Side Story 4. The Third Knights’ Bear Search Operation (2) |
“Do you remember where you came from?”
Arthur asked Ed, who was sitting on his shoulders. Ed, clutching a snack in one hand, shook his head sullenly.
“No..”
“He must have been panicking. There’s a good chance he can’t remember clearly.”
Arendt, standing beside him, said calmly.
“Then, let’s just wander around. Do you remember when you lost your teddy bear?”
Ed rolled his eyes.
“Before you lost Mom? Or after?”
“After…”
Arendt nodded slightly. Arthur and Arendt began walking toward the deserted path.
“By the way, why do you seem so used to dealing with children? You don’t have a younger sibling.”
“What can’t I do? It’s just that my seniors are idiots.”
Arendt retorted bluntly.
It was something he would die before admitting.
He’d worked many part-time jobs dealing with kids back when he was Lee Soo-hyun, so it was just something he’d gotten used to.
“Yeah, sure… you’re amazing.”
“Well, I am amazing. Ed, do you remember seeing anything on your way here?”
Ignoring Arthur’s grumbling, Arendt smoothly shifted the conversation. Fortunately, Arthur didn’t probe further and looked toward Ed as well.
Ed began to think hard with his small head.
“A pretty tree… and water.”
“If it’s water, then a fountain? Then he probably came through the garden.”
Arthur nodded, and Arendt agreed.
“There aren’t many people in the garden at this hour. If he came all the way from the main palace to the dorm without meeting anyone…”
Arendt pondered for a moment, then naturally chose a direction. There was a path along the garden path that was particularly deserted, almost like a deer trail.
“Isn’t this the one that leads to the Prince’s Palace?”
“It’s hardly used anymore. So, unless it’s for special purposes, even servants rarely go there. There are other routes connecting to the main palace anyway.”
“Aha…”
Arthur nodded with an ambiguous expression. He seemed to have come to a more or less certain conclusion.
The two entered the nearly deserted path.
“Then the teddy bear is most likely somewhere along this side road.”
“Assuming no one picked it up first.”
Arendt agreed with Arthur. Even if it had been found, lost items within the palace were carefully preserved, so it would be found quickly.
…At least, that was what the knights assumed.
But even after they’d completed their tour of the garden, the teddy bear in question wasn’t found. Not even from the knights who’d gone to check with the servants.
-They say that they’ve never found a lost item like a teddy bear.
A transmission came in.
And to add insult to injury…
-It’s still some time until the tea party, so no carriages have arrived. Apparently, none of the other noble visitors brought children with them either.
Similar reports came in from Glenn and Rider.
It seemed things weren’t going to go as smoothly as they’d hoped.
Arendt groaned, frozen in place.
“So, that means it’s not a noble’s child.”
“Then, isn’t it more likely a merchant’s child?”
Arthur suggested another possibility. Arendt nodded absentmindedly, holding the communication port.
“Then, senior, check with the merchants. See if they’ve lost a child.”
The palace was a place where a tremendous amount of goods came and went every day. It was also a place where countless merchants came and went.
“Damn it, what the hell is this? Fine.”
Glenn grumbled briefly and hung up the phone. Arthur said with a tired expression.
“If his parents are merchants, they really might not realize he’s missing yet. They’re probably still buried in work.”
“That’s right. That’s why the palace is quiet. We should just look for the teddy bear.”
“Ah!”
At that moment, Ed, who was on Arthur’s shoulder, let out a startled cry.
“Here! I’ve seen this place before!”
“Oh?”
The two stopped walking naturally. The child’s small hand pointed to the small fountain where the paths converged.
“Good, good. So you had the teddy bear when you got here?”
“Uhhh…”
Ed fell into deep thought again at Arendt’s question. After a long moment, Ed nodded vaguely.
“I think…”
“Oh.”
The two knights exclaimed simultaneously.
“We didn’t see any stuffed toy on the way.”
“Then it’s likely to be around here.”
Just as Arendt was about to look around, a rustling sound was heard from the grass. Arendt and Arthur instinctively turned their heads in that direction…
“Ah.”
They simultaneously let out a dumbfounded sound.
Peeking out from the garden shrubs, a mangled teddy bear gazed pitifully. Above it, a large hawk mercilessly clutched the doll with its enormous talons.
“Waaah!”
Ed, recognizing the tattered teddy bear, immediately burst into tears. The hawk, responding to the sound, clutched the teddy bear and flew up.
“What, what! Why is that thing wandering around the palace?”
Arthur exclaimed in confusion, to which Arendt, also bewildered, responded.
“There’s a tag on its leg. It looks like a hawk brought in for training… Where did it escape from?”
But that was fleeting. Arendt, suddenly coming to his senses, shoved Arthur forward.
“No, this isn’t the time. Go after it!”
“Okay!”
Arthur handed Ed over to Arendt and began running after the hawk.
Arendt, having received Ed, chased after the hawk in a different direction.
“Waaa, my teddy bear…!”
“Don’t cry, it’s okay.”
