"Do you think the assassin would act while I'm around? I'm quite famous as a Saintly Sword wielder."
"That should be fine. The culprit is bold enough to destroy a part of the castle even with you and Cattleya inside. Thinking that the number of Saintly Sword wielders is reduced now, they might see this as an opportunity."
"I see. Father is regaining his composure after executing Cattleya. If I invite him, he'll probably go falconry."
"Of course, Iris and Safran will be nearby, hidden and using invisibility."
"And when the assassin appears, the three of us will capture them. My father will have no choice but to believe in Cattleya's innocence then. Not a bad plan."
"When we bring Cattleya out later, make it seem like you were the one hiding her. You'll get to show off to the king, won't you?"
"...Don't underestimate me. I won't take credit for someone else's deeds. It's thanks to you that we could save Cattleya."
"...Well, I haven't actually done anything, though..."
"Follow your plan, then. I'll invite my father for falconry. I'll leave the rest to you."
It's somewhat unsettling how straightforwardly he agrees, unlike his confrontational student days.Well, whatever.
Several days later.
Heeding Heath's suggestion, King Dalia went out for falconry. The location was a mountainous area near the royal capital, known as a hunting ground and off-limits to the public.
Riding a horse, I led a group of dozens, including falconers, beaters, and porters, following King Dalia and Prince Heath, who were heading out for falconry. I observed them from above, riding the heavenly sword Steed Pegasus. Attached to Pegasus was a carriage.
Inside the carriage were Iris and Safran, along with Cattleya, who was still in hiding.
Initially, when I invited Cattleya to join us, she was reluctant:
"What? What use would I be without my Saintly Sword? Sure, I haven't lost much of my physical strength, and I might be able to summon the Blazing Sword from the royal castle in an emergency..."
But when I explained:
"Cattleya. I'm not entirely sure of the perpetrator's motive in this incident. If their goal was truly to assassinate the king, it's safer for you to stay hidden. However, if their true aim was to frame you and strip you of your Saintly Sword ownership, then it's dangerous for you to act alone."
"Oh..."
"That's why I asked Safran to guard you. But now, if we successfully lure out the perpetrator using the king as bait, it would be risky to let Iris confront them alone. Safran's assistance is needed, so it's better if you're with us."
"Is that so..."
Cattleya agreed quite easily to accompany us.
"...Yawn..."
While watching the falconry performed by King Dalia and his entourage from above, I yawned out of boredom.
Unbeknownst to others, the Steed Pegasus I received as a reward from the king was actually a heavenly sword capable of soaring through the sky. Therefore, to prevent others from understanding its full capabilities, I maintained a high altitude while observing from above.
If spotted from below, we might be mistaken for a bird or something similar. If we were discovered, we'd deal with it then.
I was lying down inside the carriage as we had arranged to take turns keeping watch. Currently, it was Cattleya's turn to watch, but for some reason, Safran was also peeking out of the carriage window, observing the scene below with her."Hey, hey, Crow," Safran, still sticking her head out from the carriage, called out to me.
"What is it? Did something happen?" I replied.
"Not really. But, what are those people down there doing?"
"Falconry."
"They’re hunting falcons?"
"No, no... They use falcons raised by falconers to hunt prey, not hunting the falcons themselves."
"Why are there dogs with them?"
"The dogs bark in the woods and mountains to make the prey move, making it easier for the falcons to catch them."
"And those others swinging long poles and shouting?"
"Don’t just call them ‘others.’ They’re beaters, tasked with driving hidden prey out into the open."
"So, prey just conveniently appears for the falcons to hunt?"
"Of course. The hunting ground is exclusively for nobles. It's off-limits to commoners, ensuring abundant prey."
"Hmm. And what's so fun about that?"
"What? Don’t ask me such fundamental questions... For nobles, it’s a matter of pride to show off the prowess of their falcons. They use occashions like this to showcase how remarkable their birds are."
"But they’re not the ones actually hunting. Can't see much to brag about in owning a great falcon."
"...Please don’t start with philosophical stuff..."
"By the way, the one handling the falcon down there isn't the king, right?"
"The falconer’s job is to control the falcon; they’re the ones who train and care for them daily."
"Huh? So they're just bragging about a falcon they didn't even raise themselves?"
"Exactly. That's the status symbol for nobles. Just like how nobles boast about their fine horses, they don’t actually take care of them themselves."
"Seriously? All I see is a few people having fun while a bunch of others work hard for them."
"That’s how the world works. And please stop bombarding me with questions. I'm not that well-versed in this either."
"No, you seem pretty knowledgeable..."
It was Iris, not Safran, who had been bombarding me with questions, who commented. She was sitting next to me, who was lying down.
"You seem quite familiar with falconry and the hunting grounds. I didn’t know much about them myself."
"Yeah, I used to come to these hunting grounds often."
"What do you mean?"
"My father and I used to sneak in to hunt foxes and deer. The place was rich with them."
"What!? You entered a restricted area!?"
"Yeah, so?"
"That's a crime, you know!"
"Well, if we were caught, it would have been the end for us. Thinking back, it's chilling. My father really was a terrible criminal..."
"You don’t seem to feel guilty at all..."
"I was just a kid, and I was terrible with a bow. I didn’t even know it was a crime."
But during that time, my foster father taught me how to set traps, kill and process the hunted animals, eat them, skin them, and sell the hides.My adoptive father used to tell me, as I struggled with archery, failing to hit the target time after time:
"Don't fret over things you can't do. Let others do what you can't. Focus on doing your best with what you can do. That’s enough to handle anything."
He was an odd man. He picked me up, a child with no ties or connections to him, raised me, and even managed to scrape together enough money for my officer school enrollment.
And then, he left me with those incomprehensible words about how I was the reason for his existence, and then he passed away.
I can't become like him. I doubt I'll ever be as strong and kind as he was. But thinking back, my defiance towards the prince, regardless of what he said or did to me, might have been because I wanted to be like my father.
He was always defiant against those nobles who decided everything just because they were born into privilege.
In the end, maybe all my words and actions are just echoes of what my foster father taught me.
We were just ordinary citizens, an unremarkable family among the masses. Truly, just normal people you could find anywhere.
At that moment, for some reason, my adoptive mother, who was on lookout duty, was staring at me. But she didn’t say anything.
Then, suddenly…
That sound was heard.
It was my own heartbeat.
"…! What’s this? Something’s…!"
I suddenly felt very unwell. Looking around, the other three in the carriage also seemed to have suddenly turned pale.
It wasn't illness or poison.
We were all feeling unwell for psychological reasons.
We were tense.
Incredibly tense.
Moreover, we didn’t understand why we were feeling this tenshion.
For some unknown reason, an intense sense of fear and tenshion had taken hold of us, making us want to flee from this place.
Not just me, who had always been easily rattled, but even those Saintly Sword wielders.