Side Story 5. The Youngest Servants’ Outing |
“I heard he went to the Lucain Kingdom this time.”
During lunch, Seton spoke in a slightly dispirited voice. Rosie immediately frowned.
“Already? He’s only just returned, hasn’t he?”
“Sir Arendt is always so busy.”
Enoch replied, looking a little down as well. It had already been quite a while since they’d last seen Arendt. Seton lamented, choking down on the salad that had been served for lunch.
“He came back for a moment, and he’s already busy… and before long, he’s off on another mission abroad.”
Of course, he could understand.
The entire continent was in turmoil due to the battle against the Evil Cult.
Among them, the Caerleon Empire was at the forefront of the war, and the Third Knights, led by the Hero of the Holy Sword, Laius, were the Empire’s shield, holding back the enemies on the front lines.
But that didn’t mean the regret of not being able to meet him went away.
Enoch muttered in a weak voice, as if his appetite had vanished.
“I heard he was seriously injured last time too.”
“I wonder if something big will happen this time. I’m worried.”
Seton chimed in. The Third Knights were always covered in wounds after returning from a long trip. Arendt, in particular, was notorious for never sparing his own body.
After he nearly died after taking a blow in place of Captain Laius, the three of them couldn’t help but be sensitive to news of Arendt’s injuries.
The thought that if they made a mistake, they might actually see him die was deeply ingrained in their minds.
No one said it out loud, but they knew they were all thinking the same thing.
“…Isn’t there anything we can help with? He used to send us on errands quite often.”
Seton muttered in a dispirited voice, and Enoch comforted him.
“It seems he doesn’t have the time for that these days.”
“…Will this deployment take a long time?”
Rosie asked worriedly, finishing her meal. Enoch nodded gravely.
“I suppose so. Seeing that he’s gone to a foreign country again, it must be a big deal.”
“Hmm…”
Seton and Rosie simultaneously muttered, lost in thought. Silence fell for a moment. Rosie suddenly looked up.
“…Now that I think about it, Lord Neumann occasionally sends gifts to Sir Arendt.”
“Huh? That’s right.”
Enoch nodded. The three of them were usually the ones delivering those gifts to Arendt’s room.
Seton continued, picking up Rosie’s words.
“Well, maybe we could give him something as well?”
“Right!”
Rosie’s eyes lit up. Enoch then expressed his reluctance.
“But he’s a noble… would he really be pleased with something we buy him?”
“Um…”
Rosie and Seton, perhaps not having considered that, fell into another round of brooding.
In the end, the meal ended without a resolution.
And after several more days of discussion…
“We’ve received a lot from Sir Arendt, and I’d like to show our appreciation at least once!”
With Rosie’s strong appeal, the three of them decided to take a day off and go out to the city center together.
It had been a while since they’d gone out. The three of them, dressed in casual clothes for the first time in a while, headed straight for the city center.
“Wow…! It seems especially crowded today.”
Rosie, pulling her hat down tightly, looked around.
“It’s probably because a market day is coming up. It would’ve been even better if we came on the actual market day… but it’s hard to take leave then.”
“I see.”
Enoch nodded at Seton’s answer. He, too, was looking around with considerable interest. For the two who had only recently arrived at the palace, each day was a new day.
“By the way, have you thought about what to give as a gift, Rosie?”
“Hmm…”
Rosie’s expression became ambiguous when Seton asked.
“Actually, I don’t know. What does Sir Arendt like?”
“Snacks.”
“Snacks?”
The answers came back from Enoch and Seton right away. But Rosie didn’t seem particularly pleased with the answer.
“But I understand that Lord Neumann sent a lot of snacks this time…”
“That’s true. I understand that Aide Jereon gives him some as well. And since we don’t know when he’ll return from deployment, they might spoil.”
Enoch agreed with Rosie. Seton added.
“And if possible, it’d be nice to give him something he can actually use for a long time.”
“Hmm…”
The three of them fell into deep thought again. Rosie, who had been leading the way, slowed her pace slightly.
“So, besides snacks, does anyone know what Sir Arendt likes?”
This time, there was no answer. Rosie, who had actually asked the question, remained silent, as if nothing came to mind.
After a long moment, Enoch finally spoke.
“…Books? He reads a lot, doesn’t he?”
“Oh…!”
Both of them brightened at once. Seton nodded.
“Come to think of it, I noticed he often read novels during his breaks.”
It was at that moment that their next destination was naturally decided.
A bookstore in a bustling area.
“Hey, you know…?”
Amidst the densely packed forest of bookshelves, Seton suddenly spoke, as if a realization dawned on him.
“…What kind of books does he like?”
Now it was Enoch and Rosie’s turn to remain silent. Remembering that Arendt liked books had been a good step. But none of the three had the slightest idea what type of books he preferred.
Enoch managed to come up with a hypothesis.
“…Chivalry novels? Sir Arendt is a knight.”
“With such a job, would he want to read something like that in a book?”
But Seton immediately refuted that. Enoch stammered again.
“Well, then, a history book?”
“That doesn’t sound right either.”
“How about a romance novel?”
Rosie picked up a nearby book and showed it to the two. It had a cover depicting a handsome knight and a beautiful lady holding hands.
Enoch spoke seriously.
“Sir Arendt? Something like that?”
“Isn’t that just your taste?”
