Praising You For Surviving (Salute for Lucien)

Tom had been my primary drinking companion when I started drowning myself in alcohol, so we shared the same taste in spirits. Our hobby was sampling various types of strong but aromatic distilled liquors.

Haah. Exhaling a breath soaked in alcohol, I grinned at Tom. However, he sighed deeply with an exasperated expression.

“Look, look at your face—covered in dirt like you’ve been rolling in a dusty pit for three days and nights—what’s the point of smiling like that? Jenne, Jenne! We need to clean Miss’s face first!”

“Never fear, Jenne is here!”

A nimble woman ran over with a spirited voice. Her cheeks were dotted with freckles, displaying her vitality. Despite her cute face, blood was dripping from the sword in her hand.

After casually swinging her rather heavy sword to shake off the blood, she smiled refreshingly at me. I couldn’t help but smile back. She had that kind of energizing effect on people.

Jenne was a maid who had joined the Bickman household a few years ago. She was found buried in snow near the mansion sometime after that tragedy, claiming she couldn’t remember anything.

‘If you’ll just take me in, I’ll work hard at anything. I have nowhere to go.’

Brook opposed, saying her background was unknown, but I accepted her. To be honest, I hadn’t given it much thought. At that time, I lacked the energy to think deeply about anything.

I thought it wouldn’t matter if she rested a while and left or continued working. Her existence as merely one of the maids in the mansion became evident to me due to a coincidental incident around that time.

It was the day after heavy rainfall. News came that carriages carrying goods meant for our merchant group were stuck in the mud, unable to move. Since there weren’t many people available to handle various matters at the time, I decided to lead a few guards there myself.

While arguing with Brook, who insisted I couldn’t go alone among those shady-looking men, Jenne happened to be passing by. Despite her thin-looking build, she was remarkably strong, which was quite talked about among the maids.

‘At least take Jenne with you. You absolutely cannot go alone.’

‘I’m going on horseback, not by carriage, so riding with two people would be too slow, don’t you think?’

‘I…’

Jenne, who had stopped walking and was listening to our conversation, raised her hand.

‘I can ride horses. I’ll accompany Miss.’

To cut to the conclusion, she wasn’t just good at riding horses. When we arrived at the scene, she easily carried her share of the load alongside the guards, but the highlight was when a band of thieves attacked.

Word must have spread that carriages loaded with the merchant group’s goods were stranded, as they arrived like ghosts. Although the guards were holding them off, they were severely outnumbered. Moreover, while the guards were concentrated on protecting me, the thieves began looting the carriages.

The one who reversed this situation was none other than Jenne.

When one guard fell after being hit by an axe thrown by the thieves and the formation broke, they began rushing toward me.

I wasn’t afraid of death. It didn’t seem like there would be much to regret. As I stared at the rough-faced man approaching right up to my nose, blood suddenly splattered before my eyes.

Jenne stood blocking my way, having seized the fallen guard’s sword.

From then on, it was like a whirlwind had struck. Her movements were unlike those of ordinary people. Her blade was sharp, and her movements were swift and efficient, incomparable to the thieves who were wildly swinging their weapons.

I couldn’t take my eyes off Jenne as she beautifully moved like a dancer, cutting down the approaching thieves. With her contribution, the guards regained their composure and joined in, successfully resolving the situation and protecting the goods.

‘Where did you learn to use a sword?’

‘I’m not sure. My memory is completely…’

To my question, Jenne blinked and answered with an embarrassed face. Even to my untrained eye, her skill was extraordinary. It seemed none of the guards present could match her. That day, for the first time, I questioned Jenne’s past history.

The first person I thought of was, of course, Count Balshwin. I wondered if he had infiltrated a subordinate pretending to have lost her memory to gather information about the Bickman family, but then I chuckled at the thought.

The Count could sweep away the Bickman family, including the Nix merchant group, anytime he wanted. He had no need for such troublesome tactics.

It was Ulrich, Kirhin’s older brother, who finally succeeded to the title half a year after Kirhin’s death. I first saw him, who reportedly lived in seclusion at his mansion in Glen province and rarely ventured outside, at his succession ceremony.

His facial features were similar enough to make me think he truly was of Bickman blood, with a splendid appearance, but there was a kind of cynical distortion in his expression.

