Chapter 40
“Would you be willing to give it to me?”
“Whaaat?! I, that is…”
Jean’s face, which had been animated with excitement at meeting a fellow devotee, instantly went blank. He bit his lip, clearly unwilling to part with it. Even though he knew it would be safest to obey the request disguised as a command, he was clearly unwilling to give it up, drawing out the moment with a long hesitation.
Ian, too, stood his ground with a firm expression and attempted to take it boldly. As an unspoken standoff played out, Jean snapped his fingers.
“I have much more to show you than just this!”
Jean suddenly raised his voice and seized control of the conversation. Then he led us straight beneath the canopy.
Seated on the bench, he thumped a heavy Boston bag onto his lap and began unfastening the buttons.
“It’s a sculpture modeled after Lord Ares Balthazar when he first took part in naval combat. Look at the armor and sword he wore at the time. The accuracy is flawless.”
The detailed craftsmanship of the armor and sword caught the eye. Jean gently brushed the sculpture with his fingertips as he continued his explanation.
It wasn’t just the sculpture. The collection included postcards printed with Ares Balthazar’s portrait, a miniature replica of the treasured sword gifted to him by Prince Gilbert, an abridged biography, all sorts of merchandise related to him, packed to the brim.
I was increasingly at a loss for words.
What is with this person? He actually carries all this stuff around?
There was no way to understand why anyone would haul such things around, but to Jean, it all seemed perfectly normal.
“Well, I’m sure you also own things like these, my lord.”
Contrary to Jean’s casual tone, Ian couldn’t take his eyes off the merchandise related to him. He examined the sword said to be gifted by Prince Gilbert, turning it over in his hands and even fiddling with the hilt. The particularly cautious movements of his fingers and the depth in his gaze made even Jean scratch the back of his head in mild embarrassment.
“That one’s a limited edition, so you can’t get it anymore. I have even rarer items back at home. If you’d like, I can bring them and show you as much as you want.”
“Rarer items…”
Ian murmured in disbelief. His gaze as he looked down at Jean’s belongings had grown more intense.
“You’re not afraid of Ares Balthazar?”
In his low question lingered a deep curiosity and a hint of bitterness.
Jean hesitated for a moment, then burst into laughter.
“Ha. What a funny thing to say.”
His voice was filled with sincere reverence.
“How could anyone fear the hero who protected the empire?”
Jean continued speaking as he packed the merchandise he had spread out on the bench back into his bag.
“Of course, his feats are dazzling, but they’re nothing short of praiseworthy. Isn’t that why such a grand festival is held every year on Lord Ares Balthazar’s birthday?”
Ian fell silent as he listened. His eyes remained calm, but it seemed as though a tangle of complicated thoughts stirred behind them.
Jean’s words didn’t come from admiration alone. His attitude brimmed with sincerity, and that sincerity appeared to have struck something deep within Ian.
Riding lessons had been long forgotten. We remained seated under the canopy, paying no mind to the heat as we listened to Jean’s stories. I had heard them all before, so I stayed indifferent, while Ian fell completely silent at some point. Still, now and then, he would flush. Especially whenever Jean, flushed with excitement, shouted things like “Thanks to him, we now live in an age of peace,” Ian would look off into the distance.
If you looked closely, he seemed more like a housecat than a wildcat.
Guarded, sensitive, and with a stubborn streak that refused anything he disliked. Either way, the fact that he was sitting still like this meant Jean’s stories weren’t entirely unwelcome.
Thanks to Ian’s unexpectedly favorable reaction, Jean was able to continue coming to the estate for more than ten days to conduct riding lessons. A new record.
Another great upheaval had occurred since Ian started wearing clothes.
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