129 - The Kidnapper and Sleeping in the Carriage
"Nngh?"
I woke up to my own sleep-talking. In my dream, someone was teaching me something, and I thought I'd replied to them, but when I woke up, that someone was nowhere to be seen. I reflexively lifted my head from the cushion I'd been face-down on as I woke, but when a sharp pain shot through my shoulder, I buried my face in the cushion again. The scent pressed out of the cushion spread through my nostrils, and I furrowed my brow at the strangeness while still face-down.
...An unfamiliar smell. Whose perfume?
Something was wrong, there was a sense of unease. I noticed it quickly, and while still burying my face in the cushion, I surveyed my surroundings. The hazy, just-woken-up feeling was blown away by the sense of wrongness.
"Are you awake?"
...And who might you be?
A stranger's voice addressed me, and I didn't know how to react. Apparently there was at least one unfamiliar man nearby. Unable to decide how to act first, I decided to just keep pretending to be asleep and feel out my surroundings. Fortunately, I'm still a child under ten years old. Once I fall asleep, it wouldn't be strange if I didn't wake up easily. Even if I muttered in my sleep, let out a strange cry for a moment as if waking up, then immediately started breathing peacefully again, it probably wouldn't seem too unnatural.
...Probably.
I pretended to be asleep and ignored the words that had been called to me. My shoulder was lightly shaken, my hair was pulled, but I ignored that too. When the man's hand gradually started putting more force into it, I switched from pretending to be asleep to pretending to be groggy.
"Shut up!"
"Ow!?"
I bit down as hard as I could on the hand that was nearby. The man's hand was reflexively pulled back, so after giving him one glare, I buried my face in the cushion again and resumed pretending to be asleep.
"...Is she sleepwalking?"
My shoulder was poked with a force that was clearly hesitant. He must be on guard so I wouldn't suddenly bite him again if he woke me up.
...Come to think of it?
I'd only seen him for a moment, but I didn't recognize the man's face. More than not recognizing his face, I had no recognition of his existence at all. I can usually get a vague sense of status from rich commoners, knights, or nobles even when they're walking around in plain clothes, but I couldn't get a read on this man who seemed to be a kidnapper. He was too well-groomed to be a commoner, and his movements were too clumsy to be a knight. So maybe he's a noble, I thought, but since he didn't get angry even after being bitten by a half-asleep child, I felt it was a stretch to consider him of high status.
"...She's asleep, right? I suppose that's Leonardo's sister for you, or how should I put it... a bold child."
Apparently he really thought I'd bitten him while half-asleep. The sensation of fingers poking my shoulder disappeared.
...So he's someone connected to Leo?
Since he knows I'm Leonardo's sister, that must be it. He didn't seem to be trying to harm me even after being bitten, so I was relieved for now, though that's a strange thing to say, but it seemed I didn't need to panic and run. I wanted to keep pretending to be asleep a little longer and gather information.
...Where are we headed?
From the sound of wheels I'd heard before waking up and the constant vibrations, I could tell I was in a carriage. Even now, I could bite and move my body freely, so I didn't seem to be tied up either. I moved my legs as if shifting position, and they were free too.
...No matter how much of a child I am, isn't this underestimating me a bit?
Even I didn't think I could escape by running, but still, just laying me down in the carriage without even tying me up felt like too much carelessness.
...Ah, my heartbeat.
Maybe because I was straining my ears, or maybe because I had my face pressed into the cushion while lying face-down, I could hear my own heartbeat. I thought I was keeping calm, but hearing my heartbeat, which I normally can't notice, meant I was probably agitated. Rather, it would be stranger to be calm in this situation.
...Anyway, let's calm down. It doesn't seem like they'll kill me right away.
The moment the word "kill" came to mind, my heartbeat grew louder. That reminded me that the previous perpetrator who failed the kidnapping attempt was found dead.
...It's okay, calm down. Let's calm down. Calm down.
My heart, which had started pounding loudly, I forcibly calmed down with deep breaths. Panicking or being scared wouldn't change the situation. What I could do now, what I should do now, was gather as much information about my surroundings as possible without letting the man realize I was awake.
"...Is something the matter?"
"It's nothing. She just bit me in her sleep."
I heard a slightly muffled, different man's voice. It wasn't that he was far away, but rather that something was blocking his voice and making it quieter. He was probably outside the carriage.
...So at least I know there are two men.
This definitely meant it was impossible for me to escape alone. Even if I managed to outwit one, there was another, and there might be even more accomplices.
...Their pronunciation feels a bit off?
