Chapter 75

 

***

 

“Isaiah?”

By the time Melody called out, it seemed he had already noticed them. He hurried over, carrying a small baby in his arms.

“Hi, Mel! Oh, and hello to you too, young master.”

He greeted them from about ten steps away, holding the baby made his manners a bit casual.

…Of course, Isaiah often omitted formalities even when he wasn’t holding a baby.

“Hello, Isaiah. But why do you have a baby?”

“Well, this child was left at the accident scene. I couldn’t find any guardians, so I took the child with me for now.”

“Why are you taking care of the baby, Isaiah?”

“That’s because…”

As he said this, Isaiah stopped in his tracks. The baby started crying again, ‘wah, wah.’

Apparently, if the person holding it doesn’t keep walking, the baby starts crying.

“I have to keep moving or this baby will cry itself to exhaustion! Besides, this little one is the only witness to the incident.”

Isaiah started walking past them, and Claude quickly approached, saying, “Let me hold the baby for a moment,” and took the child.

“Thank you, young master. I thought my arm was going to fall off. I’ve been walking around this area for more than forty rounds already. My wrist must be dislocated by now, for sure.”

“You’re getting a taste of a mother’s greatness.”

“My mother would never do such an inefficient task, though.”

Taking the opportunity that the conversation about mothers had come up, Isaiah shared a piece of news with Melody, who was following them.

“Hey, I wrote a letter this week too. So praise me, Mel.”

“It’s only natural for you to contact the doctor. Why do I need to praise you?”

“Because that will ensure I write another letter next week. Come on, praise me quickly.”

He leaned to the side, sticking his head out expectantly.

Melody really wanted to smack that annoying head of his, but unfortunately, there was no catalog here, so she just casually patted it.

“Hehe.”

Apparently, even that insincere gesture was enough for him, as he laughed out loud and responded, “I’ll definitely write one next week too.”

“Isaiah Mullern.”

Claude called out to him, and Isaiah quickly clung to his side. He seemed concerned about having entrusted the baby to him.

“When is the knight brigade planning to return?”

“It seems everything is in order, so once the police force takes over, we’ll head back.”

“What about the culprit?”

“They’ve already been sent to the central prison.”

“By now, a mage must be examining the culprit, right?”

“Exactly… Wait, how did you know?!”

“Only mages can discern if someone possesses a broken vessel.”

Should it be called a mutation? Or perhaps a failed creation by the gods?

Occasionally, there are unfortunate individuals born into this world with incomplete vessels. They possess the ‘vessel’ to contain power within their bodies but are completely unable to control it, merely being swept away by its force.

Uncontrolled power manifests without warning, igniting or exploding things around.

Mages refer to these individuals as ‘those with broken vessels’ and regard them with contempt, considering them merely tools to be used.

Common people call them ‘Physis’ and view them as cursed monsters, a perception naturally following those who cause destruction without warning.

Of course, their existence is rare, and not widely known.

“If they could cause such an explosion, even though broken, the vessel itself must have been not small. It’s surprising they weren’t caught in the capital until now.”

At his insinuating words, Isaiah pursed his lips tightly and shook his head.

He couldn’t answer.

As a knight, he couldn’t disclose what he knew, even if it seemed like everything was already out in the open.

“Oh, right. You can’t just tell me whatever you want. Sorry for prying.”

Claude said this as he carefully adjusted the baby in his arms, holding it warmly deep in his embrace.

Melody was sure that this was a form of ‘blackmail’ by Claude.

A dirty, despicable threat: ‘If you don’t answer, I won’t give the baby back.’

Obviously, the threat worked well. Isaiah, his face turned pale, eventually had no choice but to answer all the questions asked.

 

***

 

Claude was satisfied with the many questions he had Isaiah answer.

Melody felt a bit sorry for Isaiah, who answered with a sullen face.

Claude was probably so persistent because he couldn’t get the answers from Melody.

When Isaiah finally got the baby back, he looked completely exhausted.

