"What is this about?"
When I asked cautiously, the soldier caught his breath briefly and answered in a rigid tone.
"Just follow me, and you'll find out."
A feeling of unease washed over me.
It was strange. I had made something of a name for myself, but not to the extent that soldiers would show me such courtesy.
From the moment he used honorifics, I already sensed this was not a personal matter.
"Huh? Do I have to go right now?"
When I asked again, the soldier nodded and continued.
"Yes. If you have no other business, I believe you should come at once."
"What about my companions, then...?"
"For now, the summons is only for Sir Ribeu."
Damn. I think I've really been hooked this time.
I was sure I had seen him just a while ago; why was he calling me already?
Aillin, who had been examining goods nearby, approached at the commotion.
It was a worried gaze. Her lips were firmly shut, but her expression alone said more than enough.
Sailleon... where did he go?
He had clearly been in the back until just now, but now there wasn't a shadow of him.
When on earth did he slip away?
I let out a long sigh and answered quietly.
"Understood. Where should I go?"
The soldier stepped half a pace forward.
"I shall guide you."
And so, I was drawn into yet another troublesome affair.
Even as I walked, one side of my chest kept prickling uncomfortably.
I silently repeated to myself, over and over, hoping this was simply a summons.
***
Walking through the city accompanied by soldiers, people turned their heads one by one.
It was a strange look.
To anyone watching, I was either a suspicious suspect being escorted or an outsider who had caused trouble.
I hadn't asked for a grand escort, but
no matter how I looked at it, this was a scene that leaned much closer to "he's done something wrong."
Ignoring those gazes, I followed silently.
The place where the soldiers stopped was at the bottom of a staircase attached right beside the North Gate.
"Here?"
I asked.
Even though I was a commoner, I briefly doubted whether it was appropriate to meet in the middle of the street like this.
I had expected they would take me somewhere indoors, at the very least; but this was just outdoors.
"Just go up."
One of the soldiers pointed upward and nodded.
I looked up.
"Am I going up alone?"
"Yes. We will wait here."
Well, alright.
Since I've come this far, there's no turning back now.
I took a deep breath and quietly placed my foot on the stairs.
It was a step neither heavy nor light.
Thud, thud.
With every step up the staircase, the sound of crumbling old stone rang out softly.
After climbing for some time and reaching the top of the wall, I saw the back of a man who had arrived before me.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed quietly beyond the wall.
The forest and road stretching out in the distance, and the tiny figures of people.
His posture was as though he were appreciating that scenery like a poem.
Somehow relaxed, yet at the same time, an inscrutable atmosphere.
A sudden gust of wind made the hem of his cloak flutter slightly.
Only then did the coat of arms on his back come into view.
The lordly house of this city.
That alone made it clear this man was not a sentry standing guard.
I cautiously approached and opened my mouth.
"...Did you summon me?"
But instead of turning his head, the man fell into a long silence.
With his gaze fixed beyond the wall, only the cloak swaying in the wind made his presence feel real.
And before long, a low, subdued voice flowed out.
"This city of mine."
He still did not look at me.
"Isn't it beautiful? A city of this scale is hard to find in these parts."
I hesitated for a moment, then nodded vaguely.
"...I suppose so."
Truthfully, I had no leisure to admire the city's beauty.
However, the scale, the order, the flow of people passing through the city gates—all of it was certainly well-organized.
The height of the walls was impressive as well, and the layout of the town was neat, as if calculated.
"When I first took charge of this place..."
He continued.
"Even the walls weren't properly maintained. Bandits struck every year, and when drought came, fights would break out at the wells."
At his words, I quietly nodded.
Every city, splendid as its exterior might be, had its own circumstances within.
"Which is why."
He slowly turned his body and met my gaze for the first time.
"This city is called beautiful not merely because the scenery is fine. I preserved this city."
That gaze was brief but heavy.
Not words to persuade another, but words spoken as though to imprint them upon himself.
"War is not far away. In times like these, maintaining peace is no different from battle itself."
I offered no particular reply to that.
I was afraid that if I said something unnecessary, it would only delay finding out why I had been called here.
I showed the bare minimum of a reaction with a slight nod.
He took a step closer to me.
"Magicians have become quite a rare sight now."
The conversation suddenly shifted direction.
I tensed inwardly, keeping my mouth shut.
"After the Black Magic Tower incident, most of them retreated into the Magic Tower. Old fools who turned their backs on the world, locked away in research and closed-off order."
He gave a small laugh, like a snort.
"I don't trust those sorts. At the very least, they don't know how to protect a city."
A brief silence.
'...So, what are you getting at?'
Honestly, there was no reason I should be subjected to this conversation just because I used magic.
He seemed to be hoping for some kind of reaction from me, but...
Just as a person who uses a pencil feels no pride in the pencil itself.
I was not someone who took any particular pride in magic.
I simply used it because I needed to; because it was an ability I possessed.
I chewed over his words, trying to gauge what he expected from me—or whether he was testing me.
"That is precisely why friends like you are so valuable."
He spoke again.
"Those who have ability, yet are not bound to any one place. Those who belong not to the Magic Tower, nor the Knight Order, nor the Church."