As I listened carefully to the men's conversation, I noticed something slightly off about their pronunciation. It was different from the slightly accented pronunciation of the villagers in Mey Village, and also different from Alf's clear pronunciation. If it was neither like the villagers nor like nobles, maybe they were from a different country altogether.
...But I learned that this language is common across the continent, though.
Maybe it was some kind of regional dialect after all. The odd pronunciation bothered me, but there was no point worrying about it now, so I decided to focus on the content instead.
From piecing together the men's conversation, it seemed the previous kidnapping attempt was indeed planned by them. And it wasn't a case of mistaken identity either. They had specifically targeted me, Leonardo's sister. Using a little sister as a hostage to make demands was just ridiculous, there was no other word for it.
...Even if they take me hostage, I don't think Leo will listen to them.
Leonardo, who was generally indulgent with me, still kept public and private matters separate. He was the kind of person who, when faced with work, would casually leave a young girl who was probably anxious about being brought to an unfamiliar city in the care of others without a second thought. Something he could have figured out if he'd thought about it for a moment. If it came down to caving to kidnappers' demands, he'd prioritize his duties as a public servant.
...Well, even if by some miracle Leo did comply with their demands, I really can't imagine I'd actually be returned to Leo.
If I were in the kidnappers' position, I definitely wouldn't return me to Leonardo as a hostage to make him obey. They'd say they were keeping me safe, but in reality, they might find me a hassle to manage and kill me.
...Ah, it's over. My life is over.
It was a short life, I thought, my mind going a bit distant, when the carriage gave a jolt, a different kind of shake than before. It must have run over a big rock. The carriage shook violently up and down, and my body was jostled too.
"Hya-wawa!?"
"Watch out!"
Just as I thought pretending to be asleep any longer would be pushing it, I lifted my face from the cushion, and at the same moment my body lifted off, and the next second I was pressed into the seat by the body of the man who was riding in the carriage with me.
"...Uncle, who are you?"
The wheel of the violently shaken carriage seemed to have broken. They pulled the carriage to the side of the road for emergency repairs and stopped it, and they were in the middle of fixing it now. Because of that, the carriage was tilted slightly.
"Uncl..."
Called "uncle," the man straightened his collar. After clearing his throat once, he straightened his back.
"This big brother's name is William. It's best for you not to ask about my family name."
"I'm not interested, so that's fine."
Feeling a little like getting back at him, I deliberately cut off the conversation. He didn't look like the kind of thug who'd rise to a child's provocation, so it was just a bit of wordplay. If he was the type to play along with a joke, it might put me a little more at ease.
...Well, it doesn't change the fact that I can't escape, though.
He probably thought the same thing, which was why he was playing along with this banter. I observed the man who called himself William, sitting in the seat across from me. His age, as befitting someone who called himself "big brother," wasn't middle-aged. At most he was probably in his late twenties. But since his words were gentle toward me, a toddler, he might actually be a bit younger. When he was quiet, his short, straight brown hair gave a sharp impression, but his droopy green eyes and soft tone created a miraculously harmonious, goofy-looking face.
Incidentally, there was a small bump on his forehead, which he got when he hit it protecting me from being thrown from the seat during that big jolt earlier.
...Considering he protected me, I feel like he's not such a bad person.
But the moment he kidnaps a young girl, there's no such thing as a good person either. He'd already killed the butcher's apprentice and his fiancee too. Even if he looked like a goofball, I couldn't let my guard down.
"So, why am I here with 'uncle'?"
"...'Big brother' has a small matter with your big brother. He's hard to get a hold of, so I decided to invite his little sister first."
I want to punch his face as he smiles and says, "That way, your big brother will come to pick you up, won't he?" in a friendly tone. Is that because I'm impatient? I am impatient, but not so much that I'd act on such a rash impulse, so I'll hold back on hitting him for now.
"Where are we going?"
"I just sent a letter to your big brother, so we're heading to the meeting place."
"The carriage stopped, though."
When I heaved myself up from the seat, I wasn't particularly scolded. So without holding back, I looked out the window, and there was no cityscape to be seen. The sun had apparently set at some point, and a pitch-black night forest spread out before me.
...No wonder the sound of the wheels was so loud.
It seemed we had already left Lagarette with its neat cobblestone streets while I was sleeping. I'd experienced the rattling of wheels running on bare dirt before entering Lagarette.
...I wonder how many of them there are?
I pressed my cheek flat against the window and looked outside, but I could only see one man. Since they should be repairing the wheel right now, at least one more person should be nearby fixing it.
...So at least three?
I tried to look out the window on the opposite side too, but I was stopped from approaching the door leading outside.