“Isaiah, are you okay?”

It was only after Melody asked with concern that he finally managed a weak smile.

“Don’t worry. I have a duty to cooperate with the duke’s family to some extent. Somehow… it’ll work out.”

“Duty?”

“Yeah, there is such a thing. Little Mel doesn’t need to know about it yet.”

He stroked Melody’s head as he usually did.

“Now, Mel should head back too. Don’t wander around dangerously alone! The capital is not kind to country bumpkins like us. They’d steal your nose if you just close your eyes.”

As knights began calling for Isaiah from a distance, he immediately started running towards them.

However, he didn’t forget to look back several times, cautioning ‘Be careful! Make sure to be careful!’

“Then.”

Claude, with a somewhat refreshed expression, started to walk ahead. Melody hurriedly followed him, slightly wary of him.

She wondered if he would bring up another story, perhaps about the ‘person with a broken vessel,’ the ‘Physis,’ that they had discussed earlier.

Especially since his mother was…

“Miss Melody, shall we move on? It seems about time Mrs. Higgins would have found satisfactory yarn.”

“What?!”

Melody was quite surprised that he didn’t mention ‘that fact.’

“Why are you so surprised? You must have been enjoying your time without noticing how fast it went.”

“No, not at all!”

Melody quickly responded but soon realized that her remark could be considered quite rude.

“No, I don’t mean that it wasn’t enjoyable to be with you, sir. It’s just that, well…”

She hurriedly added to her explanation, causing him to chuckle.

“Of course, I’m not misunderstanding that part.”

“Well, that’s a relief then.”

“Hmm… perhaps, was there something more you wanted to discuss with me?”

“Not at all!”

Melody vehemently denied, even though she had been bracing herself for a conversation about him and the Duchess.

“There it is.”

He pointed to a sign that was in sight. It was the place where Melody had agreed to meet Mrs. Higgins.

“So, I can leave you here? Of course, I’ll make sure you enter the shop safely.”

“Aren’t you coming with me?”

“I would like to, but Mrs. Higgins is a bit intimidating.”

He then casually picked a flower from a nearby shop.

After checking its color, shape, and scent, he handed a coin to the merchant. Despite being a precious and expensive winter flower, the coin he gave seemed too shiny and gold for just one flower.

Melody, watching the merchant happily accept the gold coin, thought, ‘Does the young master not take change?’

‘Ronny would say I’m being cheap if he knew what I was thinking…’

“Miss Melody.”

Suddenly, Claude called her, and when she turned around, the flower he had chosen was already in front of her face.

“Young master?”

“Please, take it.”

He offered the flower again, insisting.

“Somehow, I just felt like giving you something. As a keepsake.”

“A keepsake?”

Was it a keepsake for getting new clothes? A keepsake for the time they spent together today?

Or was it something else…

Noticing Melody pondering over the possibilities, he answered with an easy smile.

“Anything you like.”

Regardless, the flower was beautiful, and Melody liked such things. So, she accepted the flower, buried her nose briefly among its soft petals, and smiled gently.

“Thank you.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“I’ll decorate my room with it.”

“Thank you. Of course, I’ll be disappointed when the flower wilts.”

“What?”

“Well, you know. The keepsake I offered you today with courage will wither away, and surely my heart will be torn apart.”

He dramatically clutched the area around his heart, exaggerating his expression. Melody, finding it ridiculous, retorted.

“But, it’s a flower, so it can’t be helped, right? Especially a winter flower, known for wilting quickly?!”

No matter how much care is given, it’s meant to wilt and dry out in just a few weeks.

“So, Miss Melody. Please cherish this flower and keep it from wilting.”

Then Claude lifted his head, wearing a familiar expression that Melody knew all too well. That devilishly gentlemanly smile.

“If my heart gets torn because of this, it will be troublesome for Miss Melody, won’t it?”

…Yes, that sounds like another way of saying he’s going to give her a hard time.

“Ugh.”

Melody felt as if a terrible smell was wafting from the flower in her hand.