'Hmm… what should I do now?'
Noir watched as Ciara slept peacefully on her bed, recounting the events that had occurred during the day.
He felt conflicted, to say the least, on the course of action that would serve him—no, everyone—best.
*
*
*
"Fine, I'll go." Ciara had said, finally agreeing to leave her room and see her father's message.
Everyone was relieved to see her descend from the stairs, and Lorna even gave Noir a knowing look, winking at him.
Of course, Noir had no idea of what she meant, but he nodded anyway.
Ciara also announced Noir's stay with them until further notice, and from the looks of things, there was no objection.
Once things were settled, she listened to the Magic Recording.
The message was nothing special.
Her father congratulated her on gaining entry into the Institute, promising gifts when he had time to show up.
He also thanked Galand and Lorna for taking care of Ciara, as well as Noir for aiding his daughter.
He hardly mentioned the incident of Ciara's capture, referring to it as "an unfortunate incident" which cost the lives of the guards and the Captain.
He even seemed more remorseful over the death of the Captain of the guards, than of what Ciara had gone through.
"I am so sorry I cannot come see you at the moment but know that all I do is for your good… and I love you, dear daughter." He ended his message.
The room was quiet after that, and everyone stared uncomfortably at one another, except Noir, who ruminated on the message.
'Something is off…' Noir thought to himself.
Ciara stood from where she sat, smiling at everyone. Contrary to their expectations, she remained calm.
"I'm fine everyone, thanks for worrying about me."
She then excused herself and went to her room.
This time, no one stopped her. They fully understood her need for privacy at that moment.
"It's best we give her some time… and space." Lorna said, a bit sad.
"Indeed." Galand sighed.
He glanced at Noir, who was still deep in thought. His face grew serious, and with a determined look in his eyes, he decided to speak.
"Sir Noir, there's something you should know…" Galand said, a bit hesitantly.
"What is it?" Noir said, facing the old mage.
"He's dead." Galand said with a defeated sigh. "The enemy Mage among those bandits… he's dead!"
"What?" Noir asked, still maintaining his composure.
His eyes flashed a dangerous gleam of darkness, but his emotions still had a huge lid on them.
"I was just informed of it his morning… a few moments before the messenger arrived. I wanted to tell you after the messenger left, but…" Galand tried to frame his words well, all to no avail.
The truth was that he didn't want to burden Noir with the news since the young man was going to leave after collecting his money.
Noir was a simple mercenary, and he had definitely done more than he was rewarded for. What kind of man would Galand be to have imposed further responsibilities on him?
That was why he hadn't said anything.
"It's fine, I understand." Noir assured the flustered old man.
His gaze was enough to tell anyone that he didn't feel even the slightest bit offended.
"How did it happen?"
"That's the problem. No one knows." Galand said, looking worried.
"Since we arrived at the Institute, he had been kept in one of the cellars—of course still in his deep sleep. There were also guards stationed there, and the location was made secret."
Lorna gasped a little, and Noir's eyebrow was raised ever so slightly.
"During today's inspection of his body, it was found out that he was dead. Normally, with him being in stasis, his body was supposed to be in a preserved state, so that rules out him dying of malnutrition…." Galand kept analyzing.
"The problem with his death is that no other causes could be deduced, at least from the corpse or his surroundings.
No traces of mana was found either. It's a dead end."
pαпdα Йᴏνê1,сòМ Frustration permeated the old man's face as he stared at Noir for answers. Fortunately, the younger man did not falter.
"The culprit must be in league with the mastermind behind Ciara's capture. We wanted to use the mage to extract information on them after Ciara's examinations were over, so it makes sense that this would happen." Noir replied calmly.
"They must also be very skilled, for there to be no traces or cause of death deducible."
"Do you have any idea who it could be?" Galand said, noticing Noir's troubled expression.
"No, I don't think so." His reply was flat.
"O-ok, but what do we do now? Deducing from the Duke's message, it seems he won't make an official investigation.
Our only lead is also gone. It seems the entire ordeal never happened in the first place. The only proof we have are the dead bodies of our comrades.
We know nothing of the true culprits…" Galand was slowly getting annoyed by the situation.
"No need to worry. In these circumstances, it would be in our best interest to let go of the matter.
These things tend to be troublesome. Besides, things will unfold by themselves… In due time." Noir's tone suggested he knew more than he was letting on.
Galand knew the young man was wise and skilled. Still, as one sworn to protect Ciara and their household, he just couldn't let go of the matter so easily.
"B-but, Sir Noir, we can't just…!"
"Trust me. Just let it go." Noir's response this time was cold and distant.
It was clear who had the final say at the moment. The deep dark eyes of the young man held an untold pressure that forced Galand into obedience.
The old Mage kept quiet. Even Lorna sensed the tense atmosphere and didn't dare speak. Both Maid and Mage stared at each other uncomfortably.
After a while of awkward silence, they glanced at Noir, who maintained his usual demeanor.
"I should go check on the young lady." Noir finally said as he got up.
He quickly exited the room, leaving Galand and Lorna with puzzled looks.
Even though he left, the two still didn't say a word to each other.
*
*
*
Ciara let Noir into her room and from her expression, it seemed she was already fine.
"Are you alright?" Noir still asked her.
One of the young man's weaknesses was his inability to read another's mood, after all.
"I am tired of answering that question." Ciara scoffed.
"Well, since you're fine, I'd better take my leave." Noir said, leaving as soon as he had entered.
"W-wait!" Ciara suddenly let out.
Noir paused, waiting by the door and slightly looking behind him, at the flustered girl on her bed.
"W-well, It's already late afternoon, but I can't seem to fall asleep for my nap. I must be feeling a bit apprehensive. Maybe… a bit lonely…? I-I…" Ciara struggled to let out whatever pent-up feeling that squirmed within her.
"I understand." Noir responded before she could finish.
He sharply turned to Ciara and moved in her direction. In a flash, he drew closer to her bed.
"W-w-w-wait! W-w-w-w-what do you think you're doing?" Ciara blushed, her face totally red.
Her body lay motionless on the bed as she powerlessly watched him draw closer.
"You want me to stay with you till you fall asleep right?" Noir said, dragging a chair from her bedside.
He sat directly in front of her bed, keeping every ounce of his attention focused on the young girl.
"Uhhhh, Y-yeah… that's what I meant. I-I mean, no! Why would I need someone to watch over me like a kid?" Ciara stuttered.
She was so embarrassed, she could die.
How had she misunderstood Noir's intentions? She thought Noir was going to—
'Never mind that!' Ciara's thoughts screamed as she shook her head profusely.
"You don't need to worry. I won't disturb you. Just sleep." Noir assured her with a gentle nod.
"I don't need you to tell me that!" Ciara snapped, though she knew it was all a front.
She quickly covered her entire self under the blanket—including her head.
The young Noble Lady had seen enough of Noir for the day. Any more and it would be bad for her heart.
"How embarrassing…" Ciara's thoughts trailed as she closed her eyes.
She hoped that sleep would come and take her away.
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