"..."
I listened to his words without reply.
By now, I had a rough idea.
He hadn't said it outright, but the atmosphere clearly resembled someone making a request or trying to ensnare me.
And now, the true reason was beginning to rear its head.
"Have you by any chance seen my son?"
I hesitated for a moment.
"Your son? I didn't have any particular reason to see—"
Before I could finish, something suddenly sprang to mind.
"Ah."
It was then. Right before departing for the battlefield.
That fool who had suddenly appeared in the waiting room and delivered a speech that made no sense.
Someone had definitely said he was the city lord's son.
"Then... that person giving a speech before the battlefield, could it be..."
When I asked carefully, Hairam let out a small sigh and nodded.
"Yes. That's him."
Rather than affection as a father, his tone was steeped with a sense of fatigue, as though he had resigned himself to something.
I had a feeling things were about to get more complicated.
A story I had no desire to get involved in.
But I already felt caught up in it.
"He takes after me in ambition, more eager than anyone else, but still..."
The city lord's words trailed off thinly.
For a moment, only the sound of wind brushed past the top of the wall.
"He still lacks the eyes to see the world. Experience, discernment. That's why someone needs to stay by his side. If left alone, he will surely cause a major accident someday."
I quietly met his gaze without looking away.
By now, I thought I knew what he was trying to say.
A quiet gaze, a cautious tone, but a voice laden with firm resolve.
What he wanted was clear.
"Someone like you could keep my son from going down the wrong path, could you not?"
Hairam took a step closer to me and continued.
"I know you are not someone who uses magic solely as a weapon. Your eyes are different. Eyes that feel disillusioned with the world, yet still cannot turn away from people."
Hearing those words, I lowered my gaze for a moment.
"...Thank you. It is an honor to be regarded so highly."
I raised my head with a quiet smile.
"But I am not someone who lives to protect another. I have neither the leisure nor the intention for that."
Hairam's eyes wavered slightly.
But he soon regained his composure.
He must have been someone quite accustomed to refusal.
"...If you change your mind, speak to me anytime."
He said calmly.
"A city always needs good people."
I bowed my head in farewell and turned my steps back toward the stairs.
Another path had nearly opened before me in this city, but as I was now, I was not ready to choose it.
And perhaps... that would never change.
As I descended the stairs and glanced back, the city lord's receding figure somehow looked lonely.
***
"What!? You received a recruitment offer from the city lord?"
"...What?"
When I roughly recounted what had happened, the surrounding atmosphere instantly stirred.
Everyone had eyes of disbelief, and Sailleon in particular widened his eyes and waved his hands in the air.
"Why on earth would you kick away an opportunity like that!?"
"Exactly! You refused, didn't you? For real?"
I let out an exhausted sigh and nodded vaguely.
"Yeah, that's right. I said I wouldn't do it."
"Ha... this person, really..."
Sailleon clutched his head and plopped down onto the floor.
"The city lord personally scouted you, and you just refused? Do you know how precious an opportunity that is!"
"A quiet conversation between two people atop the city walls... it's a scene straight out of a book!"
Beside him, Aillin looked at me quietly, but with eyes that somehow showed fascination.
"But... why did you refuse? If you had wanted to, you could have lived much more safely."
"In exchange for safety, I'd have my ankles shackled."
I said calmly.
"That position might look sweet, but in the end, I'd have to live as the city lord's man. It means spending my whole life in this place..."
I added in a murmur.
"I don't plan on staying here long."
Sailleon flailed his hands with an incredulous expression.
"Really, I'm so frustrated I could cry. I wouldn't have hesitated for a second."
"That's why offers like that don't come to you."
Baldik blurted out from the side.
Sailleon pouted as if feeling wronged, then sat back down without a word.
I quietly fiddled with the canteen at my waist.
What was inside was simply water, but for some reason, it gave me a strangely settling feeling in a corner of my heart.
So... perhaps that choice was, in its own way, one true to myself.
"Well then, we can leave tomorrow. I thought they would ask us to stay a few more days for the city's defense."
"I thought so too."
I smiled with a small murmur.
If it had been that sort of business, I might have flatly refused, saying I didn't want to fight.
But this time, he spoke in such a roundabout way that it bothered me even more.
"Anyway, you didn't slack off while I was gone, did you? Is all the luggage packed?"
When I brought up packing, Aillin nodded immediately.
"Yes, there was quite a bit of luggage left in Sailleon's carriage. We took it all out, sorted it, loaded it back... it's fairly organized."
"Oh, you were busier than I thought?"
I looked at Sailleon with slightly surprised eyes.
At that, he wrinkled his nose proudly and spoke.
"I can get things done when I want to. I organized everything and even made a checklist. We aren't planning to stop by any villages along the way, are we?"
"We make camping out our daily routine."
"It wasn't my daily routine..."
"Really? Then you should get used to it now."
Baldik let out a hollow laugh and muttered.
"Is that so? Then let's set out early tomorrow."
I said, nodding.
I didn't want to get more entangled in this city anyway.
Before it was too late, it was time to move our feet toward the path we should take.