Chimera of Batius - Chapter 7

After leaving the meeting place, Cheil washed his dirty hands in the cold wind. But the sticky feeling wouldn’t go away, so he rubbed them with the piled-up snow.

He exited the alley and stepped into the square. Meanwhile, the number of open shops had grown considerably.

“Ugh, the north is so cold no matter how many layers you wear. I’m going to freeze.”

Eden shrugged and grumbled.

“You’re such a wimp.”

“Wimp, you say! It’s perfectly normal! You, being the type you are, wouldn’t understand, but—cough, cough!”

Having finished his business, Cheil took the fur cap he’d been wearing and held it in his hand instead of on his head. For Cheil, who didn’t feel the cold, the winter cap was just an annoying burden. Just as he was twirling the cap between his fingers, someone shouted:

“Captain! I think we’ve finished checking everything!”

Across the square, a group of guards in cloaks could be seen moving about.

“Ah, Cheil!”

Eden yanked Cheil into the alley in a hurry. Cheil, finding himself hiding without realizing it, poked his head out and looked around. Ruzerolt was standing in the direction the knights were facing, watching the market vendors scurrying about. Cheil also scanned the shops, following his gaze. Then a fabric store caught his eye.

Hmm…

“Let’s slip away quietly…”

Eden tried to head the other way, whispering. But Cheil grabbed him by the back of the neck, and Eden’s body, which had been trying to move, wobbled and leaned back toward Cheil.

“What’s wrong? Why are you doing this? I told you we should leave…!”

“Lend me a rag to cover my mouth.”

“Huh?”

He blinked, not understanding. Cheil released the cap he had been holding and extended his palm toward Eden.

“Give me something to hide myself.”

***

Ruzerolt shook out his sleeves and said, “Good work.”

The closure of Heinsley Castle was drawing nearer. Posters had been placed on every town noticeboard announcing the shutdown, and the merchants had just been told to hurry their winter preparations.

“Only the outer patrol left?”

“Yes, I think we can go after the birthday party.”

The fog was just around the corner. That day, the shortest of the year, was only one day after Dexler’s birthday. In Heinsley, it was an annual custom to run the outer patrol right after the birthday feast and close the castle gates as soon as the patrol team returned.

“Get everything ready so we can leave right after the banquet.”

“At once.”

This year, however, promised to be a different sort of winter. The theater troupe was expected to stay inside the sealed castle. Suddenly, Ruzerolt remembered Cheil, whom he’d met a few days earlier. Why did the image of him standing alone in the snowy field keep surfacing? He, always the center of attention, didn’t seem to fit that lonely garden.

“Are you retiring, Sir?” Reym asked.

Ruzerolt shook his head to clear the thoughts and looked away.

“Yes. To the castle…”

Then he spotted a familiar silhouette. A tall man wrapped in a worn cloak stood in front of a stall, a wool mask over his mouth. Only one person in Heinsley would go out like that.

…Cheil.

Of course.

Ruzerolt’s eyes landed on him. Whatever he might think of Cheil, while he was here, he was one of Dexler’s men. He had to look away. But his feet felt glued to the ground, as if something had nailed him there. After staring at one spot for a moment, Ruzerolt told Reym:

“I have something to do, so I’ll go on ahead.”

Reym followed Ruzerolt’s gaze to the stall. After confirming it was Cheil, he hesitated, then bowed his head.

“…All right.”

Ruzerolt fastened the front of his cloak more tightly. Only after covering his uniform with the dark fabric did the sense of authority emanating from his attire dissipate. After checking himself once more, he approached Cheil. The conversation between the merchant and Cheil grew louder.

“How about this one? It’s a very stretchy fabric, perfect for moving around!”

“Stretchy fabrics don’t usually last long.”

“You can’t compare them to southern ones! Northern fabrics are thicker and far more durable. Look at this!”

The merchant grabbed the cloth and stretched it in both directions.

“Isn’t it different from the southern kind?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure…”

“Feel it yourself!”

Cheil took the fabric from the merchant. His long fingers brushed over it as if caressing water. Those immaculate fingers looked like a sculpture. Ruzerolt stepped closer, mesmerized by that hand, then noticed a bruise on Cheil’s wrist. His admiration faded. He stopped in front of the stall with firm steps.