People whispered that the reason for his difficult temperament was because he couldn’t use one of his legs, but they didn’t dare utter a word in his presence. He was not a man who appreciated jokes.

Ulrich, leaning on a cane at the succession ceremony, didn’t even offer me a proper greeting. He simply had a brief conversation with Brook before returning to his mansion.

‘He only said to continue managing the family affairs as before and not to bother him.’

‘Then what about the documents that require the head of the family’s decision……?’

When I asked in dismay, Brook quietly handed me a jewelry box. Inside was a ring that could imprint the Bickman family seal.

‘It seems you only need to ensure the annual tribute is sent to the mansion in Glen.’

‘But, but I can’t possibly do such things.’

Brook’s words sounded like he was entrusting me with the actual operation of the Bickman family. Having lost two masters in succession and lost his vitality, he responded to my words with a bitter smile:

‘You are the only one who can do this job, Miss. Because now there’s no one else.’

‘I don’t want to. I’m not qualified. Someone will get hurt. Someone else will die!’

Shaking my head and trembling, I soon lost strength in my legs and staggered. Brook, looking at me with pity, approached and placed a hand on my shoulder.

‘Don’t blame yourself. The master’s death was caused by those barbarians.’

‘No!’

I shouted impulsively and glared at Brook. Between rough breaths, a voice filled with hatred burst out:

‘It was Beitram Balshwin who killed my brother. That vicious butcher killed my brother.’

‘Miss.’

Brook soothed me with a voice that seemed to barely suppress a sigh.

‘I understand your desire to blame someone, but you must be careful with your words. There are now many eyes watching you.’

Brook’s wrinkled eyes were extremely tired. I understood the sadness in those eyes, but my thoughts remained unchanged.

Kirhin’s death was reported to be due to an Askun raid. There had been barbarian raids at various points along the road from the border region to the capital around the time of the incident.

However, since this was the first such incident to occur in the heart of the capital, the capital guard conducted an investigation but concluded it was undoubtedly the work of the Askun. This was because traces of Askun weapons were found on the bodies of the dead.

At first, I thought so too. Until I heard Nix’s story.

‘……Who did you say?’

‘It was definitely a letter sent by Prince Pelowic.’

This was what he told me when he came to see me before Kirhin’s funeral, saying he had something to discuss privately. Looking at me, too shocked to speak, he carefully continued:

‘It had the royal seal. I don’t know the contents, but he said he urgently needed to go somewhere and told me to bring a few guards to the mansion. I think he was concerned you might be in danger.’

I couldn’t just let that comment pass.

The Bickman family had no official relationship with the prince, not even enough standing to request a New Year’s greeting on their own. Yet the fact that Prince Pelowic had sent a letter to Kirhin supported one of my hypotheses.

Lars had a connection to the prince and had begun dealings with Freemont to check Count Balshwin.

If so, the urgent letter from the prince was likely related to Lars. Given Kirhin’s concern for me, the Count’s influence had surely reached that matter.

‘Bring me the guard who was at the Askun battlefield. Quickly.’

Despite my sudden request, Nix immediately complied. I took the guard he brought to Kirhin.

The inn where the catastrophe occurred had burned to the extent that the ceiling collapsed, but fortunately, Kirhin was found in a relatively intact state because he had been in the underground storage.

Kirhin, cleaned and dressed in his favorite clothes, looked no different from when he was alive except for his paleness, which made viewing him painful. It seemed as if he might smile at any moment and tap the bridge of my nose.

‘Is, is this appropriate……’

‘Just confirm whether these are traces of weapons used by the Askun.’

Leaving Brook, who was standing in shock, to Nix’s care, I urged the guard. After carefully examining Kirhin’s wounds, he finally spoke with caution:

‘The scars are different. The part where the blade entered is straight. He wasn’t killed by Askun weapons.’

At his words, Brook, who had been trying to shake off Nix’s arm, froze in place. My hands began to tremble, and I tightly closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Though I thought I needed to stay calm, I couldn’t suppress the rising anger.

‘I heard you also went to the scene; were there others with such wounds?’

‘No. At least not among the corpses I saw.’

After giving him a suitable reward for his surprise, I sent him back. Brook wiped his cold sweat as he approached me.

‘What on earth is going on here…… What are you thinking, Miss?’

‘My brother wasn’t killed by the Askun.’