"…what a Weirdo."
Rentaro muttered under his breath, still half thinking about the room he'd just left. He didn't honestly understand, nor care about what Adler had told him, but his mind began to wonder.
Did he know something I didn't?
Was he trying to tell me something?
Maybe he was right about a few things… honestly, I don't really understand most of them, but if my situation is truly as abnormal as he says and if that somehow makes me special in this world then…
Before he could finish that thought, a voice echoed along the hall's corridors.
"…That was faster than expected." Lina stood near the entrance, arms crossed, watching him closely. "I was under the impression Master Adler had planned to speak with you for considerably longer, though I seem to be mistaken."
He looked up.
Lina stood near the entrance, arms crossed, watching him with the same unreadable expression she always seemed to wear. She looked like she was waiting for him, although… that might not have been the case.
"Huhhh? Oh. You're still here… hey—hey wait a minute, were you listening to our conversation?
Her ear twitched.
"…No, I was not."
"Hmm…right."
Rentaro stared at her a moment longer, unconvinced, though he wasn't in much of a state to argue either way.
"We should go," Lina said, already turning. "Master Adler doesn't like lingering guests."
"...uhh? I see…"
Walking along the estate's corridors together with Lina, Rentaro contemplated with himself about what Adler told him, sure it sounds cool on paper, destiny, fate and all that, but if this world really works like that, and if memories do play a big part in it, where do I fit in all of this?
Do I even fit in all of this? Do I matter?
I don't think I'm someone special. Surely, in a vast world such as this, countless people would be in a situation similar to mine, I was just lucky to be treated nicely… that is… I'm not special.
"Oi, Lina."
Her ears flicked toward him, though her eyes stayed forward.
"...What is it?"
"You said earlier you're a companion of Adler's. What does that actually mean?"
Lina's pace didn't change.
"Exactly what it sounds like."
"Ohhh… but that's not reaaally an answer," said Rentaro in a sad voice.
"It's the only one you're getting for free."
Rentaro scratched the side of his head, thinking for a moment. Reflecting.
"I mean, I guess it's kind of like me and Bernard, right? He took me in, he gave me a place to stay, and now I help out around the café. That doesn't seem much different."
Lina's ears flattened slightly.
"...Try as you might, you will not find common ground with me."
"Ehhh? That was not my goal at all! I was just trying to start a conversation…"
Lina glanced at him sideways, unconvinced, before facing forward again.
"...Regardless." A pause. "My circumstances with Master Adler are not comparable to yours with Master Bernard."
"And why is that?"
She didn't answer right away, her steps steady, deliberate.
"...Sir Bernard took you in out of what appears to be simple kindness. An old man with a soft spot for strays so to speak." Her tone stayed even, though there was no real malice in it. "Master Adler is not like that."
"Ehh, so he's that much colder?"
"That is not what I said."
Rentaro raised his hand slightly in surrender.
"Alright, alright, I understand."
Lina's ears twitched again, though this time she continued without needing to be pushed.
"...Master Adler gave me purpose when I had none. Direction, when I had nothing else to hold onto." A brief pause. "That is not something you repay with mere gratitude."
Rentaro stayed quiet, letting her finish.
"...He means far more to me than a simple 'caretaker' ever could." Her voice, for once, lost some of its usual sharpness. "So no. Our situations are not the same."
He didn't respond immediately, processing that.
"Got it. I'm… Sorry for assuming."
Lina said nothing, her expression slightly altered though and her posture eased slightly, the tension from before has now faded.
They continued walking in silence for a moment, the corridor stretching quietly ahead of them.
It wouldn't seem thought, to Lina at least, but it appeared that the similarities between them existed nonetheless, a fine line between a "stray" and "repayment". But it was there.
They continued walking without much more conversation, Rentaro realized Lina wasn't much of a talker just like Shizuka so he didn't push her anymore. They finally reached the gates outside of the estate.
"Ah, Bernard did mention he'd be late, didn't he? Well I guess I oughta wait for him to come back–"
His eyes caught something off to the side.
Lilou, crouched near a small flower bed lining the courtyard wall, humming to herself as she plucked one bloom after another, tossing the picked ones carelessly into a small pile beside her.
"...L-Lilou…"
She looked up, entirely unbothered, holding up a half-crushed flower in triumph.
"Ren! Ren! Look! Pretty, right?"
