no intention of opening his mouth again.
Anyway.
Ash had to admit he’d thought too simply.
If he had escaped without Tyllian, could he have gotten this far?
‘I probably would have been caught in a day.’
His master was accompanying them inadvertently, but he wasn’t actually following them to help Ash.
And even if his master had helped Ash, it would have been a problem.
‘Because a mage is vulnerable in close combat.’
Tyllian coming along was truly something to be grateful for.
Without him, Ash might have already lost heart.
Most importantly, the very fact that the reliable Tyllian was with him gave Ash courage.
‘Trying to persuade the retainers alone was a dangerous plan.’
The retainers probably wouldn’t harm Ash’s life. Probably. But anything else was uncertain.
The anti-Owen plan was, from the start, dependent on the retainers’ ambitions. But ambitious retainers meant those who wanted to use Ash.
What wouldn’t a pack of wolves, intent on using their master, do?
Just look at what Owen did. As soon as their father died, he locked Ash up, and when things didn’t go his way, he branded Tyllian as a kidnapper.
Ash was nearly subjected to terrible things in Basewood, where he fled to escape that bastard.
“From the start, the plan couldn’t have worked without you. I needed a means to protect myself before I could even choose retainers to follow me.”
“If you think about it, you’re my first retainer, aren’t you?”
Ash said confidently, but his voice trailed off when Tyllian didn’t immediately reply.
Tyllian slowly answered.
“Yes. That’s right.”
Ash gained confidence.
He smiled.
“I’ll protect you. Don’t worry.”
It would have been a cool scene if the reply had been ‘I wasn’t worried,’ but Tyllian said, “Yes…”
At any rate, this was how Ash came to entrust himself to Carlos.
And now.
He entered the dining hall.
Carlos, looking impeccable as if his unsightly appearance in the bedroom had never happened, welcomed him with open arms.
“Ash, my friend, a pauper after a runaway elopement. Welcome to my grand mansion. You must be starving from running around like a thief, aren’t you? I’ve prepared a feast beyond your wildest dreams, so eat your fill.”
Under the chandelier, Carlos’s golden hair almost seemed to glow.
Of course, that enchanting impression shattered the moment he opened his mouth.