Shien and I arrived at Brother Laje's house. The gatekeeper didn't say whether he was in Bares or away—he simply opened the gate and let us in.
That meant Brother Laje was really in the capital. Mr. Karen hadn't lied to me.
What should I do…? How am I supposed to face him?
"Is… is Bro Laje really in the capital…?"
Shien looked both shocked and afraid. I imagined my expression was the same.
But what did I do wrong? Why would Brother Laje try to capture me? Had he… stopped being the kind, gentle brother I once knew?
We were led by a maid into the reception room. A moment later, the familiar figure of Brother Laje appeared—though he looked a bit thinner than I remembered.
"Lixia, Shien, it's been a while. Why do you both look like that?"
Were our expressions really that strange? I glanced at Shien. He stood up blankly.
"Bro Laje…"
Brother Laje watched him walk over to the sofa across from us, then smiled gently.
"Shien, you've grown taller. Keep it up and you'll be as tall as me soon. Now that you're in the academy, they'll have you challenge the dungeon, right? With your ability, it should be easy for you."
His voice was light, filled with nostalgia. It had been three years since he became a border guard, but he was still the same—still caring about us.
"Yeah. I've already reached Level 43."
Seeing that Brother Laje was still the same as before, Shien immediately let his guard down and happily sat down to chat with him like old times.
But I couldn't do the same.
If Brother Laje was really here, then Mr. Karen hadn't lied. And if Brother Laje had come on leave, Father would have written to tell me.
"You've been in the academy for less than a month and you're already close to level 50? That's impressive."
"Because I want to reach the bottom level."
"That's quite an ambitious goal. Keep it up."
"Yes!"
Brother Laje was just like before—encouraging us, supporting our decisions, never dismissing them.
That only made me more conflicted. Should I believe Mr. Karen… or the Brother Laje in front of me?
Then Brother Laje turned to me.
"Lixia, you've grown into a fine young lady. I'm sure a lot of boys are after you. Shien, make sure you protect her—don't let her get deceived."
"Of course! I'll definitely protect Lixia!"
Shien answered confidently. It annoyed me.
I carried a sword—no boy would be interested in me. They preferred girls who looked weak, girls who needed protection. Shien was no different.
Brother Laje continued cheerfully,
"Seeing you both reminds me of when we used to play together. We'd always go boating by the lake. How about we go again sometime? Back when I was in the academy, I found a really big lake. People fish there often—just boating might be boring, so we could fish too. What do you think?"
"Sounds great!"
"And you, Lixia?"
"..."
I still wasn't sure what the truth was. Should I agree? If I did… would I be in danger?
For some reason, I trusted Mr. Karen more. Back on the train, I was the one who approached them—it wasn't like they came looking for me. Everything had been coincidence. Mr. Karen had no ulterior motives.
My silence made Brother Laje worried.
"Lixia, what's wrong? You haven't said a word since I came in. Are you troubled about something? Did Shien bully you? If he did, I'll teach him a lesson."
"I didn't! I swear I didn't!"
Shien denied it fiercely. Brother Laje often flicked his forehead when he misbehaved—I'd been hit a few times too. It really hurt, enough to bring tears to my eyes. That's why we were both afraid of his "lessons."
But since he asked… I should gather my courage and find out the truth. If I kept hesitating, I'd only stay stuck—doubting and overthinking would just make me anxious.
"Brother Laje… why are you here?"
"Lixia?!"
Shien shouted in shock. I didn't understand why he reacted like that—it was irritating.
Brother Laje's expression turned sorrowful.
"Ah… so that's what you've been thinking about. Lixia… won't you sit beside your big brother like you used to?"
"Um…"
He was the only one who never favored Shien, so I always liked sitting next to him.
But Mr. Karen told me to be careful. And I still didn't know whether Brother Laje was innocent. I wasn't strong enough to sit beside someone who might want to harm me.
Brother Laje lowered his gaze, looking hurt, and spoke in a bittersweet tone.
"I see… you've grown up. You can't sit so close to a man like before. I guess I'm still not used to it. In my eyes, it feels like just yesterday you were still a child… and now, suddenly, you've grown up."
Seeing that expression, I softened.
"Big Brother Laje, I'm sorry. I'll come sit beside you. Please don't be sad."
This was the first time I'd seen him like this—as if he was forcing himself to act like an adult, but deep down, he felt lonely… almost like he wanted to be spoiled.
"I just want to be with you the same way as before. Is that not okay?"
"Of course it is!"
I nodded firmly, raising my voice to reassure him.
His expression immediately brightened, and just like before, he gently patted my head.
"That's a relief."
"Brother Laje…"
But this time… it didn't feel comforting.
It used to feel nice—I even used to ask him to pat my head. But now, it felt… unpleasant. I had the urge to knock his hand away.
But I couldn't. He'd be sad again.
So I forced myself to ignore it. By chance, I glanced at Shien—and noticed he was staring at Brother Laje's hand with a strange expression.
After a while, Brother Laje withdrew his hand and spoke again.
"I know you came because you heard I was here. Will you listen to what happened to me?"
"Of course."
We both answered at the same time. It was annoying how synchronized we were.
Brother Laje then began explaining, his tone filled with frustration.
"Thank you. While inspecting people entering the country, I noticed some suspicious behavior. I suspected they had bad intentions and wanted to investigate further. But they were nobles, and I had no evidence. No matter what I said, it was just speculation. Because of that, I offended them… and they demanded Lord Golendo dismiss me."
I knew how patriotic Brother Laje was—that was why he became a border guard in the first place.
But those people went too far. Why go this far? Punishment alone should have been enough.
Shien immediately got angry.
"That's outrageous! They're abusing their noble authority!"
"Brother Laje, didn't my father speak up for you?"
Father valued Brother Laje highly—he should have defended him.
Even though Father was just a count, he had distinguished himself in war. Even Marquis Biafrel, who outranked him, spoke to him with respect.
Brother Laje replied regretfully,
"Lord Golendo couldn't refuse under pressure. Their ranks… seemed even higher than his."
Were there even dukes involved…?
No wonder Father gave up on him. I felt terrible.
Seeing how Father, once so heroic on the battlefield, had to bow to power… Laje must have been disappointed.
"Brother Laje… please don't be disappointed in my father."
I didn't try to justify anything. I just hoped he wouldn't lose respect for Father.
Brother Laje paused for a moment before replying,
"...I understand. Now it's your turn. Can you tell me who told you?"
"It was Mr. Karen—the one who hunt down Samidoride."
"Someone that important knows me? …Lixia, does Karen have black hair, wear black equipment, and act as a merchant's guard?"
Brother Laje seemed surprised, but then fell silent for a moment before describing Karen exactly—and even mentioned the commission he had accepted.
"Yes. Have you met him before?"
"Of course. They were the ones who demanded Lord Golendo fire me."
"What?! I knew he had bad intentions!"
Shien was so loud. Mr. Karen didn't have any ulterior motives—this had to be a misunderstanding.
"Brother Laje, Mr. Karen and his companions drove off the Black Sun and saved everyone. They're good people."
"Lixia, you can't judge someone based on one side alone. Shien, go bring that commoner here."
"Huh?!"
Before I could react, Laje suddenly grabbed my shoulder. In the next instant, he pulled out a small knife and pressed it against my neck.
The cold blade touched my skin—and I let out a terrified scream.