Chapter 55
Rix leaned against the door while Ren sat perched on the bed. Neither of them spoke. It had already been over an hour since Mabel had gone after that suspicious man and hadn’t returned. Earlier, when Ren had said,
“Shouldn’t we be looking for her by now?”
Rix had only replied,
“Don’t worry about her.”
Because of that, she had already been pushed to the back of their minds.
With Emily gone as well, only the two of them remained. Ren, now without her hat, twirled strands of her silver hair absentmindedly between her fingers.
She retraced her memory. Was that man silver-haired too? Was she sure? Could she even trust her own memory?
While she was mulling it over, she glanced at Rix and carefully asked,
“Do you think that man really came from beyond Lake Tarkana?”
Rix let out a long sigh and ran his fingers through his red hair. His soft strands scattered under his touch.
“I don’t know about the man, but the gun was real.”
“Why do you think that?”
“There’s a clear difference between the guns we make here and the ones that come from Tarkana.”
At his words, Ren quickly drew two pistols from her belt and laid them side by side on the bed.
Just in case, she had brought both. One was the gun Rix had given her as a gift. The other was the one she had when she first woke up here, the one she had used to kill the monster.
Rix stepped closer and placed his own gun down beside them.
Ren tilted her head. The shapes and sizes varied slightly, but in the end, they were all revolvers. What was so different about them? Rix pointed with his finger to explain.
“These two were made here. The one at the end came from Tarkana.”
“Yes.”
“But the one in the middle—I gave that to you.”
“Yes.”
“Now compare mine to yours. Don’t you see any difference?”
Following his finger, Ren carefully inspected them one by one—Rix’s, the gifted one, and the Tarkana one. She picked up each in turn. Finally, when she held Rix’s gun, she realized and exclaimed,
“The safety!”
She had been around guns her entire life, so it had felt too natural to notice. She had used them instinctively, without paying attention. But Rix’s revolver had no safety. His weapon didn’t require cocking the hammer with his thumb every time.
Expressionless, Rix said,
“Only high nobles are allowed to own guns. And high nobles have no need for safeties.”
“But even so, isn’t at least some safety necessary?”
“When?”
Rix let out a cold chuckle.
“If your horse is startled and the carriage jolts, shoot the coachman. If the food doesn’t taste good, shoot the cook. If your clothes are wrinkled and you’re embarrassed in front of another noble, shoot the maid responsible for ironing them.”
Ren’s mouth went dry.
“Guns are only for nobles. Nobles who have nothing to fear from anyone.”
With a faint smirk, Rix picked his revolver back up and slid it into his belt before leaning against the wall again.
Ren stared at the guns and asked,
“Then why does the gun you gave me have a safety? Could it be…?”
She wanted to ask, “Did you have it specially made for me?” but couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud.
But Rix seemed to misunderstand her hesitation, frowning as he answered,
“I didn’t think you’d go firing recklessly. I just thought you’d prefer something familiar. And…”
He stopped. And? Ren prompted carefully, but he couldn’t finish. His mouth opened, but no words came. The tips of his ears turned red.
If you ever accidentally shot someone, you’d be devastated.
That was the answer he couldn’t voice. Instead, Rix turned his gaze away and muttered brusquely,
“Just get some sleep. We have to leave early tomorrow.”
Ren pouted, unsatisfied with his evasive answer. He really thinks I’d shoot carelessly? she grumbled to herself. She knew that wasn’t what he meant, but Rix chose to stay silent.
Changing the subject as he wanted, Ren asked,
“By the way, where are you going to sleep?”
“Outside the door.”
“What?”
“Why?”
Surprised, Rix asked back. Ren looked at him as though he were the strange one.
“Why would you sleep outside when there’s a perfectly fine room here?”
“You’re the only girl.”
He spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
But Ren frowned.
“The innkeeper thinks we’re three men. Wouldn’t it look suspicious if only two of us are outside?”
“…That’s true.”
“Then just sleep here.”
Was she fearless, or just open-minded? For the first time, Rix couldn’t put a name to the feeling she stirred in him.
“And besides, it’s a waste of money!”
Maybe that was her real reason.
Ren stood up immediately.
“You take the bed. I can sleep just fine on the floor.”
“No, I should—”
They bickered back and forth, both trying to yield to the other, when suddenly—
Creak… thud. Creak… thud.
Something heavy was climbing the stairs. The slow, deliberate steps were too unnerving to be just another guest finding their room. Worse, the sound was drawing closer and closer to their door.
Rix and Ren both froze, faces tense. Ren snatched her gun from the bed.
The footsteps stopped right in front of their room.
Their eyes met. Rix reached cautiously for the doorknob—
“Achoo!”
A loud sneeze erupted from outside. It was Mabel’s voice.
Startled, Ren flung the door open. There stood Mabel, shivering violently with arms wrapped around himself, dripping water onto the wooden floor.
“What happened?!”
“You—!”
“C-cold…”
Ren quickly pulled him inside. He was soaked from head to toe.
They sat him in front of the stove, covering him with every piece of spare clothing the three of them had set aside just in case.
Rix tossed him a handkerchief, which landed squarely on Mabel’s trembling thigh.
“Th-thank you,” Mabel said nasally before blowing his nose loudly. Rix’s face twisted in disgust, though thankfully neither Ren nor Mabel noticed.
“What in the world happened to you?”
“Ch… chased him.”
“You chased him?”
Mabel nodded, teeth chattering. Ren patted his shoulder sympathetically. He sniffled again and mumbled,
“Fell…”
“…You fell?”
Instead of answering, Mabel blew his nose again—loudly.
“Into the river.”
“You fell into the river…?”
Looking utterly wronged, Mabel nodded. Ren paused her consoling pats, muttering under her breath,
“How did you even fall like that…”
“Like this—”
Mabel demonstrated by rolling dramatically on the floor. Ren forced an awkward smile and nodded. Rix, arms crossed, just stared at him with the most exasperated expression.
“So you lost him?”
Mabel’s shoulders stiffened. Rix clicked his tongue.
“After all that effort chasing him.”
Tsk. Just that sound made Mabel’s eyes fill with tears. Feeling a pang of pity, Ren quickly defended him,
“You worked hard! I’ll go downstairs to get an extra blanket. In the meantime, Mabel, you change and rest in the bed.”
“Th-thank you, Miss…”
He looked so pitiful that Ren’s compassion overflowed. She patted his shoulder once more before hurrying out.
As she headed for the stairs, Rix followed.
“You’re going alone?”
“Yes. I also want to ask the lady if she knows anything else about that man.”
“Then I’m coming too.”
They went down the stairs together.
The hall was empty except for Emily, wiping down the large tables. She looked exhausted, but the sound of footsteps made her instantly put on her professional smile.
“Excuse me—”
“Oh my goodness!”
The moment Ren called out to her, Emily froze, staring wide-eyed. Her cheerful expression stiffened so abruptly that Ren stumbled back, startled, bumping into Rix’s chest.
Rix muttered under his breath, “Damn.”
Ren looked up at him in confusion, and he gave her a strained look.
“You’re not wearing your hat.”
“Oh.”
Immediately, Emily dropped into a bow and cried out,
“Saintess!”
Ren winced, forcing an awkward smile.