“So, are you buying clothes?” Ruzerolt asked softly.

Cheil, who had been looking away, startled when he saw him.

“Sir Ruzerolt…!”

His long lashes fluttered. Cheil glanced around, then spotted a group of knights in the distance. He looked back at Ruzerolt.

“How did you get here at this hour?”

“I was on patrol. Before the gates close, I have to inspect all of Heinsley’s territory.”

“Ah…”

Cheil nodded. His black hair shifted. In the castle, he’d always seen Ruzerolt adorned with jewels, so he hadn’t realized before, but now he saw that the man stood out even without ornament. His features, eyes, height, and slender figure, despite simple clothes, made him conspicuous in the wide square. Hesitant, Cheil spoke again.

“I… I’m trying to choose a fabric. Because of what Sir Ruzerolt said…” A cautious glance slid toward Ruzerolt. “…I have to follow your advice carefully…”

“If you keep walking around like this, you’ll fall ill.”

Cheil was confessing he hadn’t ignored the words spoken in the garden. And now that he thought about it, the fact that Cheil was dressed so humbly, unusual for him, seemed part of that. After all, he couldn’t have found a dancer’s outfit among the winter clothes available in the castle.

Ruzerolt felt strangely warm seeing Cheil explain that he was here because of him. His rigid expression softened involuntarily.

“…Why are you smiling?” Cheil asked, puzzled.

Ruzerolt realized he’d been smiling. He didn’t want to deny it.

“It just seems you follow my orders as well as the soldiers.”

Then Cheil continued, a little embarrassed.

“Didn’t he say it thinking of me? That’s why I have to follow him.”

“Then why didn’t you follow my order not to wander around?”

“That’s because…”

Cheil lowered his gaze and fiddled with the fabric. A moment later, he held out his hand.

“They say it’s very high quality. Could you take a look?”

It was obvious he was changing the subject. Yet Ruzerolt felt no irritation at the transparent deflection. He took the fabric without hesitation.

“Wouldn’t it be better to ask a tailor about this?”

“Sometimes nobles have a keener eye for high-quality fabrics. Tailors make the clothes, but nobles wear them daily, so they’re the true users.”

“Mm. You’re right.”

Ruzerolt nodded at once and examined the cloth Cheil had handed him. One side of the deep blue fabric lay in Ruzerolt’s hand, the other in Cheil’s.

“Ah, Sir Ruzerolt, how is it that you’ve come to such a humble place…! Though it may seem lacking to you, it’s truly a fine product!”

The merchant, who had been watching, chimed in. Ruzerolt, without answering, began to examine the fabric with a serious expression.

“Not bad. With a bright ornament, I think it would suit you well.”

Though Cheil always wore red, this blue would also look good with his bright eyes. As he pictured Cheil in a blue dancer’s costume, he overheard a conversation at the next stall.

“I want it to be a special fabric, since it’s a wedding gift.”

“How about this?”

The merchant held up a light-colored silk. Upon it bloomed a vivid red flower.

“What a striking flower! What is it?”

“It’s called sexslust.”

“Sexslust…?”

“You’ve never heard of it?”

The merchant raised his voice, surprised. The young woman who appeared to be a customer shook her head. Her companion did the same. Then the merchant, excited, raised his voice even more.

“It’s a legendary flower, said to be able to crossbreed with any species. There are even stories that if you eat it, you can become pregnant instantly.”

“Does a flower like that really exist?”

“I don’t know if it’s true or not. But considering all the rumors that turned out to be facts, why couldn’t the sexslust exist too? If we’re all in a world where anything can happen!”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the Kims!”

When the second merchant mentioned the Kims, the one facing Ruzerolt shouted.

“Hey! Don’t bring that up!”

The merchant said, indignant.

“Why are you angry? It’s the truth. If you think about it, those horrible things are still hidden in the empire…! Ugh.”

He shuddered and grimaced. The first merchant frowned too.

“This northern land is protected by Sir Ruzerolt and the knights!”

“I know, I know. I’m just saying…”

Ruzerolt listened to the merchants and recalled the chimera he had killed in the northern forest. As they said, the Kims were closer than anyone thought, hidden throughout the empire. These people couldn’t know. They mustn’t know.

