novelraw Chapter 262
Chapter 262
Chapter 262
The tactless intruder didn't attempt a second break-in. After confirming there was no presence outside, Kait went downstairs to the dining room. While eating the dinner Asban had prepared, he asked casually,
"Is there anything I can nibble on in the room?"
"What, didn't get enough?"
"Not really. I did quite a bit of moving around, after all. I'd be glad to have something that fills me up a little before bed."
"...Can't be helped. How about this?"
What Asban brought out was something dried.
Dried meat or fruit, perhaps. The slight frown might have been because he was worried the room would get messy.
"Thanks."
"It's valuable, so don't spill it."
"Of course."
Finishing the meal, Kait took the dried food on the plate and headed upstairs. Asban watched him, but there was no probing atmosphere. Whether he had noticed the earlier visitor or not couldn't be determined from his demeanor.
Returning to the room, Kait placed the plate on the built-in table.
'Oh, what's that?'
"Got it as a late-night snack. Looks like dried fruit."
He put one in his mouth to check the taste. A faint tartness and sweetness. Kait opened the window and scanned outside. It seemed there wasn't any idiot surveillance visible from this side. That said, a few presences watching him could still be felt.
"May I have one?"
"I brought it for that reason. In return, I have a little favor to ask."
Emotion, who had already reverted to human form, asked eagerly. Ever since descending to this planet, she hadn't had a proper meal, but still—how was it that Emotion, who didn't even need to eat, was the least patient?
"A favor?"
"Yeah. Being watched every night like this is starting to get on my nerves."
Kait gave a mischievous grin and handed the plate to Emotion.
***
About an hour after Kait returned to his room with the snack, Asban stood up to turn off the kitchen fire and lock up. The last guest had finished their meal and gone back to their room.
As he locked the window and was about to close the entrance last, he frowned at two people approaching while arguing from outside.
"That Talvani bastard... and you're Darbo's underling, right?"
"Name's Gada, sir Asban. This Talvani bastard tried to break in through your window, so I chased him down and caught him."
"What!?"
"My bad, I'm sorry! But that young Pautri you're hosting starting today! I just wanted to talk to them!"
"So you're one of their group after all?"
"No way! First time meeting! But listen, Asban. He's not normal. I'm sure he's connected to that thing in the desert!"
The one shouting was a leading figure among the Talvani, but not the head of the Talvani in this town. A man in a vague, in-between position. The reason he had fixated on the mysterious Pautri named Kait seemed to differ from Asban's concerns. Asban had suspected him of being a liaison with Talvani from another town, but apparently that wasn't the case.
It wasn't impossible he was lying, but the level of excitement seemed unnatural for that. Why was he so worked up?
"What's going on, Gada?"
"I don't know. When I got there, he was clinging to the second floor and shaking the window. I was planning to barge in once he entered the room, but he wasn't let in and fell down—plop."
"Hmm."
"And when I tried to catch him, he ran off, so it took a bit of time."
He turned his eyes to the Talvani being restrained.
Since his race was the nimble Crowari, it wasn't impossible for him to climb to the second floor without Asban noticing.
The man's eyes gleamed with excitement as he stared back at Asban. There was no guilt or fear of punishment in them.
"Mr. Gada here was too focused on catching me, so he didn't see it. Just now, Pautri went out through that window."
"Huh?"
"And flew into the sky! While I was mesmerized by that, this happened. Otherwise, there's no way someone like me would get caught by a clumsy Godli, right?"
Holding back the incensed Gada, Asban glared down at Talvani.
The man smiled with gleaming eyes. The strangeness of it made Asban instinctively shift his weight slightly backward.
"Try knocking on the room. No one should be there. Then you'll see I'm telling the truth."
"Don't be ridiculous. You want me to suspect a guest?"
"Just knock. If there's no answer, open the door a little and check inside. That's all, right?"
"...Come with me."
His excessive confidence was irritating.
No, Asban himself had suspected Kait. So why did it feel so unpleasant to have that pointed out?
***
They went up to the second floor and knocked on the door.
Did he want an answer, or hope there wasn't one? Asban couldn't ask himself that.
There was no immediate response. Behind him, the restrained Talvani gave off a pleased aura. Swallowing the irritation of having to follow instructions, Asban reached for the doorknob—
'Yes?'
A slightly muffled voice came from beyond the door. It was unmistakably Kait's.
"Ah, ahh. Sorry. It's Asban."
'Did something happen?'
"No. Just finished locking up. If you plan to go outside later, I'd appreciate it if you didn't."
'Ah, that message. Understood. I wasn't planning to go out, so no worries.'
It was an excuse made on the spot, but Kait didn't seem suspicious. Relieved, Asban replied that it helped.
"No way, that's a lie," someone muttered behind him.
Indicating with just his attitude for Gada, who was restraining the man, to take him away, Asban realized the weight in his chest had lifted.
"Well then, I'll turn in too. Sorry for bothering you so late, Kait."
'No problem. Oh, and this dried fruit—it's delicious. Thanks.'
"Glad you liked it. Good night, then."
***
In the center of the room, Emotion monitored the three life signatures that had been outside as they moved away.
"Just as the Captain said. Should we consider our safety secured for the time being?"
She looked at the now-closed window. Kait wasn't in the room. He had gone to check on the massive machine in the desert.
It was Emotion who had mimicked Kait's voice. Someone must have seen Kait flying out the window. That's why they came to check with Asban. Emotion had also picked up the voice of the third person who muttered it was a lie. It was the same as the one who had shaken the window earlier.
Talvani had come to report Kait's absence and checked together with Asban. Weren't they supposed to be at odds? Emotion, being unfamiliar with such emotional subtleties, didn't understand why the two had come together to verify it.
"Well, I guess I'll just report it when the Captain returns."
Tilting her head, Emotion popped one of the remaining dried fruits into her mouth.
***
"Can I leave the rest to you, Gada?"
"Of course. I'll give him a good beating."
"Alright. I'm counting on you."
"Come on, move it!"
Watching Gada and the Talvani being dragged away, Asban finished locking up properly.
He felt ashamed for having doubted the traveler Garmaph had introduced. At the same time, he realized he had come to like that polite Pautri without even noticing.
Maybe I'll make breakfast a little fancier tomorrow.
As he returned to his room, Asban let a grin slip across his face.