Chapter 44.2

Thank you raw provider: jarry.

The temperature suddenly dropped; it was freezing.

Because I started to lightly shiver, he rubbed my back, his face was cold.

"There was a man I didn't know that had replaced the coachman and was driving the carriage up the mountain. The man who attacked Igelto at the slave auction house was the same one who kidnapped me."

"Why the hell did...?"

"I don't know that either."

His fierce eyes distorted terribly.

When I paused for a moment, his purple eyes urged me to continue.

"The man who had drugged me to sleep gave me a choice: I could either cut off my arm or end up his stuffed doll."

"........."

"In the end, I didn't choose either option, so I ended up like this and came back to the mansion."

Alastair gently stroked my cheek, touching my wound.

It was the wound from when the man had jokingly cut my cheek with a knife.

"It's been awhile since I told you not to get hurt.

"Not long after I told you not to get hurt...."

His gaze fell on my bandaged arm.

"...it must have hurt a lot."

"It was tolerable."

He stared into my eyes for a while. His purple eyes grew clouded and turned into a leaden color.

"So what happened to him?"

"I don't know. I thought I killed him, but I guess not."

"Is that so,"

he acknowledged softly.

It was surprising.

Judging from his usual personality, I thought he would be irate and furious towards the man.

"Go back to sleep."

He let me go and got up.

He pulled up the blanket lying at my waist and covered me up to my neck.

"Suddenly some work came up, so I have to go."

Click. He closed the door.

He left as soon as we talked. It was a little disappointing, but I didn't want to bother a busy person.

* * *

I knew it. As expected, the newspapers reported what had happened at the banquet yesterday.

The front page of every newspaper was full of stories of the happenings in the banquet hall. Among them, there were many erroneous details and many exaggerated speculations.

However, they all said the same thing, there is a high possibility that it was the work of the warlock group: 'Facius'.

The public was getting more and more rallied up.

The newspaper covered this as a special report, but there was another item I was interested in.

It's at the end of a newspaper, so it looks worthless, but it's not.

There was a minor mention of founding day festivities taking place in various villages.

Yesterday, when I rode down from the mountain, I spotted a village.

The village was lit up, celebrating the founding festival.

Beautiful lanterns floated up to the sky one by one.

The lanterns shined brilliantly in the increasingly dark sunset sky. It was a spectacular sight.

Even in the midst of my painful journey I had smiled at the sight Discern you in the midst of hard times

It reminded me of the past.

On that day it had also been Founding Day.

Naturally, we had to attend the celebration at the palace's banquet hall and sneak out when people would be too busy to notice.

Alastair and I escaped by teleporting to a village and headed towards it's lakeside, enthralled by it's stunning scenery.

There he rented a rustic boat.

The boat was so shabby, it looked like it was about to fall apart.

Alastair skillfully rowed the boat and we headed into the middle of the lake.

The boat stopped there.

We flew the cheap lanterns we had bought at the store. They rose and bumped into each other.

-Alastair, what did you wish for?

There was such a superstition that if you make a wish on a lantern at the founding festival, it will come true.

Of course, it was a superstition created to increase store sales by selling lanterns, but it was fun to try.

Above all, flying the lanterns and seeing them float into the sky was fun.

- I made a wish to be with you for a long time.

Then Alastair smiled happily. The boy desperately hoped for his wish to come true.

- What did you wish for?

The calm waves rippled by the gentle breeze, reflected the two of us as we stared at each other.

- My wish........ .......

Wait, what did I wish back then?

It's been so long I can't remember.

In frustration I threw down the newspaper.

Usually founding festivals are held for a week.

'Shall I go with Alastair?'

It wouldn't be a bad idea to have fun like we did in the past. It's been a while.