Chapter 24. The Young Man Named Artorius
"Hello."
The young man in front of him politely greeted.
His voice was gentle and soft, causing Ian to briefly doubt his own eyes.
However, rather than thinking about the three conflicting elements—voice, appearance, and gender—Ian was more concerned about something else.
Not far from here, a knight's body was being buried.
The previous times had been easy enough that Ian had become somewhat careless.
Now, he couldn't be sure if the boy in front of him had seen something he shouldn't have.
So—
Kill him now.
Ian's gaze began to harbor a murderous intent.
After all, his hands were already stained with blood; another life wouldn't make much of a difference.
"Hello, can you hear me?"
The young man waved his hand, trying to get Ian's attention.
"Yes."
Ian forced a fake smile.
He didn't know when, but he realized he had learned this strange form of disguise.
At any time, in any place, he could show a smile that would make others feel at ease, and within that smile, he could also kill.
Ian felt that his mood had shifted considerably.
"You are...?"
Seeing that Ian finally responded, the young man let out a relieved sigh before introducing himself.
"Hello, I'm Artorius."
"Right now—"
The boy who called himself Artorius glanced at the wooden cart beside him.
"I want to enter the city to sell these freshly picked apples."
"So, could you let me into the city?"
[Artorius' words made you realize that it was currently apple harvest season.]
[You feel a sense of nostalgia about the passing of time.]
[At the same time, you notice something else.]
[It seems that Artorius in front of you has taken you for a city gate guard.]
[While you can't be sure whether the boy has seen the body you've buried, you decide to check if he is carrying any weapons to minimize the risk.]
[You suggest inspecting his body.]
"Check... check me?"
For some reason, after hearing Ian's request, Artorius' expression became somewhat awkward.
This made Ian suspicious.
"What's the matter? Is that not okay?"
"If you want to enter the capital, you should accept this inspection."
"Unless—"
Ian's gaze grew sharp.
"You have a secret on you that cannot be revealed, in which case I might have to call someone else."
Ian's words were threatening.
After he spoke, Artorius immediately shook his head in denial.
"No, no, that's not the case."
"Please... go ahead."
Saying this, Artorius raised both his hands, forming a cross, indicating his readiness for the inspection.
Just then, a few patrol soldiers passed by.
Fearing that the situation might be exposed, Ian had no choice but to proceed with the inspection of Artorius.
Fortunately,
Ian was originally a knight, so he was very familiar with this procedure.
He crouched down and began to mentally replay the fragmented memories in his mind.
He started with checking the legs.
What surprised Ian slightly was that,
Although the boy was young, Artorius' legs were slender and toned, vaguely making Ian feel like he was back to the first time he touched Morgan's legs.
However, Ian wasn't interested in anyone's body except Morgan's.
He glanced at Artorius suspiciously, while the boy avoided his gaze, seemingly feeling uneasy.
His hand continued to move upward, quickly nearing the hip area.
The sensation of touch was still a very delicate mismatch — why did a boy have such a wonderful curve, like a woman's, hidden beneath his clothes?
"Repeat your name again."
"Artorius."
Ian memorized the name, which clearly sounded like that of a male, and his hand continued toward the hip.
Quickly, the pleasant sensation around the waist replaced the firmness of the hips.
The feeling of running his hand along the sides was enough for Ian to imagine the body beneath the clothes.
— A curve that tightened, wide on the sides, narrowing in the middle.
Ian's suspicion reached its peak.
His hand slowly moved upward, the final destination being the chest area.
If his suspicion was correct,
There would be unmistakable feminine features here that could not be hidden.
At that point, killing Artorius in front of him wouldn't be difficult — after all, with this disguise, he could come up with any reason to kill the boy without being seen as unreasonable.
However—
When Ian's hand made contact, he directly felt an absolute emptiness.
If he had to use something to describe this emptiness, perhaps a vast plain, where warhorses would race the fastest, would be the best choice.
After all, all he could do was sigh about the barrenness.
This, upon further thought, was like the state of a man.
Ian realized he had made the wrong judgment.
"Excuse me... is it done?"
Artorius' face was flushed from Ian's inspection, and compared to the apples beside him, his face seemed even redder.
"I'm sorry."
Ian immediately withdrew his hand and apologized.
"It's fine." Artorius forced a smile, "You were just being careful."
"Then, may I ask if I can enter the city now?"
"…"
Ian was still worried whether the boy had seen something he shouldn't have.
If there hadn't been the occasional patrol soldiers appearing, Ian was sure he would have already drawn his sword and attacked Artorius by now.
[You seriously think about what you should do.]
[Soon, you have an answer.]
[If you can't act here, then do it somewhere else.]
[You offer to help Artorius into the city.]
[He is very surprised, but still deeply moved by your assistance.]
[So, you take the wooden cart full of apples from Artorius and the two of you head toward the capital.]
[In the eyes of the soldiers, you gain a reputation as a kind person.]
[But only you know, these apples will lie with Artorius in the ground.]
"You're really a good person."
Artorius clasped his hands together, speaking to Ian beside him.
"Tell me, can you tell me your name? I'd like to know what a person like you is named."
"…"
"Ian."
"Ian." Artorius nodded thoughtfully, "Looking at you, you must be a knight, right?"
"Yes."
"Then if that's the case——!" Artorius' voice raised a bit.
"Grrrrrr——"
Artorius awkwardly patted his stomach.
"Sorry, I haven't eaten anything this morning."
"Then let me treat you to a meal."
"Eh?" Artorius blinked his deep green eyes, like a sea of trees, "Is that okay?"
"Mm."
Ian nodded and smiled as he spoke.
"In the end, there won't be another opportunity like this."
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