...Well, of course. Normally you'd think someone would try to escape.
I'd already judged that I couldn't escape alone anyway, so I didn't plan on doing anything too reckless.
...What should I do?
I couldn't escape alone. I didn't think Leonardo would give in to their demands. Even if I managed to get away from here, I'd probably be caught again before I could make it back to the city. And if that happened, I didn't think they'd give a child who'd escaped once a second degree of freedom.
...What a pain.
While I couldn't come up with a good plan, I complained that I was bored, and a Saik board was prepared for me. I wasn't happy that my opponent was a kidnapper, but just sitting still would only make me anxious, so anything to distract me was fine.
"...Ah, right. Let me return this to you."
"What is it?"
A rolled-up piece of paper was handed to me, and I opened it. Drawn inside was a sketch of Leonardo, apparently done by the boy who was supposedly a painter.
"Ah, it's Leo."
"It's very well drawn. He would have become a good painter in the future... I feel bad for him."
...That's past tense. What did you do to that person?
Somewhat disturbed, I asked about the circumstances of my kidnapping. My memory ended when I was modeling for the boy who seemed to be an aspiring painter. My memory cut off there, and when I came to, I was in this carriage. I didn't know what happened to that scene.
"According to reports from my subordinates... we were watching for an opportunity to invite you to the carriage, and when it was just the painter boy, you, the Lagarette noble lord's daughter, and her nurse maid, we decided it was a good chance and invited only you."
...Huh? What about Kalisa?
Kalisa was supposed to be by my side at all times, but no information about a woman resembling Kalisa came up. Also, it seemed a lot was omitted as content unsuitable for a child's ears, and nothing was said about the safety of the people who were with me.
...But then, maybe Kalisa is safe?
If so, she might be worrying again. That she was with me but still let me be taken away.
"Lord William! About the wheel repair..."
From the voice, I guessed this was the man who'd spoken to me when I bit William. He was called from outside the carriage, and William went outside. Since there was no one watching me, I looked out the window on the door leading outside without holding back. But the man right outside glared at me sharply.
...I'm not planning to run away, you know. I don't like pain or being scared either.
For now, I intended to behave. I just wanted to know what it was like outside, or rather, how many kidnappers there were, but since I'd been glared at, I had no choice but to slink back to my seat. His gaze wasn't as goofy-looking as William's.
...Getting this was a good call.
I rustled open the paper with Leonardo drawn on it. It was just a drawing, but somehow it was reassuring.
After looking at it for a while, I rolled it back up so it wouldn't wrinkle, and William, who seemed to have finished receiving his report, came back.
"Is the carriage going to be fixed?"
"The thing is, for some reason the more we try to repair it, the more the tools break... I want to get to the meeting place quickly, but it looks like it'll take a while longer."
"That's a delay, isn't it," I said in agreement, and William furrowed his brow, looking puzzled.
"...You're calm. That's Leonardo's sister for you, I suppose, or how should I put it."
"Leo and I aren't related by blood, so I don't think 'that's him for you' quite fits."
"...You're not related by blood?"
"Yes, deshu. Leo took me in at the end of last winter."
So even if you take his sister hostage, the chances of Leonardo listening to you are low. I swallowed the words that were about to leave my mouth. Telling him this honestly now would be bad. I understood at least that much.
...Huh? Dying because Leo won't meet their demands and I'm useless is the same as dying because I fail to escape?
I noticed that fact and shuddered. I reflexively rubbed my arms, and William took out a blanket from the luggage compartment. This young man named William, despite being a kidnapper, was a nice person.
"So we're staying here for the night."
"Well, it looks that way."
If the wheel couldn't be fixed, the carriage couldn't move. The last resort would be to abandon the carriage and move on, but it didn't seem to have come to that yet.
...If the carriage just doesn't get fixed like this, I wonder if Leo will come to pick me up.
Thinking that, I kicked William out of the carriage. Since I'm not completely heartless, I also gave him the blanket I'd just received.
"This is going to be a girl's bedroom, even if I am a child, so men, please leave."
Pushed out into the still-cold outdoors even though winter was almost over, even William resisted. But when I gave the perfectly reasonable refusal of "I can't sleep peacefully with a kidnapper," William backed down surprisingly obediently.
...That guy's a kidnapper, right? Isn't he too weak to pressure?
I thought so, but I was grateful that he obediently left. Before that scary-eyed man came, I quickly locked the door from the inside.
Next time, the raging demon Leonardo's attack? Or a side story about the guardians.
I'll fix typos and misspellings another day. Maybe when it gets warmer (long). I've fixed the typos and misspellings I found.