“……”
Ileil lay on the soft bed, her golden eyes staring fixedly at the ornate magic chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
She couldn’t sleep.
Sure enough… she still wasn’t quite used to sleeping on such a comfortable bed.
It was rare for Ileil to suffer from insomnia.
She tried her best to maintain a flat lying position on the bed to allow the wound on her shoulder to heal faster. Although Alyssa and Lily had already intervened on the injury, and Ileil could no longer feel any pain at all, she still chose to listen to the priestess when Lily seriously insisted that she take her wound seriously.
But why was it so difficult for her to fall asleep?
“…Is it because I haven’t been tired enough lately?”
Ileil murmured, as if asking and answering herself.
Two years ago, after Ileil had lost her male body and become a witch—Gro had rarely assigned her any arduous tasks. Even when her sharp blade was occasionally needed, Ileil usually did not face powerful enemies.
Especially in the past week, after being forced to become Princess Prinshitt’s personal guard, life had been particularly relaxed. Other than having to spar with the princess every morning by acting as her practice partner, there seemed to be nothing else for her to do besides following Prinshitt and her group around. Their investigation plans left no room for Ileil to get involved.
She was actually somewhat unaccustomed to this relatively idle period of time.
Ileil couldn’t help recalling the time when she had first joined Gro. That man had packed her schedule full every single day. Even after a busy day, he would still teach her to read and write deep into the night, forcing her to study cultural subjects. Even her own biological father, Isende, had rarely taught her such things.
Back then, Ileil had truly been so exhausted that she could fall asleep right where she sat.
Ileil had no choice but to admit one fact—Gro was actually quite a capable teacher. Although she could never forgive Gro for taking her father’s life, he had indeed efficiently trained an outstanding warrior, a sharp blade.
Every time she thought of this, Ileil missed her former body even more.
Although Ileil did not reject becoming female, she could not accept her body’s diminished capabilities becoming an obstacle to her revenge.
…….
Ileil patted her own head while lying in bed.
She sat up, deciding not to dwell on these thoughts any longer. The girl looked out the window. The pitch-black night sky was dotted with twinkling stars, and a bright moon hung in the air. Ileil had grown accustomed to staring blankly at the moon. Whenever it was her turn to keep watch at night while traveling with Gro’s mercenary group, she would pass the time this way.
It was not that Ileil had the leisure to admire the moon; rather, gazing at this bright moon helped calm her restless heart somewhat—her father, Isende, had also liked to look at the moon at night.
Ileil had always been a light sleeper. This innate habit had already formed even during her childhood when her father was still alive.
Isende was someone who frequently suffered from insomnia. In the middle of the night, whenever Ileil heard the sound of her father going downstairs and stepping on the wooden stairs, she would wake up as well. At those times, she would see her father leaning against the window, staring at the moon in the sky with a preoccupied expression.
Ileil had asked her father more than once whether he had something on his mind. However, her father had never directly answered her questions. Most of the time, Isende would simply smile gently and say that he was merely suffering from insomnia. Ileil would usually lie down beside her father, keeping him company as they watched the moon together. She would rarely last long before falling soundly asleep, only to be carried back to bed by her father.
……
Gazing at this bright moon, Ileil found some comfort.
Sometimes she would become so lost in thought that she would subconsciously glance to her side, trying to find her father’s tall figure. Only when she saw the empty space beside her would she suddenly realize that her father was no longer there.
But Ileil did not want to immerse herself too deeply in grief.
She had to pull herself together.
Ileil let out a soft sigh. She glanced at the clock in the room; the time had just passed midnight.
She took one final look at her father’s pocket watch, placed it in the bedside drawer, got out of bed decisively, and changed into the uniform of the princess’s guard detail.
Ileil wanted to talk to Gro. She estimated that he should have returned to the camp by now. Even if it turned out to be a wasted trip, she could treat it as a way to pass the sleepless hours.
—About what Dorias had mentioned: that Gro and her father had once been comrades-in-arms in Kastit.
……
“Uh, Miss Ileil… it’s so late. What are you doing?”
Ileil came downstairs and approached the two guards stationed in front of the princess’s temporary residence. The somewhat inexperienced-looking young man spoke up.
“I need to return to the mercenary group’s temporary camp to get some maintenance oil for my shortswords.”
The silver-haired girl casually made up an excuse, her expression unchanged.
