I tried to raise my body to find answers to my questions, but it was futile. Duke Pyern was pressing me down with his body. Unless he moved away, I couldn’t raise my body.

But there was something more bothersome than not being able to raise my body.

“…What’s happening?”

“For now, keep crouching. Never take off your hat.”

A heavy object warned me by pressing firmly on my head. Instead of arguing, I faithfully adjusted my robe according to Duke Pyern’s words.

I couldn’t know exactly what happened, but I could sense that it wasn’t a favorable situation.

“Even after experiencing it once, you still haven’t come to your senses.”

Just when the sensation of the pressure on my body disappeared, Duke Pyern’s voice reached me from a more distant place. He had descended from the horse.

“Or is there something suspicious?”

“We have no business with you.”
“If you have a scheme, reveal yourself. There must be a reason for deliberately targeting us, right?”

“We have no business with you.”

The unfamiliar voice was so rough that it sounded harsh, and the sound of wind escaping was mixed in. Once heard, it seemed unlikely to be easily forgotten.

“Well then, that’s good. I don’t have any either.”

“Leave the woman and disappear, and you’ll be spared.”

“Woman?”

“Don’t play dumb. I’m talking about the woman you’re carrying.”

“Why would you take a woman?”

“That’s none of your concern. Just leave the woman and disappear.”

As soon as the warning ended, there was a sound as if waiting, followed by the sharp noise of the wind parting. It was a sound I had become familiar with from the previous attack. The sound of arrows.

“If you value your life, that is.”

“We’ll see about that. Right, cat?”

“What nonsense, meow!”

“Don’t kill, capture them alive.”

The calm tone was so indifferent that it didn’t convey any hesitation. Only then did I realize that Duke Pyern deliberately delayed time.

“Is it as easy as you say?”

Upon hearing Cheshire’s grumbling voice, a sense of relief finally washed over me. It seemed that my worries about being cornered were unnecessary, and there didn’t seem to be any significant problems.

“If we capture the leader, dealing with the rest is a piece of cake. Usually, it comes down to one of two things. They either flee or [Dash].”

“Ughhh! Die!”

“Or they become fearless like this.”

With a thu
Cheshire pursed his lips and glared at Duke Pyern.

“Why do you speak so harshly? If you kindly tell us, we might even help with your wounds.”

“It’s noisy. Stop the nagging and prepare for interrogation.”

“Interrogation?”

“The attack was aimed at your master from the beginning.”

“Master?”

For a moment, it felt like his eyes twinkled. Was it my imagination?

I quickly straightened my posture and adjusted myself. It was to prevent Cheshire, who seemed like he might rush towards the fallen men at any moment. Fortunately, Cheshire revealed himself at this point but didn’t actually charge.

“When I encountered you alone, you weren’t so persistently chasing me. After the first hit, you even hid your presence.”

“Hid my presence?”

“They aren’t fools either. They are cautious of suspicious individuals and avoid unnecessary fights. If we make them aware that we’re difficult to deal with, they won’t cross the line.”

“But they still targeted you.”

“There must have been something they needed to obtain, even if it meant being reckless.”

His jet-black pupils stared at me intently. His eyes were exceptionally deep, making it not easy to discern his inner thoughts.

In the end, I failed to read his thoughts and spoke first.

“Could it be because of who I am? If I’m Lady Creighton, I would make a decent hostage.”

During the last attack, my face was revealed. If the attackers knew my face, naturally, they would have tried to use me as a hostage. In any case, Lady Creighton, known to the public, was a famous philanthropist.

“Indeed?”

I thought it was a plausible answer, but surprisingly, a negative response came. I quickly asked for the reason, but Duke Pyern sealed his lips, and I couldn’t hear more.

“Lady, it would be better if you didn’t watch. Interrogation doesn’t always happen in a pleasant manner.”

“I still want to see. It’s my affair, after all.”

“Just let her watch. Anyway, you won’t be able to overcome her stubbornness.”

“Your Excellency[Dash].”

“Or try your best to persuade her. I’ll start right away.”

Without waiting for a reply, Duke Pyern poured water directly onto the bound man’s face. The man, who had been dazed, suddenly woke up like a fish flipped over in icy water.

“Where… is this?”

“I don’t like long stories, so I’ll ask right away. Why did you target the woman?”

“…Woman?”

The man blinked his eyes slowly a couple of times. Whether his mind hadn’t fully returned or his reaction was quite slow, he seemed to be pondering the word ‘woman’ repeatedly. Suddenly, he looked at me, and with a gasp, he exclaimed.

“Here, here is…”

“I prefer not to talk too much, so I’ll as
“Hostage! That can’t be true! We were just checking, just a moment! What about my colleagues? Where are they right now?”

“They’re well taken care of, so don’t worry. Of course, depending on your answers, I can’t guarantee what happens afterward, but you know.”

Cheshire, openly fondling the hilt of his sword, caused the man’s forehead to crease. Amidst the tense atmosphere between them, I cautiously raised my hand.

“Do you happen to know me?”

Duke Pyern’s negative response to my question finally made sense.

This man didn’t know my identity. Therefore, it was impossible for him to plan to use Lady Creighton as a hostage. Then, it raised an obvious question.

Why did this man target me?

And why did he seem genuinely pleased to see me?

Reflecting on my memories proved futile. I had never encountered this man before. If I had, I wouldn’t have failed to recognize his distinctive voice.

“Do you know me? No. I don’t know.”

I was about to be disappointed by the man’s response when suddenly, my breath caught.

Something was off.

Clumsily, the man was showing some courtesy towards me. For the first time in this situation, he used formal language. He was behaving more amiably towards me.

Why on earth?

“But you, no. No. I do know someone who resembles you.”

His awkward formality revealed his unfamiliarity with this type of conversation. Perhaps due to his partially broken front tooth, his pronunciation was distorted, making it challenging to understand him.

However, what bothered me wasn’t that.

I had to stand still for a while, unable to determine whether I had properly heard the story just now.

“…What did you just say? You know someone who resembles me?”

Only belatedly did I manage to extract the question. Yet, I still couldn’t shake off the perplexed feeling.