PHmmmm
Rentaro walked over, crouching down beside her, and without much warning, reached out and pinched both her cheeks between his fingers, stretching them slightly.
"Mmph—! Wha—Ren!"
"These…" he said, holding up one of the murdered flowers with one of his hands while still pinching Lilou's cheek with the other, entirely too serious for the situation, "They are meant to be watered and taken good care of! Not murdered in cold blood, you dirty flower killer!"
"Ith not murdther—!"
"It absolutely is you dirty flower killer, you need to pray for salvation and pay for your sins now you little scandal!"
"Reeen, I didthn even hurth them!"
"Look at them, they can't even eat sunlight now, how are they supposed to grow big and strong?"
The flowers that were now part of the dirt pile that Lilou had mustered up were really messed up, some flowers had fallen petals while others didn't even have a stem.
"Okaaa, okaaa, I am thorryyy. Nexth thime i will help Marlene withh her flowrethhh!!"
He finally released her cheeks. She immediately clutched them, glaring up at him with the full weight of betrayal and pain.
"You're so mean!"
Lilou glanced at Rentaro who seemed overjoyed from the conclusion of this scramble.
Just a few steps away, Lina's voice cut in, flat and unconvinced.
"...You two bicker like siblings."
Neither of them responded to that, too caught up in their own back-and-forth to register the comment at all.
Lina studied them for a moment longer, arms still crossed, her expression settling into something closer to open skepticism.
"...Hm." A pause. "Curious."
Neither Rentaro nor Lilou seemed to notice she'd said anything else, Lilou already back to inspecting the flower in her hands, Rentaro watching her with the same overly serious expression as before.
"...I guess I'll be taking my leave. Good afternoon Rentaro."
Lina's eyes lingered on the two of them a moment longer, unreadable, before she turned back toward the gate without another word.
"WAIT—! Wait wait wait, hold on—!"
A voice rang out from across the courtyard, followed almost immediately by the sound of someone tripping over absolutely nothing and catching themselves at the last second.
"...huh?"
Lina paused mid-step, turning just as a young woman came skidding to a stop in front of them, breathless, hair slightly disheveled, one boot untied.
"Oh thank goodness, I almost missed youuu" She straightened up, smoothing down her coat in a way that did almost nothing to fix how rumpled it already was, then beamed brightly at Rentaro.
"H-Hii! You must be Rentaro, right?...Right?! Adler told me all about you!"
Rentaro blinked. "...ehh?"
Before him stood the woman, blonde hair falling loose and slightly windswept from her sprint across the courtyard, a few strands stuck to her forehead. She looked to be in her early twenties, green eyes and a large smile with sharp teeth.
"I… I am Rentaro…". A bit hesitantly, Rentaro cured the woman's curiosity.
"P-Perfect! Great! Wonderful even!" She clapped her hands together twice, entirely too pleased with herself. "My name is Claudia! And just like Lina over here, I'm one of Alder's companions!"
Another one of them, huh. Rentaro glanced briefly at Lina, then back at Claudia, trying to reconcile the fact that they supposedly accompany the same person. The difference between them is light and day yet…
"M-Miss Claudia, you seem a lot more..." He searched for the word.
"Energetic? Charming? Devastatingly cute?" ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )
"Ehhh, I was going to say loud..."
"G-GAUH!! I guess I'll take it…" said the woman with a sad expression. (╥﹏╥)
Besides Rentaro, Lilou tugged at his sleeve, leaning slightly to peer around him at the newcomer, curiosity winning out over any lingering embarrassment from earlier.
Lilou moved towards Claudia.
"Hii! I'm Lilou!" said the girl with a happy tone in her voice.
"Ohh, well hello Lilou!! you're as adorable as I had imagined."
Claudia reached out and grabbed both of Lilou's hands, shaking them enthusiastically.
"Hehe, You look well taken care of, you know that? Healthy, happy, clothes all patched up nice." She smiled, something a little warmer beneath the usual energy. "Mister Bernard has been keeping you safe, I see, I see. Honestly I thought his letters were exaggerating."
The scene in front of Rentaro was chaotic to say the least, both Lilou and Claudia enthusiastically jumping around. But a question lingered in his mind.
"Ehh…wait, You know Bernard?" Rentaro asked.