This time, Seton spoke awkwardly.
Rosie, sullen, put the book back where it was. Surrounded by countless books, the three of them couldn’t help but be troubled again.
Seton groaned.
“Besides… Sir Arendt already has tons of books. What if we buy something he already owns?”
“Even if he reads often, we don’t even know what he likes,”
Enoch then crossed his arms and muttered seriously.
In the end, they had concluded that books weren’t suitable as a gift.
“Haaah…”
The three of them slumped their shoulders and sighed deeply.
The servants had no choice but to trudge out of the bookstore and continue walking through the busy streets.
Rosie spoke uncertainly.
“I heard he used to like jewelry.”
“But he barely wears any accessories these days. There’s nothing like that in Sir Arendt’s room.”
Following Seton’s words, Enoch pointed out the reality.
“We don’t have the money to buy jewelry in the first place. If he put his mind to it, he could hoard as much as he wanted.”
Arendt was rich.
He wasn’t the type to be extravagant, but everyone in this Empire knew he had a lot of money.
Compared to him, the money the three could save up wasn’t nearly enough to buy jewels or accessories.
“Then maybe medicine? He gets hurt a lot. Wouldn’t he feel better if he ate a lot of good tonics?”
“We don’t have the money to buy that. Proper medicine is incredibly expensive…”
Seton shook his head at Enoch’s new remark.
“I’ve noticed that other people seem to take good care of that, including Lord Neumann.”
“Hmm… “
In the end, they were right back where they started.
Seton muttered in a weak voice.
“We know less about Sir Arendt than we thought.”
It was a statement they couldn’t refute. Who would have thought choosing a gift would be this difficult?
“Haaah…”
The three of them sighed simultaneously.
But that was short-lived. Rosie, clenching her fists, regained her composure and said:
“Let’s just keep looking! There might be something we can buy with our money, right?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s right.”
Seton and Enoch also nodded, suddenly coming to their senses.
However, their subsequent exploration yielded little.
Rosie, who had been snooping around in front of a pharmacy that sold panaceas, was practically dragged out by Seton and Enoch. The trinket Enoch had casually picked up was priced so high that even saving their combined salary for three months wouldn’t be enough.
They even snooped around in front of a jewelry store frequented by nobles, only to be kicked out by the owner.
In the end, they found nothing even as sundown approached.
“Should we just give up…”
Enoch sighed deeply.
Rosie, who had been trying so hard to persevere, seemed to be losing her motivation at this point.
“Maybe it was presumptuous of me… Talking big about giving Sir Arendt a gift when we don’t even know what he likes…”
“No. All three of us share the same sentiment.”
Seton comforted Rosie.
But still, the answer remained elusive. Enoch, who had been walking at the front, suddenly stopped.
The sky had darkened, and dusk was falling.
“…Should we head back today?”
Enoch looked up at the sky for a moment. The two nodded silently and turned around.
Just as they were about to head back to the palace…
“Um… e-excuse me…”
The girl’s small voice stopped their footsteps. The three instinctively turned their heads.
A shabby girl was looking up at them. The nearly empty basket she held in her hand contained neatly folded handkerchiefs.
“W-would you… like to buy a handkerchief…?”
The girl spoke timidly, holding out a handkerchief to the three of them.
It was the kind you could find anywhere, with a simple floral embroidery on the end.
“M-My mother embroidered it herself at home. Would you… like one…?”
But for some reason, the three couldn’t take their eyes off the handkerchief the girl, mumbling softly, held out.
“…Did you come out alone? Where are your parents?”
Enoch asked cautiously, and the girl lowered her gaze.
“Yes. I came alone. My mother is unable to move due to illness… And this is the only way I can make a living…”
Even as she said that, the girl cowered, embarrassed. The three of them were silent for a moment.
It was because the same thought occurred to them simultaneously.
Seton muttered, as if lost in thought.
“Something you can keep close and use often…”
“And you can store it for a long time too. And it’s definitely within our budget.”
Rosie nodded as well. Enoch didn’t seem to object.
The girl selling handkerchiefs widened her eyes at the unintelligible conversation.
Seeing the far-too-young child trying to make a living alone stirred something within the three, memories of their own not-so-distant past.
When they were the ones frightened and desperately seeking a helping hand.
Seton bent down, met the girl’s eyes, and asked.
“How much is it?”
“Ah. Yes?”
“The handkerchief. How much is it?”
Seton said again, softer.
“Could you give us four? One for each of us… and one to give as a gift.”
The girl stared for a moment, and then a bright smile blossomed across her face.
Arendt discovered a package wrapped in simple packaging on top of the piled items.
The wrapping was simple, and it was wrapped clumsily enough to show the giver wasn’t used to it.
Even without opening it, he already had a good idea who had done it.
Arendt opened it silently and chuckled.
“…How absurd.”
Inside was an extremely modest handkerchief.
The neat floral embroidery was the only decoration, but the fabric and craftsmanship were nowhere near the standard of what nobles typically used.
Enclosed was a small note, inscribed in Seton’s handwriting, with the names of the three children, one after the other.
“Little children imitating adults.”
Arendt placed the handkerchief in his uniform pocket. He was satisfied.
A gentle smile briefly flickered across his face, then vanished.
Of all the fine gifts piled up beside him, this was his favorite.