Volume 13 Chapter 3 Desmond And Craig
When it was noon, Al returned to the (Rabbit Hunter) Inn, and there were 2 guests waiting for him. One was Desmond from the Levy merchant guild's mercenary group, which Al recognized, but the other guest was Craig, who served as Naresh's attendant. Al remembered that during a previous expedition to the border, Craig had taught him a lot about being an attendant and how to speak properly. Although Craig's advice was usually correct, his strict way of speaking made Al feel very nervous.
"Hey? Wow, Mr. Desmond. It's been a while. And how have you been, Mr. Craig?"
"Hey, long time no see. Have you been doing well, Al?"
Desmond stood up from his seat and walked over to Al. They shook hands lightly. Desmond was almost 2 meters (6'7") tall, so Al had to look up a bit.
Next to him, Craig also stood up and smiled. Al understood why Desmond was there, but he wondered why Craig was with him. Feeling curious, Al sat down at the table facing the two of them.
"I've heard about your achievements from Barbara and the others. Thanks for coming. Sir Naresh has been looking forward to your arrival. Sorry I couldn't contact you sooner; there was a bit of a problem."
"No, no, Sir Naresh has been doing amazing things too. I've been hearing stories about 'Brother' Naresh from all over."
When Al said this, Desmond looked a bit troubled, and Craig frowned. Did he say something strange?
"Well, Sir Naresh hasn't been knighted yet. It seems the people of Parker are a bit confused and started calling him that. It's nice of them, but other nobles and knights don't think highly of it."
"I see. I'll be careful."
Al scratched his head. The title "Sir" is officially for knights or those with the rank of knight. Sometimes, regular people might call someone like Naresh "Sir" even if he doesn't have a title yet, but if family members use it, it can seem like they're trying to flatter him. He should have noticed that Desmond was using a respectful title.
"Since Sir Naresh has done so much, it's somewhat understandable for the public to call him that, but Al, you are a close friend of Sir Naresh. Please be careful with your words."
Al nodded at Craig's words. Things were still the same.
"I want to meet Sir Naresh. Do you think he has time? Is there some problem going on...?"
At Al's question, Desmond sighed.
"Even though they say they are refugees, not everyone is just farmers. Some are nobles from the Tempest Kingdom. One of them, Lord Sanford's father, Sir John Sanford, was murdered about a week ago..."
According to Desmond, the man who was killed, John Sanford, was 61 years old. His son, Baron Sanford, used to be a captain in the Count Senet family and is now one of the nobles gathering the refugees from Tempest. He had a good relationship with Viscount Parker from the border city Parker and was also friendly with Naresh. Because of this, Desmond and the others are working hard to investigate the death of his father.
"Do you think the culprit is the Marquis Prentis family who started the coup on Tempest Kingdom, or their allies?"
"That's a possibility, which is why the guards here and we are all working so hard. The refugees are coming into this border city Parker, and they probably know about it too. Among the refugees, there are people loudly calling for the restoration of the kingdom and the Count Senet family. Although they are not officially at war with the Sylvester Kingdom, there have been many small conflicts at the border. Baron Sanford is close to us. If the Marquis Prentis has spies, it wouldn't be surprising if they thought to make an example of him (Baron Sanford's father)."
Of course, Margrave Rain is accepting the refugees knowing this could happen, but after seeing the recent actions of Margrave's second son, Stroud, regarding Patricia, Al starts to worry if he really understands the situation. He wonders if Naresh and Guildmaster Levy are safe too.
But a murder case? Speaking of which, he just heard about some suspicious people before coming back.
"Do you know about Alder Tree Street? I'm not sure if it will help, but..."
Al quickly shared the story he just heard with Desmond. It seemed like it was new to him, and he said he would look into it. The border city of Parker is big, and it's hard to cover everything. Al wanted to help, but he didn't know the area well enough to be of much use.
"So, about meeting Sir Naresh, is it just you, Al?"
Of course, Patricia also wanted to meet Naresh. But Al wondered if they could find a safe place for her to meet him. He glanced at Craig. How much did he know?
"Don't worry, it's all good. I know about Lady Patricia. That's why I came with Lord Desmond."