"Oh, well, everyone who's been around long enough knows Bernard," she said, straightening back up, the lightness returning to her voice almost instantly. "He's a pretty chill guy when you get to know him an' all, heh, honestly this city doesn't deserve him all that much…"
She said it simply, without elaborating, though something about the way she said it made it clear there was more history there than she was offering up right now.
"He is one of us afterall!"
"...One of you?" (º﹃º)
"Mm-hm! One of the greatest defenders I've ever seen." Claudia said it casually, like it explained everything, already moving past it before Rentaro could ask further. "A-Anyway! Enough about that, boring stuff, adult stuff, you don't need the details."
Rentaro opened his mouth but ultimately decided against it. Filed away for later, apparently, alongside everything else he didn't understand yet. Promptly, he didn't care all that much.
He glanced around the empty courtyard instead, the quiet stretching a little too long for his taste. Something is missing…
"Mmm… where is Shizuka…?"
He immediately looked at Lilou.
"She went to go talk to someone!" Lilou piped up, swinging her arms slightly as she spoke. "I dunno who. She told me to wait here and be good, s-she seemed a little annoyed though…"
"...I see, I see."
.
.
.
"Are you being good?"
"I've been extremely good!!" Said Lilou with a prideful look on her face. (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)
"Right."
Rentaro exhaled, glancing toward the gate where Lina still lingered, arms crossed, watching the whole exchange with her usual detached patience.
"Oi, Lina."
Her ears flicked toward him.
"...What is it."
"I'm bored. Is it okay if me and Lilou go check out the main city while we wait?"
"...Do as you please." (¬_¬)
"Ehhh? That easy, huh?"
"You are not my responsibility." She turned slightly, already losing interest. "Master Adler's estate is not a prison. Neither am I your guardian."
"oh, Well that settles it."
"W-WAIT—" Claudia's voice cut in sharply, panic flashing across her face for half a second before she caught herself, forcing an awkward laugh in its place. "Heh, I mean, wait, really? Just, um, just the two of them? Alone? In the city? Are you reaaaaally okay with this? (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞
Rentaro stared at both of them with a confused look.
Lina glanced at her, unimpressed and spoke with a blank tone. "...Yes. That is generally what 'do as you please' means."
"Right! Right, of course." Claudia laughed again, a little too high-pitched this time, before spinning back toward Rentaro. "You know what, actually, we shall accompany you two!"
"...We?"
"Mhmm! Us! You and me!"
From Lina's cold expression, a small frame of confusion and awareness began to shine through.
"...I was not particularly aware that I would be leaving my post this evening." said Lina with a serious tone to her voice.
Rentaro cut in before the two of them could keep going back and forth.
"...Wait, wait, hold on." He glanced between them, not particularly caring why Claudia was so insistent on tagging along, but something else nagging at him instead. "What happens if Shizuka comes back and we're not here?"
Both women paused.
Claudia blinked. "...Oh. Huh."
"...You hadn't considered that," Lina said flatly.
"Wahhh, I was building momentum! I was getting there!"
"Ehhh…"
Lilou, tugging at Rentaro's sleeve, offered her own solution without much concern.
"We could leave her a note!"
"...A note.?" Rentaro took a moment to think. "No… wait… that's actually a great idea Lilou!" ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧
Claudia snapped her fingers, visibly relieved to have an answer at all. "A note! Perfect! We'll leave it with one of the estate guards, she'll know exactly where to find us."
Claudia moved quickly, back and forth from the estate's corridors. She brought a feather pen with which she began clumsily scribbling over a piece of paper.
Lina didn't look convinced. "...That Shizuka girl seems like the type to be displeased by such idiocy"
"Wahhh? Who are you calling an idiot you meanyy." .·°՞(¯□¯)՞°·.
I guess that's settled, then. Nothing left to sort out here, so might as well head into the main part of town while there's still time to kill… honestly... It's a little reassuring that Claudia insisted on tagging along. Not that I'd admit that out loud. Lilou is many things, but "reliable in an unfamiliar city" wasn't exactly at the top of that list. I have the feeling that If something goes wrong, I'd be the one handling it either way. Still. Better two extra sets of hands than none, even if one of those sets belonged to someone who tripped over flat ground without provocation.
He glanced sideways at Lina, arms crossed, expression as unreadable as ever, clearly already regretting whatever chain of decisions had led her here.
Grabbing Lilou's small hand, Rentaro began making his way toward the row of carriages waiting just outside Adler's estate.
