(Erikas POV)

Many of those who had returned from the mission were injured. Some of them needed long-term care, but it could be said that they were fortunate none of them died.

And all of them said that Harold was the reason why they were still alive.

Yuno said that in order to buy time for their escape, Harold had challenged the Imperial Armys Major General to a duel despite being wounded all over. Once I was told so, I was suddenly driven by the urge to visit Harold as soon as possible.

I wanted to see him with my own eyes, I wanted to convey to him my gratitude.

But Harold doesnt want such things, hed only see it as a bother.

Still, I wanted to at least convey the gratitude I had towards him for saving the people of the Household, including Yuno, himself.

However, I wasnt allowed to follow through with those actions immediately.

Only those who were at the scene at the time knew how severely Harold had been injured. It wasnt impossible for me to visit Harold myself, but first I had to wait for the Knights to return to the Royal Capital.

If I went and visited the expedition group myself, Id only cause problems.

So thats why I headed to the Capital ahead of them and decided to wait for Harolds return.

That was the decision I made when I arrived at the Capital a month ago, but from the time that The Knights finished their expedition and returned, two weeks had already passed.

...am I not allowed to see him today either?

I could feel my face twisting into a pained expression.

Yuno was stood beside me, her soft smile was the same as always, but there seemed to be a shadow over it. Although she returned as my handmaiden due to not having been injured too badly, she wasnt the same, our master-retainer relationship was filled with a discouraged feeling.

On the day the information of the Knights return from the expedition became public, I tried to set up a meeting with Harold at their headquarters, but was denied entry. Ive been visiting them every day since to no avail. He seemed to be alive at least, or else why would they interfere for this long?

Although Im relieved to know that, the time where Im not allowed to see him without a good reason only stretches longer and longer.

During the expedition, Harold was said to have been donning the military uniform of the Sarian Empire. I suspected that the fact that he was found like that became a bug issue within the Order, developing into a troublesome problem.

Because if Harold who was supposed to be a knight of the Kingdom was indeed wearing the military uniform of the empire, it was inevitable for them to doubt him.

Perhaps it was taking a long time to prove his innocence.

While thinking about what hardships Harold was going through, I went and visited the Orders Headquarters again today.

...youre here again?

After seeing Yuno and me, the soldiers at the gate made tired faces.

Every day for two weeks straight, Ive been begging them to let me see Harold, and although I dont think Ive pestered them for that long, itd probably still be tiring to deal with.

Im sorry for having to put you through this again, but I have to,

Good day Lowry-san, would it be possible for me to see Harold-sama today?

Haa... Just like what I said last time, hes not allowed any visitors.

Today is also no-good.

It would be inconvenient if I stayed here any longer. After all, Lowry is just doing his job.

But as I was turning around to leave, a man called out to me from the side.

Oh, whats this? Is there something wrong?

The man who had gotten all of our attention when he walked in had a facial expression on that could only be described as giddy.

Oh, its just Cody, whatre you here for?

Well, I thought I saw Lawry-kun bullying an innocent little girl...

I have done no such thing!

Joking~ Joking~

The man named Cody broke out in laughter.

After seeing such an interaction, it was probably safe to say he was Harolds superior officer. A man whose very being could be described as loose, from his expressions and clothes to his warm atmosphere.

Even if she had had her face hidden at the time, Yuno still had contact with him before, but luckily theres no indication that hes noticed. Despite this, Yuno decided to play it safe and not talk in front of him, just to make sure.

As I thought about such things, Cody turned towards me while ending his conversation with Lowrey.

What he said next was unexpected.

Okay, lets go.

Cody said so while pointing at the Orders Headquarters. In other words, he was saying it was okay to enter.

Hey, Cody!

Is it really okay?

Of course it is! I mean, youre Harold-kuns fiance, right?

On paper, yes, thats how our relationship is. How did you know that?

I know because Im actually Harold-kuns boss, and he always boasted about how proud he was of yo-

Please excuse me for interrupting, but thats a lie, right?

Ah... um, yeah.

I cut-off his explanation mid-way, but I didnt feel bad, I knew that Harold wouldnt say such things.

Cody, whose words had been obstructed, obediently admitted his lie.

Well, the fact that Im his boss is true, so is there anything you want to know? If I can answer you, I will.

Ill take your word for it, Cody-sama.

I already knew, so I didnt have to worry if he was lying or not. Lawry seemed to decide that itd be best if he just pretended to not be affiliated with us, If something happens, take responsibility for it yourself.

After this Yuno and I were taken by Cody to a reception room used for visitors. He said that we should wait here while he prepared some tea, quickly leaving us alone.

Barely after I sat down on a chair, there was a knock on the door, was he back already?

But before I could answer it, the voice of someone I wasnt expecting came out.

Im entering.

The moment the owner of the voice saw me, he quickly grew stiff from shock. It seems that despite his usual calm facade, he does have times when he can be surprised and show more emotions.

I heard that you were hurt, but it looks like youre fine, Harold-sama.

Haa~ Really?

Sarcastic remarks came flying the moment he recovered from his rigidness. Same as usual.

Though he seems to be a lot healthier than when I exchanged words with him last time in the Sumeragi Household.

Youre alive...

Yeah, I am, now what do you want?

Harold was now face-to-face with me. This wasnt good, but I couldnt just turn away from him!

I revised my posture and dropped the tone of my voice to make sure nobody could listen in from outside.

You safety has now been confirmed, I thank you for your assistance on this matter.

I sent my line of sight towards Yuno who was at my side. Picking up on that she smiled and bowed her head in thanks.

Thankfully, Harold seems to have planned for everything.

Unnecessary...

I apologise, although I was aware of how inconvenient this would be for you, I just wanted to see you and confirm it myself.

...

Harold was silent.

All of my worries and gratitude were just to fulfil my selfishness. Harold didnt have any obligation to receive it, and I dont think he will.

But its fine. Just being able to see Harolds healthy state was enough of a reason to visit the Royal Capital.

Its true that I dont want to bother Harold, but my feelings are my first priority. So as to satisfy my desires, I made him explain everything to me, even though I didnt really care about what happened. The very fact that he was having a conversation with me put me on cloud-nine.

On the other hand, I felt depressed at how immature of a person I was since Id never be able to support Harold like this.

Is that everything you wanted to talk about?

N-no I... nevermind.

I tried to stop Harold, who was already standing up to leave, but caught myself. I didnt have any more words to say to him.

Thats just how it was.

I answered facing downwards, my gaze still locked onto Harold. Ive always been chasing it, but his back constantly seemed to be out of my reach.

In that case, lets finish this already. I wont be able to act freely as long as youre here, bastard.

Thank you for letting us use up your valuable time.

Dont bother me if you understand, and next time try not to get involved with that stupid man.

Of course