Wow. That’s both touching and a little terrifying.
Lacius was now revealing his deepest feelings. Everything else but me is useless and unnecessary to him. Some might dislike such an attitude, but I loved it.
I was greedy and wanted to be not just the first but the absolute priority for Lacius. I don’t like men who have more important things than me. I didn’t want a title, a family name, or a job to be worth more than me.
In that sense, Lacius is the perfect man for me. He was blindly devoted in a wonderful way. If I asked him to leave everything and go live in the woods and live a very simple life, he’d probably say yes, because that’s the kind of man he is.
“I am the one who will be escorting you to Panja.”
As our gazes grew increasingly intense and entangled, a voice interrupted just as I was about to pull Lacius towards the bed.
“Are you ready?”
He is someone from the Kun clan. Reluctantly breaking eye contact with Lacius, I responded loudly.
“Yes, we’re ready!”
Why is my face so flushed?
Feeling hot and bashful for no reason, I pretended it was due to the weather and fanned myself as I tried to step out ahead of Lacius. Then he gently grabbed my wrist and intertwined my fingers with his.
“Wouldn’t it be better to go like this?”
Ouch! Foul, foul!
How can you say such things with that handsome face and a slight smile on your lips!
Suddenly, my heart starts pounding wildly. As I secretly clutched my chest while panting, I realized his pulse was as fast as mine. Lacius looked down at me, his eyes crinkling into a smile. Then he moved his well-shaped lips to whisper.
“My beloved.”
“… … !”
“What are you thinking that makes your face so red?”
I wondered if he’d also been thinking of all the naughty things that had been going on in my head or if I was the only one, and he was asking me such a dirty question because he knew what I was thinking.
I gave him a glare and turned my head away. I could hear him chuckling softly behind me, but I didn’t turn back. Anyway, we soon arrived at Panja.
“Quiet, quiet! Everyone, please take your seats!”
When we got to the noisy Panja, there were already a lot of people there. Daphne and the chief of Kun were seated in the most prominent positions, and to their left and right were Her Highness, the princess of Terran, and the chief of the Ram clan.
It was set up like a concert hall, with chairs tiered upward and arranged in a circle overlooking the centre of the room, so that everyone could hear everything being said.
Today’s stars of the show are, of course, the painting wizards. Among them was number 782, Dua, who stood proudly, as if she were representing all the painting wizards.
Thankfully, someone had provided her with new clothes, making her look much more presentable than before. Dua, who had taken off her worn-out rags and even washed herself, was raising her head with her bright eyes shining. Lacius and I sat right behind the princess.
“Come, sit. Are you feeling better?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Thank you for your concern.”
“No need for thanks. You went through a lot, but I’m really glad that the culprit is now clear.”
The princess’s smile while she was saying that was fierce, clearly showing her anger. She must have been very angry. I scratched my cheek and nodded. Meanwhile, the commotion died down, and the chief of the Ram clan spoke in a loud voice.
“Tell us who you are and why you were underground in such a ragged state!”
There are four forces present here. Kun, Ram, Terran, and the painting wizards. I was very curious to see how Dua would handle this situation.
“We are innocent victims who were forcibly imprisoned in the nest of the desert dragon, Dragonas. Good people who were wrongfully kidnapped and treated as slaves for a long time!”
The hall fell silent as Dua’s voice rang out, filled with righteous indignation.
“At the same time, we are also a nationless people who asked for safety from King Edmund and were betrayed!”
It is a voice deeply ingrained in injustice. That was something real that even an actor with a thousand masks would not be able to portray. Dua looked back at her pale-faced clan members and stomped her foot on the ground with a resounding thud.
“Besides us here, there are more clans in Dragonas’ Lair. The numbers are much higher, and even children are being held!”
The mention of children caused a stir. An elderly warrior of the Kun tribe slammed the table with a loud bang.
“Children! If that is true that there are children, we must rescue them at all costs!”
There were many nods of agreement from those around me. Although the desert was a place where there was no such thing as chivalry, there was still a heart that cherished children.
“But by what means?”
“Hasn’t the information about where Dragonas slept already been lost?”
“Do you know the way there?”
But before the atmosphere could boil over with excitement, the elders of the Ram clan asked a sharp question.
“That… … .”
Dua, who was answering well until now, bit her lip. It was inevitable. Because they have lived for a long time without seeing the sun. Dua was actually unusually strong-willed; the other painting wizards had a hard time even opening their mouths.
“Because we were imprisoned… … .”
As Dua began to speak, the chief of the Ram clan interrupted.
“You don’t know the way at all?”
“…That is right.
Dua nodded with a sombre expression. The crowd fell into silence, and some pessimistic people, who always exist in times like this, threw words.
“No, then how are we supposed to find them? You have to say something that makes sense.”
“The people who have been saved are enough. Why should we waste more time and money?”
“And what about our lives? Aren’t our warriors’ lives precious?”
These weren’t necessarily wrong arguments. What the country calls a ‘rescue operation on a humanitarian level’ requires the phrase ‘beneficial’ in parentheses after it. And I knew who would benefit from seeking out Dragonas…
“But there is someone who remembers the way, isn’t there?”
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