Oran Knight is out (1/3 chapters for today)
Summer’s Connection
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“We know that Maria doesn’t have a boyfriend, at least as far as we know.” (Lux)
I told him, and Willard sighed with relief until Heinz said…
“But with a noble of her class, she probably has a fiancé, doesn’t she?” (Heinz)
Hearing that, Willard slumped again, busy with his own thoughts. But soon, he raised his head and showed confidence.
“No, if it’s just about social status, our family should stand a chance.” (Willard)
“Willard, is your family really that influential among the nobility?” (Lux)
I asked. Willard held up his hand in a “stop” gesture.
“Given the circumstances, I can’t reveal my family name here. You never know what might happen. But the name is in the letter, so you can verify it when you return. Maria-chan probably knows, too.” (Willard)
Judging by his expression, he doesn’t seem to be lying. Still…
“Even if you’re from a powerful noble family, it wouldn’t mean much if you’re from the ‘North’, would it?” (Lux)
“Oh, Lux, good point. Yes, that’s the key issue. I’m no fool. I’d resigned myself to this being a hopeless love, but then, the unexpected ceasefire talks came up. I figured this might be my chance.” (Willard)
Just as Willard got to this part, Heinz interrupted.
“May I ask something?” (Heinz)
“You’re saying, Willard, that you’re in favor of the ceasefire? And the two of you as well?” (Heinz)
“Of course! Without it, I couldn’t meet Maria-chan freely.” (Willard)
“Hypothetically… just hypothetically… what if Maria isn’t interested in you?” (Heinz)
“That’s a depressing hypothetical. But don’t underestimate me. If I were to give up after one or two rejections, I wouldn’t have risked coming to a place like this.” (Willard)
Hearing Willard’s reply, Heinz nodded deeply and turned his gaze to Willard’s companions, Gazelle and Sheikh.
“I apologize in advance, but I need to ask something inappropriate. Willard, what’s your relationship with these two? Can they be trusted?” (Heinz)
Gazelle and Sheikh furrowed their brows at Heinz’s rather intrusive question. From their perspective, they probably wanted to ask whether we were trustworthy instead.
“I don’t know what you mean, but I trust them. They wouldn’t have come all this way, risking their safety, if they didn’t care about me.” (Willard)
For a moment, Heinz and Willard glared at each other. But it was Heinz who relaxed his expression first.
“Understood. I apologize for my rudeness. I’ll trust you as well.” (Heinz)
“Heinz… don’t tell me…” (Lux)
I interjected without thinking, and Heinz grinned wickedly.
“Yeah, I was thinking of telling them.” (Heinz)
—
We asked the suspicious Willard and his companions to wait a moment since the explanation would take time. Then, we got out of the carriage and explained the situation to Beretta-san, Orfas-san, General Isaiah, and General Verger, who had been waiting outside.
“What?! You guys knew each other?!” (Orfas)
Orfas-san, who likely knew the letter Willard brought was a love letter and had been enjoying the show from the sidelines, was the most surprised.
“Yes. It was during a summer vacation. They helped a friend of mine…” (Lux)
General Isaiah, the only general here from Rozan, might have objected to a noble from Solar secretly visiting his country. But he listened without changing his expression, likely well aware of the dynamics among northern nobles.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to chat with them for a bit as a way of thanking them. General, may I?” (Heinz)
Heinz asked politely, in a formal tone. Isaiah let out a thoughtful hum.
“I suppose it’s fine, as long as they stay in the carriage. It might ease their tension in unfamiliar territory to spend time with acquaintances.” (Orfas)
Orfas-san provided cover with a supportive comment. Perhaps he felt some responsibility for bringing Willard and his group here without permission.
“Very well. But I’ll still post guards, and if there’s any suspicious behavior, we’ll search the carriage. Agreed?” (Isaiah)
“Of course, General. Thank you for your consideration.” (Heinz)
With that settled, Lites and Lev returned to the room with Beretta-san, while Sonia and Hana joined the carriage group. Since Lites and Lev were meeting Willard for the first time, they stayed behind to manage the cramped carriage. Although large for a carriage, it couldn’t comfortably fit nine people. Since Willard’s group couldn’t leave, we adjusted our numbers.
“Oh, it really is Willard-kun, degozaru!” (Hana)
“Hana-san and Sonia-san, you’re here too? What a coincidence.” (Willard)
“Long time no see, Willard-kun. I was surprised to learn you’re a student at Solar’s military academy.” (Sonia)
After exchanging introductions again, things settled down. Then…
“Well, let’s get to the main topic. I’m a member of Remnos’ royal family, albeit a distant one. I’m also involved in these ceasefire talks.” (Heinz)
Heinz slowly began recounting the small but significant adventure we had over the past few months.
—
Since Heinz had already explained this to his father and Linkert-san, the narrative was well-organized and easy to follow, almost like listening to a story.
“…And that’s how we came to meet Willard and his companions here.” (Heinz)
Willard and the others listened quietly, occasionally asking questions, and after a moment of silence Willard asked.
“Um, how much of that is true?” (Willard)
I know how you feel. If I wasn’t involved, I would think it was all fiction.
“I get how you feel, but it’s all true. At the very least, I can prove my status here. Both the princess of Remnos and her fiancé are present.” (Heinz)
“You’re kidding…” (Gazelle)
“If it’s true… should we even be hearing this?” (Sheikh)
“It’s a problem if you spread it around, but just listening is fine. That’s why I asked at the start—can you be trusted?” (Heinz)
Heinz said nonchalantly, but to be honest, I didn’t think he expected to hear a story like this.
“Well, assuming I believe you, what do you want us to do?” (Willard)
“Do?” (Heinz)
“You wouldn’t tell us all this without a reason, would you?” (Willard)
“No, I wouldn’t.” (Heinz)
“So?” (Willard)
“If I had to say, it’s to gain allies in ‘your country’. The situation is precarious. The ceasefire could collapse at any moment. Until the negotiations conclude, there’s no room for complacency. So, if you can, remember this story and do what you can to support the ceasefire.” (Heinz)
“Is that all?” (Willard)
“That’s it.” (Heinz)
“I see… but do you really trust someone you’ve only met once before?” (Willard)
“Well, you helped my friend and my best friend’s sister. You could’ve ignored the trouble back then, but you risked yourself to help. That’s why I trust you.” (Heinz)
“You got me there… but we’re just students. I don’t think we can do much if anything at all.” (Willard)
“We’re students too. But we’ve come this far together.” (Heinz)
Willard looked at his companions on either side.
“What do you think? I’m inclined to help Heinz and his group. Will you join me?” (Willard)
Gazelle and Sheikh nodded firmly.
“It’s still hard to believe… but as knights of Solar, we can’t turn our backs when asked for help.” (Gazelle)
Seeing this, Willard said, “As you can see, we’ll help however we can. But…” (Willard)
“But?” (Heinz)
“We won’t go easy on you in the academy competition. I want to impress Maria-chan, after all,” he joked. (Willard)
“Bring it on. Though we might not even be chosen yet.” (Heinz)
Heinz replied with a grin.
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