“It is curfew time, Miss Ileil.”
The other guard, who looked rather drowsy, spoke up and yawned.
“Gentlemen, I have a guard badge issued by Duke Lokas.”
Ileil had prepared for this. She pulled out a bronze badge and pressed it into the young guard’s hand. “You arrived in Renn Town with Her Highness Princess Prinshitt, correct? I obtained special permission from the Duke before the princess even reached Renn Town.”
“Uh……”
In reality, they had no idea what this so-called ‘guard badge’ was supposed to be. Night guards did patrol the streets of Renn Town after dark. The badge Ileil handed over bore the Duke’s family crest and appeared legitimate.
“Then please go and return quickly, Miss Ileil,” the guard who seemed out of sorts said, gesturing to let her pass. “No matter how late it is, you must be back before dawn. You still need to serve as Her Highness the Princess’s sparring partner tomorrow morning.”
“Understood.”
With those words, Ileil left without looking back.
Incidentally, the badge was genuine. However, it was actually Gro’s pass that Ileil had stolen, and Gro had yet to discover who had taken it.
In his own words: ‘Fucking hell—even a bronze thing gets swiped!’
It was truly laughable.
…
This trick might still work to fool the princess’s guards, but it would likely be ineffective against proper night watchmen.
Ileil, however, had her own unique set of escape routes in Renn Town. She skillfully avoided the patrolling guards, moving swiftly through the shadows.
After turning the final corner and climbing over the last stone wall, Ileil exited the town and walked along the path leading to the temporary camp.
From a distance, she saw the bonfire flickering in the center of the camp. Unexpectedly, the mercenaries who should have been on duty were not at their posts. Only one familiar figure sat alone by the fire.
—Gro.
It seemed he had already returned.
He sat with his back toward Ileil, his black leather armor reflecting a dark red glow from the flames. Ileil could clearly see the skewer of roasted meat turning in his hand, with fat dripping onto the charcoal and producing sizzle sounds. The air carried the mixed aroma of spices and meat, a scent that strangely reminded Ileil of the wild game her father had occasionally prepared in her childhood.
Ileil lightened her footsteps, but the sound of her boots on the gravel still alerted Gro.
“Hey, we have a guest.” The man did not turn his head. His voice carried its usual laziness. “Kid, wandering the streets instead of sleeping in the middle of the night. Aren’t you afraid I’ll hand you over to the night watch?”
Ileil stopped about ten steps away from the bonfire, her golden eyes fixed intently on Gro’s back.
“Do as you please,” the girl said disdainfully. “That works out perfectly. I’m getting rather tired of playing investigator with the princess anyway.”
“Just kidding. How could I bear to sell out my own people?”
Gro finally turned around. The firelight cast dancing shadows across his chiseled face. The scar on his cheek looked particularly menacing in the firelight.
“You’re injured. What happened?” Gro only then noticed the wound on Ileil’s right shoulder. He set down the skewer in his hand. “And it looks like the bandaging job isn’t very good. Do you want me to…”
“No need,” Ileil said coldly. Gro’s attempt to stand up was halted by her words.
“Fine then, pretend I stepped on a hedgehog.” Gro sighed. He raised the skewer again, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile. “Freshly roasted rock sheep meat. Care for some?”
Ileil remained motionless. The night wind stirred her hair and dispersed the aroma of the roasted meat. She had originally thought she could maintain a calm state of mind and speak rationally with Gro tonight, but his casual words had nearly caused her to lose her composure.
“I’m not interested.”
Ileil suppressed the rage in her heart. The girl looked at Gro—the man who had personally killed the comrade with whom he had braved life and death—and he could still shamelessly utter words like ‘I couldn’t bear to sell out my own people.’ The irony was extreme.
“Really not going to take a bite? That’s too bad.” Gro shrugged and took a large bite himself. He mumbled unclearly, “Missing this late-night snack is your loss. Old John hunted this rock sheep just today. The meat is really tender.”
Watching Gro eat with gusto, Ileil took a deep breath and decided to get straight to the point.
“Never mind all that. I have something to ask you.”
“What is it? I’ve been hungry all day. Can’t it wait until after I finish eating…”
“Dorias told me last night—you and my father were once comrades-in-arms.” The girl interrupted Gro without politeness.
“Tell me—what exactly made you personally kill your former comrade?”