It looked as if Claudia and Lina would be following them…
"Lina. A word."
Without either Rentaro or Lilou noticing, Claudia suddenly pulled Lina aside from the state's main road.
Claudia's voice had dropped slightly, almost not even noticeably, a bit more serious than the previous brightness from earlier. She caught Lina's sleeve before she could step past, pulling her a few paces back, just out of earshot of the other two.
"...I'm sorry. I know this is sudden." Claudia kept her voice low, glancing briefly toward the carriage where Rentaro and Lilou were still occupied with each other. "But it was Master Adler's call, not mine."
She continued.
"I just… I Just wanted you to know I'm not doing this for fun."
"I did not assume you were acting without reason."
Claudia hesitated, something flickering behind her usual composure. "R-Right!"
Lina studied her for a moment, arms still crossed, voice as flat and even as ever.
"...if Master Adler deemed it necessary, then it is necessary. There is nothing further to apologize for–"
"...And if Master Adler is wrong this time?"
A pause.
"...Then we'll deal with it ourselves..."
With that, Lina pulled her sleeve free and turned back toward the others, leaving Claudia standing there with a blank look on her face just a moment longer before she followed after her.
♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥♦♥
A voice.
"Good evening, Mistress Claudia, is our princess alive?"
"She's living strong!" said Claudia, leaning out of the carriage window with a smile.
And another.
"Ohh, mistress, mistress, our princess, is she alive?"
"Alive and well!"
And another.
"Mistress Claudia! Is she alive?"
"Very much so!"
The carriage rolled on through the busy streets of the main hall, slow enough that the people along the street could keep pace beside it. These people looked relatively normal, like regular hermits. A fisherman with buckets on his hands. Two women carrying laundry. A boy who ran alongside the wheels until his breath gave out. Each one called out the same question, and each one stepped back looking lighter after hearing the same answer.
Conversations Rentaro had never heard before.
People calling upon a "princess" none of them had ever seen. Putting all of their trust into this one individual.
But he could feel a slimmer of [hope] in their voices, and the way Claudia answered, she didn't look bothered, more like excited at the fact these people were wondering about the princess's health.
Across from him, Lilou had her face pressed to the other window, waving at everyone with excitement. Lina sat stiffly beside her, eyes fixed forward, ears twitching every time a voice rose from the street, bland as always.
"...That girl, Shizuka," Lina said suddenly, her eyes still fixed forward.
Rentaro glanced at her.
"What about her?"
"...her demeanour was interesting." A pause. "She spoke little to me, yet she was considerate about everything. Even from across the courtyard, I could feel it."
Her ears flattened slightly.
"...I feel some regret leaving the poor maiden alone like that. She seemed rather lonely, despite her composure. I wonder if she's always been that way." Her ears twitched as she glanced at Rentaro. "And you left her all alone? Some kind of man you are."
"Ehh? Maiden?" Rentaro couldn't even imagine it. "That's a title for elegant girls, y'know? Delicate ones. Shizuka isn't a maiden, she's just… scary."
"Ackkxx" adding on top of Rentaro's statement, Lilou reacted.
Lina said nothing, which was answer enough.
"Besides," he continued, leaning back against the cushioned seat, "I don't think she'd be bothered. If anything, she's probably enjoying the peace and quiet."
"Mhm," Lilou chimed in, not looking away from the window. "Shizu likes being alone!"
"See?"
"Ahhh don't worry, don't worry!" Claudia said, pulling her head back inside the carriage with a bright smile. "I left a note with the guards, remember? She'll know exactly where to find us, so all is good!"
Lina stayed skeptical whilst Rentaro slowly nodded, his attention was back at the window. It truly had been sometime since he was outside of the part that Marlene and Bernard let him visit.
Another voice rose from the street.
Another "Mistress Claudia." Another "Is she alive?"
And another "Alive and well!"
"Oi, Claudia. Why are people asking you these things anyway?"
Claudia took a moment to answer, she seemed a bit surprised.
"Hm? Oh!" Claudia smiled softly. "Do you know about Sizzelia, Rentaro?"
"...Sizzelia?"
"A city, a kingdom, a name and a promise made for the people!" She held up four fingers, counting them off. "The great nations all agreed to build it together to retain peace." Claudia's expression became a bit calmer. "The city of the world's desires, they call it."
She glanced out the window, where another hand was waving up at her.
