「Excuse me. Is Rudok-dono here?」
Another man. From Rudok’s explanation, I hear the voice of a man who seems to be a guard knight.
「I am here. May he come in… is it okay?」
Rudok looks at Father midway.
「Of course」
「You may enter」
「Excuse me for intruding」
As I think about how politely he speaks, a handsome man appears in the hallway. When he sees Father and us, he places his right hand over his heart and bows slightly.
「Nice to meet you. Under the instruction of Bishop Arteto, I have come to protect the one who wrote the letter, Agus-dono, and his family. My name is Fogas」
Did the Bishop send someone to protect us? He seems like a proper person, which is good.
「Thank you for your politeness. I am Rigus, and next to me is my wife, Kana. Our children are Agus, Rina, and Suna」
Father and Mother bow to Fogas with relieved expressions.
「I am glad everyone is safe. Um, who was it that wrote the letter?」
Fogas’s gaze turns toward us.
「I wrote the letter. Thank you for coming」
When I bow deeply to Fogas, he kneels on the floor to meet my eye level.
「Bishop Arteto says, 『I apologize for the delay in helping. I am heading there immediately, but first I am sending a guard knight I trust. I will surely punish those who made you suffer, so please wait just a little longer』」
Tears well up in my eyes hearing Bishop Arteto’s words from Fogas.
I had been anxious all this time. What if the letter was ignored? But they came. My voice reached them.
「Thank you for saving us」
I bow to Fogas once more.
「It is natural for those belonging to the Church to take the hand of those seeking help. Nevertheless, the priest of this village ignored it. He will surely be punished, so please rest assured」
I nod looking at Fogas. From his demeanor, I realized he is quite angry.
「By the way, Rigus-dono, it seems you are injured. Please let me see」
「It is fine. It is just a scratch」
「You must not take injuries lightly」
Looking at Father’s injury, Fogas takes something out. Father hurriedly shakes his head.
「It is just an ointment, so please use it」
「But, that is…」
「It is free, so it is fine」
「Um, thank you very much」
Father accepts the ointment with a slightly troubled expression. While watching this curiously, Rudok laughs.
「Fogas. The ointment held by those related to the Church is imbued with holy power by the Bishop, right? Even if you say 『please take it』, it is not something one can accept casually」
So it is an ointment imbued with holy power. Ah, was not that the medicine that could erase curse scars?
「This medicine is not imbued with power by the Bishop, but by me. So please use it without worry」
At Fogas’s explanation, Father still nods with a troubled expression.
「No, that is not what I meant. Well, never mind」
Looking at Fogas, he sighs as if giving up, and looks at Father.
「Since the person who imbued the power says 『please take it』, you should just accept it without worry. Besides, I think it is necessary for the two of them」
Rudok looks at me and onii-chan. He must have seen the scars on our necks.
「That is right. Fogas」
「What is it?」
「What happened to the guys who escaped?」
「Except for one, we have secured them. We tied them all up, so they cannot escape. They are all unconscious anyway」
So one managed to escape.
「One managed to escape, huh」
「Yes. Since he was giving instructions to those around him while escaping, I think he is a high-ranking member of the organization. Also, there was someone among them who had a somewhat unusual button. Have you seen it?」
「A button? Not attached to clothes, but held in hand?」
At Fogas’s explanation, Rudok tilts his head.
「Yes. He was holding it wrapped carefully in cloth. It caught my interest, so I brought it」
When Fogas takes a blue cloth out of his pocket and spreads it, a single button comes out from inside.
「That is」
Father raises a surprised voice looking at the button.
「Do you know this?」
At Fogas’s question, Father’s gaze wanders.
「Is it something difficult to say?」
When Fogas asks curiously, Father looks at him.
「No. That is a button made by the master carpenter I work with. He is dexterous and makes small accessories when he has free time」
「I see. He might have given it to the person who had it」
「No, I do not think so」
Looking at Fogas, Father shakes his head.
「The master carpenter was quite fond of that button. He even boasted that it was the most beautifully made one so far. So he said he would keep it on hand. Why did the ones who attacked us have it? Could it be that they did something to the master carpenter too?」
No. It was the master carpenter who gave instructions to the watchers. But why was he holding the button made by the master carpenter wrapped in cloth?
「Um, may I go check on the master carpenter? Something might have happened because of me」
Ah, I must stop Father.
「No. Since there is one escapee, it is dangerous to move alone. I will go check on the master carpenter. I also want to ask about the button. Could you please draw a map to the master carpenter’s house?」
Fogas stops Father and looks around, then takes a sheet of paper from a shelf and hands it to Father.
「Understood」
If the one who escaped went to the master carpenter’s place, Fogas might witness them together. Well, it probably will not go that smoothly.
When Father finishes drawing the map, he hands it to Fogas and bows.
「He is someone who has helped us, so please take care of him」
I avert my gaze from Father. I should say that the master carpenter was moving the watchers, but I do not know how to convey it. No matter how I say it, it will hurt Father. Also, if Fogas asks how I know, how should I explain it?
「Fogas. Sorry to trouble you, but could you ask the Adventurer’s Guild for manpower to transport the captured men?」
「Of course, that is my intention. Then, I will go check on the master carpenter and ask about the button」
「Please be careful」
I call out to Fogas, who is about to leave the living room. If the master carpenter is strong, he might get injured.
Should I really tell them about the master carpenter? No, I still cannot say it.
「Thank you very much. I am strong, so I will be fine. See you」
My heart aches watching Fogas go out through the window.
I am sorry.
「That is harsh. Shall we clean up?」
Rudok looks around the room and picks up fallen wood fragments.
「Eh? It is fine. We cannot let someone who helped us do the work」
Father hurriedly stops Rudok.
「No, no, please do not worry. Until the manpower for transport arrives, I have nothing to do, so I will help」
Saying this with a laugh, Rudok starts picking up the wood scattered around the broken window.
「Shall we clean up too?」
Onii-chan looks at me.
「Yes. That is right」
The men who broke into the house did not just break the windows, they had ransacked the living room as well.
I was anxious about what they were doing because of the repeated breaking sounds, but the table and chairs are in shambles.
「The books are torn too」
Onii-chan makes a sad expression looking at a book torn in two.
「That book was your favorite, wasn’t it, onii-chan?」
It is a story about a village boy fighting to protect the village he loves.
「Yes. It was the first book I could read all the way through by myself」
It is a book full of memories. Ah, the books related to the Church are in even worse condition than the ones onii-chan has.
When I look up, I see Father and Mother. Onii-chan is beside them.
Ah, we are saved.
「Hehehe」
「Rina?」
Onii-chan looks at me curiously as I start laughing.
「I realized… that we are saved… and I became happy」
I wonder. A sense of happiness is slowly welling up, or rather, the reality is sinking in. Even though I am trying to suppress it, I cannot help but laugh.
「Hah」
When I turn my face toward onii-chan’s laughter, our eyes meet.
「「Pfft, ahahaha」」
For some reason, the two of us laughed aloud. Is it because various anxieties were resolved all at once? I do not know exactly, but yes, we are saved.
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