Al looked at Desmond. When their eyes met, Desmond shrugged and nodded slightly. The plan for Patricia to escape was supposed to be known only by Orson, Lippi, Al's family, Guildmaster Levy, Barbara, and the 4 of them: Desmond and Naresh. So why did Craig know about it?
"I've been serving Sir Naresh as a servant for a long time. If you see how I react to letters from Guildmaster Levy, it's easy to understand the situation. Al, don't worry. I've (Craig) been given time off by Lord Radyard (a knight serve Viscount Lester), and now I'm officially Sir Naresh's servant. I won't betray him."
Al doesn't know exactly what position Lord Radyard, Naresh's bodyguard, holds, but since Desmond nodded, he guess he has to trust him for now. Besides, he is Naresh's attendant. He probably manages everything around Naresh, including scheduling and giving instructions to the maids. Without him, things wouldn't run smoothly.
"Al, I thought we might need to adjust the schedule, so I came today. Also, there's one more thing. I want to discuss something with Lady Patricia. I think she might be concerned about it too..."
Desmond gives a slight smile at Craig's words.
"Among those protecting Sir Naresh, there is a woman named Baroness Tabasa. She served Lady Celina, Lady Patricia's mother, for a long time and was also her tutor. It seems she escaped here when Count Senet was attacked and has been living as a refugee."
Al had heard that Patricia's mother and grandfather, as well as her uncle Count Senet, lost their lives fighting against the Marquis Prentis family's knights, but it seems there were still some people close to her who survived.
"Baroness Tabasa seems to have gone through a lot just to escape here. When Sir Naresh found her, she was injured and could barely walk on her own. Because of this, she held back her desire to go to the border city of Lester quickly and stayed here to recover under Sir Naresh's protection. However, she recently heard that Lady Patricia managed to escape even further into the borderlands, but sadly, she passed away there. Right now, she can't even eat because of this news."
It's truly a heartbreaking story. Al doesn't know what to do for her. If he tells Patricia about this, she will feel guilty and blame herself.
"Does Baroness Tabasa have any relatives?"
At Al's question, Craig shook his head. It seems her husband, Baron, died in the defense battle like Patricia's mother and uncle. Among those who escaped here, she has no family left, and the ladies-in-waiting and servants who served her have scattered. Only a ten-year-old girl named Doris, from Baroness Tabasa's territory, remains to take care of her. Al wants to tell her that she (Patricia) is alive, but if he does, it would ruin the disguise they worked so hard on.
"If Lady Patricia is going to meet Sir Naresh, can't she also meet her?"
I see, so this is what he wants to talk about. Even if they secretly tell her Patricia is alive, people around will probably deny it, and she won't believe him. Of course, if they make it public that she's alive, she might believe it, but he can't do that.
Do Desmond and Craig think that Patricia is hiding nearby to meet Naresh? Al wonders how much Guildmaster Levy has told them. Did he keep the magic tool 'Teleport' and the ancient ruins a secret? If they don't know about those, it makes sense for them to think that Patricia is still running away with Al.
"Anyway, can I meet Sir Naresh? About Patricia, we can talk then."
Al almost called Patricia without a title and quickly covered it up. The two of them looked a bit confused but just smiled awkwardly and continued the conversation.
"Got it. It's better not to stand out, so please come to Sir Naresh's mansion in the evening. He would be happy to have dinner with you too, Al. I'll let the gatekeeper know. Lord Craig, is that okay?"
Desmond emphasized as he told Al the location of the mansion where Naresh lives. Officially, it's rented by the Levy merchant guild, and besides Desmond, other members of the guild also live there. Naresh seems to be staying in a section meant for Guildmaster Levy and his family. He heard Naresh also has a room at the Viscount Parker's mansion, but he's been spending more time here lately.
"Just to confirm, who knows about Lady Patricia in the border city of Parker?"
"Well, it's just me, Lord Craig, and Sir Naresh. As for your acquaintances, Lord Radyard and his son, Sir Sigmund, have been around, but they both think Lady Patricia has passed away, so be careful."
Al nodded, understanding. Lord Radyard and the others are probably at the Levy merchant guild mansion too. They should know a bit about Al and Patricia's relationship. He wondered what kind of face he should show when they meet. He needed to think it through, or he might embarrass himself. Al felt a bit gloomy about it.
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