We were only a day's ride away from the King's Capital, Fragun, when we found lodging for the night in the city of Borikassa, a town with fond memories of the time when Alfine and I would go to the King's Capital to defeat demons.
This is the city that I have fond memories of where I often stayed with Alfine when I was asked to go to King's Landing to defeat demons, and today's lodging is the same lodging that I used to stay at during my time as Fynn, although I never told Noelia and the others.
I thought they would know I was Fynn, but the innkeeper doesn't even know it's me because of my completely changed appearance.
In one of the rooms at the inn, I found time in the towns I had stopped in before coming here to sort out the information I had heard about the Swordsman Alfine all by myself.
According to the information I gathered, the corpse of the woman hanging at the city gates in the King's City seems to bear a striking resemblance to Alfine's appearance.
After I left King's Landing, stories were being gathered about her taking a break from teaching swordsmanship to the Kingsguard knights, which she had never taken a break from until then, or she took a long break and traveled to the northern metropolis of Algren, and many other stories of her acting in various ways that were not like Alfine.
And apparently only a few people had seen his face until he returned from his trip to the north, when he became ill and was then executed by Giles.
It's all gossip that the residents have heard, so I'm not sure if it's true or not, but it seems that a lot of things have gone wrong with Alfine since I isolated her.
Really, what are you doing ......?
You were a nobleman, there were plenty of people who could have taken my place.
It's not like Alfine to get upset over my disappearance.
The Alfine I knew would belittle my disappearance, laugh about it, find a new partner to get to the point--
As I was sorting through the information, I suddenly thought back to Alfine and my vision was blurring.
Just then, there was a knock at the door of the room.
''Ah, um, Flick-sama, may I have a moment of your time?''
The knocker was Noelia.
'Oh, just give me a minute. I'll open it now.
I wiped my tears away with the hem of my dress and opened the door.
'Rare at this hour. Did you need something?
...... No, it's not really an errand, but ......
Noelia was depressed and seemed to be fiddling with the hem of her clothes, looking fuzzy.
As I thought, Noelia must be quite concerned about my strange behavior.
Should I properly tell Noelia about what happened with Alfine and my identity?
I don't mean to deceive her, but it's a fact that I was Swordsman Fynn, the partner of Swordsman Alfine.
Every time I thought about Alfine on the way here, I was also thinking about Noelia and I.
My feelings as a reborn flick and as the Fynn I should have discarded are mixed together, and my mind is constantly in turmoil.
If I hadn't heard about Alfine's execution, I wouldn't have to suffer so much and live my life as a flick.
If I had known whether what's tightening my heart right now is due to the trauma instilled in me by Alfine, or conversely from the unrequited love I had left for her, I wouldn't have let Noelia look at me like this.
I feel sorry for Noelia, who cares about me.
I'm sure you're right. In that case, since there's only one day left until the capital city of Fragun, we'll rest early today and leave early tomorrow morning. It's going to take quite a while to get through the gates of the capital.
'Yes, yes. 'Yes, I agree. I'll tell Susana that. Now, good night.
Noelia, who was playing with the hem of her clothes and was fiddling with it, bowed her head a bit and ran down the corridor as it was--she ran down the corridor.
But when he stopped in the middle, he turned to me, looked up and shouted in a voice that surprised me.
Ah, um! I don't care who Master Fricke is, I don't care who he is, and I don't care what he is! So please cheer up - it's hard for me to see Mr. Fricke's face like that, too: ......
I could only cower at the words from Noelia.
I remained frozen in silence for a while, but soon I was mouthing my reply to Noelia.
''Oh, thank you. Tomorrow, I will tell Noelia everything about me in the royal capital. If I don't think I can travel with you after listening to what you have to say, I will carry out the Frontier Count's request alone.
Noelia stored a lot of tears in her beautiful ice blue eyes and held back from spilling out.
Then she ran down the hallway towards her room as it was.
Tomorrow, tomorrow, it would all be settled.
I'll settle my feelings as a fynn who spent time with Alfine in limbo, and I'll live the rest of my life as a flick.
I went back to my room and decided to go to bed early for tomorrow.
The next morning, we left the city of Boricassa before sunrise and drove the carriage to the royal capital, Fragun.
The roads to Fragun, the largest city in the kingdom, were crowded with carriages that were far more numerous than those on the frontier.
But that was also because we left the city of Borikassa early, so we were able to come to the gate of the royal capital while it was still light.
However, because the traffic jam of the carriages entering the city was severe, and the pterodactyl Dimol, the pterodactyl, would cause even more confusion than it did in Invahannes if it approached the king's city, I left Susana to stay at the waiting place for the carriages that had been built on the outskirts of the king's city, and rode with Noelia to the castle gate of the king's city on Deedle.
''We've arrived. The royal capital Fragun. It's the capital and largest city of the Hertford Kingdom.''
I haven't been to King's Landing in a while, have I? I haven't been to King's Landing since I visited Master Linus at the Institute of Magic.
I'm sure Noelia, who is holding on to her waist, has been asked to visit this royal capital many times.
The residents of the royal capital Fragun, the economic heart of the kingdom, are busily walking quickly and hurriedly.
The checkpoint was also crowded for the carriages, but the line of people entering on foot or on horseback was even more empty than I had expected.
I've always looked at the top of the gate, but Alfine, who was said to have been hanged, was nowhere to be found.
It has already been two weeks since the execution.
Has she already been taken down and cremated?
As if sensing my gaze, Noelia, who was riding behind me, whispered in my ear.
''Flick-sama, it might not be the gate here, but the gate of the noble town on the way to the royal palace.
Well, ...... the castle gate to the nobleman's street.
That's more likely to happen on your end.
I'm sorry, I'll check that way when we get to King's Landing.
Eventually they passed through the checkpoint and entered the royal capital and followed a familiar path, arriving in front of the gates to the nobleman's quarter on their way to the royal palace.
And then he saw a body that looked like a young woman with dark hair hanging at the gate of the castle.