“Anyway! I mean, the sexslust flower definitely exists somewhere!”

The merchant steered the conversation away from danger. He brought the silk closer to the customer.

“What do you think? Isn’t it beautiful? It has a yellow jewel-like pistil, red petals, and a glossy black stem.”

Ruzerolt, after a brief blank stare, turned his gaze to Cheil.

A red petal on a yellow jewel-like pistil.

His eyes traced Cheil’s jawline and stopped at his hair.

A glossy black stem…

Where else could such a beautiful flower be found?!

A rare and lovely flower…

Sexslust.

Their eyes met. For a moment, Ruzerolt thought he saw an unusual gleam in Cheil’s eyes.

“They say anyone can have a child instantly with this, so there’s no more special wedding gift!”

“Perfect! Then I’ll take this.”

“Excellent choice!”

The customer handed the money to the merchant without hesitation. Ruzerolt’s eyes remained fixed on Cheil. The clink of coins could be heard from the purse the merchant held. Ruzerolt, who had been staring at Cheil as though hypnotized, opened his mouth.

“If the Sexslust flower really existed, it would be like you.”

Cheil’s lips curved slightly at those words.

“Thank you. Even if I can’t see that flower in reality, I’m very happy to hear it.”

“There’s always a root in the stories passed down orally. Maybe that flower really does exist.”

Cheil bowed his head at Ruzerolt’s words. As he toyed with the soft cloth in his hand, it trembled slightly. With a rippling wave, he asked a question.

“If something like that really existed… If I managed to obtain that flower, what would you do, Sir Ruzerolt?”

He tugged gently at the fabric. The cloth, still held by both their hands, grew taut. Watching it, Ruzerolt groaned.

“Well, if such a flower existed… I don’t know. Cheil, what would you do?”

“If I had that flower, I’d look for someone I wanted to keep.”

“Someone you wanted?”

Cheil took a step closer to Ruzerolt. The cloth slackened as the distance shrank.

“Yes. If I used the flower and we spent the night making love, that person would be mine forever.”

At those words, Cheil’s shadow fell across Ruzerolt’s entire body. Suddenly, Ruzerolt felt as if every inch of him were being pressed down until he could barely breathe. He lifted his head. When their eyes met, Cheil slowly closed and opened his own. The darkness cast by that blink vanished.

…What was that?

The feeling that had flashed through him and vanished was strange.

Cheil kept his gaze on Ruzerolt, waiting for an answer. Ruzerolt finally drew a deep breath and spoke calmly.

“That’s quite a romantic idea.”

The conversation continued before he had time to reflect on the sensation.

“There’s also a more realistic answer.”

“…Which is?”

Cheil twisted his wrist, winding the cloth. The fabric tightened again.

“I’d look for someone who’d pay a high price for the flower. A noble family with few heirs would surely pay a huge sum.”

“Exactly. For a family desperate for an heir, that flower would be very tempting.”

“They’d be willing to pay any amount. For instance… ten million milos.”

“Oh!”

The merchant, who was sorting other fabrics, held his breath when he heard the amount. Ten million milos. Even mentioned as an example, it was a sum plebeians couldn’t even imagine.

“It’s enough to buy an entire city,” Ruzerolt remarked, and the merchant discreetly joined the conversation.

“Is that flower really worth that much?”

Then, as if answering for him, Cheil nodded. Ruzerolt smiled.

“It must be a flower of immense value.”

A rare and beautiful flower. If it also had unique properties that everyone desired, it would surely attract the attention and interest of many people. Like… Cheil, who resembled that flower.

“However, I would choose to use the flower. One of my wishes is to spend my whole life with the person I love… If I don’t do it that way, no one would be able to stay with someone as lowly as me for the rest of their life.”

“…”

The image of him that he had seen that night resurfaced in his mind. Like light and darkness, Cheil lived a life split in two. Could it be that what he had felt before was Cheil’s darkness reaching him?

“I’ll buy this fabric.”

Cheil held up the fabric he had chosen. Ruzerolt finally let go of the end he had been clutching.

“Thanks to you, Sir Ruzerolt, I found a wonderful fabric. Thank you very much.”

Cheil smiled radiantly and expressed his gratitude. However, Ruzerolt couldn’t easily return that smile.