Arendt, comforting a sobbing Ed, followed the soaring hawk with his eyes. Fortunately, the hawk was flying into the palace grounds, not outside.
Arendt pulled out the communication port from his pocket.
“We found the teddy bear, but a palace hawk took it. Anyone slacking off, move and chase it. It’s heading toward the main palace right now.”
-What the hell?
A spectacle unfolded in the palace. The Third Knights, pouring out suddenly, were engaging in a chase after a single hawk.
“Hey, we’re not supposed to knock it down, right?”
“Are you crazy? I told you it’s a palace hawk! Just get the teddy bear back!”
Arthur shouted in shock at someone’s question.
“What, huh? What’s going on?”
“A hawk?”
Startled citizens stared as the knights ran past, but none of the knights had time to explain. The hawk, soaring high into the sky, continued its flight, hovering just outside their grasp, as if taunting the knights.
“That damn bird…!”
Finally, Arthur, unable to bear it any longer, kicked off the ground hard. Using the garden tree as a springboard, he leaped high toward the hawk. However, Arthur’s hand merely swished through the air.
Thud!
He landed, checked the sky again, and cursed. Perhaps feeling threatened by what had just happened, it had already soared high, out of reach.
“Damn it!”
“You’re so good at slicing ghouls, but you can’t even catch a bird?”
Arendt, who had joined them, snapped. Aggrieved, Arthur snapped back irritably.
“Shut up, you brat!”
Crash, thud.
The sudden commotion caused people to gather. Even Cantares, who was working in the main palace, poked his head out the window.
“What are those guys doing…? How come there’s never a single day of peace?”
“Huh?”
Jereon, who had been following Cantares to check the situation outside, let out a surprised voice.
His gaze landed on the child riding on Arendt’s shoulder.
“Come to think of it, I got a call from a merchant about a missing child about twenty minutes ago. Why is he with Sir Arendt?”
“What?”
Cantares was even more bewildered. Jereon laughed awkwardly.
“They only realized the kid was missing not long ago. They’d been searching the main palace… I guess he walked all the way to the Third Knights’ dormitory by himself.”
“How did a little kid get that far by himself?”
“Who knows. Anyway, I’ll contact them and let them know that the child was found. May I step out for a moment?”
“You may.”
With Cantares’ permission, Jereon hurried out of the office. Cantares let out a laugh, leaned against the railing, and began to leisurely watch the Third Knights’ absurd display.
“There’s never a day when those guys are quiet, is there?”
The chase between the hawk and the knights continued for a long time. Perhaps exhausted from the long chase, the hawk landed on a high branch of a garden tree.
That was the perfect opportunity.
“Get it!”
At Glenn’s shout, the knights all rushed toward the tree. Just then.
Tak!
A rock flew in and hit the branch where the hawk was perched.
Screech!
Startled by the loud noise, the hawk dropped the teddy bear and flew away. Glenn, who had reached the tree first, was able to catch the tattered doll with both hands.
“W-what?”
“You guys…”
Just then, a voice full of pain was heard. Only then did the knights, suddenly regaining their senses, turn their heads in the direction of the voice.
A crowd of onlookers had already gathered around the noisy knights. Among them, the owner of the voice, Laius, held a hand to his forehead, seemingly mortified.
“Ah, Captain…”
“…I understand what you wanted to do, but…”
Laius spoke at Arthur’s bewildered call. His gaze flickered between the boy with Arendt and the teddy bear Glenn was holding.
“Couldn’t you have handled this more quietly…? Seriously, I’m so embarrassed I can’t even live.”
“Ah.”
The knights belatedly realized that everyone was watching them.
The onlookers surrounding the square chuckled, while others looked shocked. It seemed absurd that the so-called Third Knights could make such a fuss over a mere teddy bear.
The Knights’ faces instantly flushed red.
Of course, Arendt was the only exception. Arendt shrugged shamelessly.
“We had no choice. My seniors were so incompetent.”
“Be quiet. It’s obvious that you were the one who started it and then slipped away.”
Laius’ chilling voice silenced Arendt.
At that moment, Ed shouted urgently.
“My teddy bear!”
“Huh? Oh.”
Glenn hesitated, then approached Ed with the teddy bear.
“Here. Your teddy bear is safe.”
Ed hesitated, perhaps slightly frightened by Glenn’s fierce face. But that only lasted a moment. Ed summoned his courage, reached out, and hugged the teddy bear tightly to his chest.
The Knights let out a huge sigh of relief.
“Ed!”
A woman rushed over, calling her child’s name. Ed, still riding on Arendt’s shoulders, widened his eyes.
“Mom!”
As Arendt lowered him to the ground, Ed ran straight to his mother without looking back and hugged her tightly.
“…Your intentions are admirable, but you didn’t have to make such a fuss.”
Laius, who had been watching the mother and son reunion, rubbed his temples.
“You lot, go back to the dormitory. We’re going to have a talk, you irresponsible brats.”
It was a chilling comment.
“Yes…”
The knights slumped their shoulders like children caught misbehaving and a small laugh escaped the onlookers.