"And it's named after the legacy of the royal family. And by default, the princess everybody is asking about."
"...Sizzelia is a person?"
"Mhm! Queen Freydis is supposed to pass the throne down to her when the time came, Sizellia is next in line afterall." Claudia's voice dipped, just slightly. "But you know, a family like that always has relatives who think the seat should belong to them instead. And so, so... The princess has a lot of people who want to protect her, aaand a few who'd rather she didn't make it to the throne."
"...And those are our orders…" said Lina, interrupting Claudia.
"Mhm, exactly!" Claudia said, nodding along as if Lina had read her mind.
"Thanks, Lina!"
"...You were taking too long..."
"Hmph! Rude!"
Claudia cleared her throat and straightened up, trying to look dignified, which didn't quite work with her hair still windswept from earlier.
"Anyway! The Defenders are the ones the great kingdoms send to Sizzelia. Some volunteer, some are… persuaded." She waved a hand. "Most of us have [awakened] something special, or at least have enough mana and magic to be useful." Claudia lowers her voice "...except that pig-head…"
"Ehhh??" (º﹃º)?
"Anyways! Our job is to guard the city, guard the princess, and show up whenever there's trouble too big for the regular guards to handle."
"Ahh, so you're basically special magical bodyguards," said Rentaro.
"Bodyguards, babysitters, problem solvers, mystery solvers…" She counted them off on her fingers, then paused. "Dogs, according to some people… ehh that's not really nice though…" ( •̯́ ^ •̯̀)
Lina's ears flattened, just slightly.
"Not everyone respects us," Claudia said, her smile staying right where it was. "But that's part of the job too."
Rentaro stayed quiet for a moment, he mind running wild.
"And… Bernard is one of you. As you said earlier."
"Was," Claudia corrected gently. "But once a Defender, always a Defender. Honestly, he was one of the best I've ever seen."
Bernard…
Rentaro thought back to the crate that two people should have carried, lifted like it weighed nothing. The old man who muttered under his breath. The war buddy who had a friend like Adler.
And I called him an old coffee shop owner.
He couldn't decide whether to feel impressed or betrayed. Maybe both.
"Is that why he never told me?"
"Maybe he just likes his quiet life."
Claudia shrugged. "Or maybe he thought it wasn't your business yet.
Either way!" She clapped her hands together. "You'll probably get to see plenty of Defenders in a few days. There's a summit happening here in Palem, and everyone is attending. The Defenders, the royal family, and the princess herself."
"...The princess is coming here?"
"Mm-hm!" Her grin widened, though her eyes drifted to the window again. "So if you ever wanted to see who all those people are asking about…"
She tilted her head.
"Now's your chance."
"Wooow…"
Lilou had stopped waving at the window. She sat with her hands pressed against her knees, eyes wide.
"You're so cool!! You know everything, Claudia."
"Ehhh? Hehe, well, not everything…" Claudia scratched her cheek, visibly pleased. "Just the important adult stuff."
Lilou was glowing with excitement, her feet swinging a little above the carriage floor.
"Shizu would like this," she said suddenly, more quietly. "She likes it when people explain things. She just never asks."
Rentaro glanced at her.
"...Does she?"
"Mhm. She reads all those big books and pretends she's not listening when Bernard talks." Lilou smiled to herself.
"But she always remembers everything after."
For a moment nobody said anything.
Claudia's smile softened, just slightly.
"Then we'll have to tell her all about it," she said. "Right, Rentaro?"
"...Yeah. Probably."
He looked back out the window, and for a second he could almost picture it. Shizuka sitting in the carriage with her book, not looking up, but listening to every word.
We are not friends.
Funny. She wasn't even here, and he still caught himself wondering what she'd say.
Is she keeping to herself? Why should I care? Our goals align and that's that.
Although I'm a little curious. What kind of life has she lived…
"Owwp!!" blurred out Lilou as Rentaro gently struck her on the head with his arm.
The carriage began to slow.
Rentaro leaned toward the glass. The streets had widened again, and ahead of them rose a great hall of pale stone, its doors tall enough for three carriages to pass through side by side. Banners hung from its pillars, stirring in the evening wind.
The wheels came to a halt. For a heartbeat, even the voices in the street seemed to quiet.
Claudia straightened her coat, took a breath, and flashed her brightest smile.
"Alright, everyone," she said, pushing open the carriage door. "Welcome to the main hall of Palem!"