Chapter 69. Strange Signal

“Camilla!”

Camilla was sitting on the floor, gasping for breath. Aster stopped what he was doing and ran to her.

“Huff! Ugh.”

Camilla clutched her chest, gasping and suffering. As the knights panicked at the sudden seizure, Aster asked sharply.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know. She suddenly collapsed….”

That meant it wasn’t an attack. Aster held her and checked her complexion. Seeing her sweating and trembling violently, he recognized the scene from somewhere.

‘It’s similar to that time.’

It was similar to when Camilla had trouble breathing after learning about the Black Shadow’s emblem. What could have shocked her this time?

Struggling, she eventually lost consciousness from the pain. Aster picked her up and commanded the surrounding knights.

“Confiscate the cut stones, bind the remaining Black Shadow tightly to prevent suicide, and check if there is a doctor on board and bring them here!”

“Yes!”

Since it was a matter concerning Camilla’s safety, the knight did not question Aster’s orders. Without checking if the knights were moving busily, Aster carried Camilla to the cabin.

* * *

Camilla showed strange signals right after Aster used his magic. When she saw the red stone gleam and the flames being absorbed.

‘Don’t mind it and move quickly! If you get caught, it’s really over!’

Suddenly, urgent shouts from men pierced her ears like tinnitus. The sound of hurried footsteps and pouring rain confused her senses.

Then, strange visions began to appear before her eyes, making it hard for Camilla to stay conscious.
Familiar yet unfamiliar scenes.

When she met the eyes of a huge presence blocking her path.

Camilla’s consciousness was no longer in the middle of the sea.

* * *

Clop, clop.

The sound of carriage wheels rolling and horse hooves echoed in her ears. The sky was filled with dark clouds, foretelling an impending storm.

‘This place….’

I looked around blankly at the sudden situation. Seeing my beloved mother in front of me, I realized it was a dream.

It was something impossible in reality.

I had somehow turned into a child and was heading somewhere. Since it wasn’t raining yet, it seemed my mother and I were on our way to volunteer at the orphanage.

The carriage was a plain one, unlike the usual Francis carriage, as it was an event where we posed as anonymous benefactors.

The rain started late in the afternoon that day.

As expected, the sky beyond the open carriage window was full of dark clouds.

As I squinted my eyes, my mother gently stroked my hair and asked kindly.

“Lala, are you awake? Not sleeping more?”

In the dream, where I lay on my mother’s lap trying to sleep, I yawned and burrowed into my mother’s arms. Since I couldn’t move according to my will, it seemed to be a past memory rather than a simple dream.

The me in the memory rubbed my eyes with my sleeve and mumbled.

“Ugh. The weather is gloomy.”

“It’s because it’s going to rain.”

“It feels sticky and unpleasant.”

That day, I was particularly not feeling well. My mother smiled at my whining words.

“Are you going to meet your friend today too?”

“Yes! We decided to meet in the afternoon.”

“Then I’ll have to take you there again.”

My mother seemed used to taking me to meet my friend. On the other hand, I couldn’t understand who they were talking about.

Did I have a friend close enough to go back and forth between the castles at this time?

I seemed to prefer wandering outside alone rather than meeting peers at this time….

Since I only remembered mingling with peers on days where there are events, I couldn’t tell who they were talking about.

So I just stared at my mother’s face. I was happy to see my mother in a dream after a long time, and the time to part with her forever was approaching.

But the dream didn’t grant my wish for long.

The peaceful scene inside the carriage disappeared in an instant, and the sound of rain hitting the carriage grew intense. The carriage was waiting in a familiar alley. It was the alley where the Moss Tavern was located.

My mother murmured as she checked the situation outside.

“It’s raining too much…. Lala, how about we go back now? It won’t be easy for your friend to come through this rain.”

At my mother’s suggestion, the young me shook my head.

“No. Ash said we must meet today. He said he had something to tell me.”

“But seeing that he hasn’t come yet….”

My mother stopped speaking skeptically. She saw someone running through the rain from a distance.

“Ash!”

As soon as I confirmed him, I smiled brightly and opened the carriage door. Then, without giving my mother a chance to say anything, I opened an umbrella and stepped out of the carriage.

I covered the boy with the umbrella and shouted.

“Ash! Why are you so late? I’ve been waiting for so long.”

“I-I-I’m sorry. The-the rain was too much, and we were short on hands….”

I couldn’t tell if he was shivering from the cold or if he naturally stuttered, but the boy kept apologizing with his cheeks flushed red. His pants were a mess with mud, probably from running hurriedly.

Seeing the mole under the boy’s right eye, my heart sank.

‘…Aster?’

The boy was definitely Aster Blanche. Silver hair and red eyes. Unlike now, his delicate appearance, like a little rabbit, evoked a protective instinct.

The way he shivered like a wet puppy made it even more so. Seeing this, the young me handed him the umbrella and cupped his cheeks.

“Your cheeks are red. You might catch a cold.”

“I-I-I’m okay…!”

Aster’s face turned even redder as he flailed one arm. The other arm was holding the umbrella, covering me.

“Ugh! You’re not okay… This won’t do. Come here.”

I grabbed his hand and headed to the carriage. Unlike the chilly outside due to the torrential rain, the inside of the carriage was warm thanks to the magic tools.

As Aster hesitated to come in, looking at his messy state, my mother extended her hand.

“Come on in. You must be Ash.”

“H-H-Hello…!”

“Come in quickly. It’s very cold outside, isn’t it?”

Holding my mother’s hand, Aster climbed into the carriage, fidgeting with his lower lip. As a puddle formed around him, my mother took out a blanket and covered him.

“This won’t do. Let’s go back to our castle and warm up a bit.”

Seeing Aster shivering, my mother was about to tell the coachman to head back to the castle. Then Aster mumbled, fidgeting with his fingers.

“B-But I promised to explore with Lala….”

The exploration Aster mentioned was probably a game I insisted on when I was keen on wandering the alleys of the capital. It seemed I considered him a Subordinate 1.

Of course, being called a Subordinate 1 was a significant status. At that time, I was sincere about gathering comrades.

Considering someone a subordinate was proof that they were my people. Most noble children didn’t even consider such trivial games.

I untied the scarf around my neck and dried his wet hair, saying.

“Forget it. Today’s exploration is canceled. I can’t lose a precious comrade.”

“Am I, am I, am I precious?”

“Of course. You’re my Subordinate 1. The most precious.”

“Uh, uh-huh.”

Young Aster lowered his head with a faint smile. He seemed overwhelmed by the fact that he was precious to me.

After that, I focused on drying his hair. He looked extremely cute as he obediently held out his head.

The carriage headed towards Francis Castle. But the accident happened when we were passing the fourth wall.

Clunk—.

The carriage shook violently and came to a stop. It was still raining heavily outside. My mother knocked on the carriage wall and asked.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry. Suddenly, some people blocked the way. Hey, move out of the way! I said move… Ahhh!”

The coachman couldn’t finish his sentence and screamed. Startled, my mother held Aster and me close and held her breath.

“M-mom….”

It was the moment when I, frightened, called out to my mother.

Then the sound of clashing swords echoed. Through the window gap, I could see a Francis knight confronting some assailants.

Today was the day we were returning from the orphanage, so we had a minimal escort. My mother didn’t like going to charity events with a noisy escort.

But suddenly, an ambush!

My mother seemed tense, possibly because Aster was with us. She took out a bow from under the seat.

My mother held my hand and soothed me.

“Camilla. Wait here nicely with your friend. Mom will check the situation outside and come back.”