Satin felt completely thrown off by the sudden remark. He rolled his eyes and said, “Usually, friends don’t have to be so sensitive with each other.”
“We’re not just ordinary friends,” Cain replied.
“Then what are we? Special friends?” Satin interjected, cutting off Cain’s words. For some reason, Cain felt a surge of anxiety.
“Well, we are special…” Cain started, but struggled to finish his thought. If they were special, did they really need to label it as friendship?
As Cain faltered, Satin gently withdrew his arm. “Think carefully about how you want to respond to make your stubbornness seem natural,” he said.
“…What do you think?” Cain asked, turning the question back to Satin.
“Me? Well…” Satin paused for a moment before continuing, a slight smile on his face. “Honestly, I don’t know either. I was just going to agree with whatever you said.”
“…Are you kidding me right now?” Cain asked, incredulous.
***
The next day, officials from the Bureau of Order arrived. They had discovered suspicious circumstances while investigating the fire at the inn the previous day.
‘Did they find out that Cain was the arsonist?’ Satin worried, but fortunately, the officials were there for a different reason.
“We found items at the scene that we believe may have been stolen. Have you noticed anything missing?” one of the officials asked.
“Not that I can think of…” Satin replied. He didn’t have many valuable possessions with him. Most of the expensive gifts he had brought from the capital were still in the carriage, and some were with the Temple Knights. The only item of value that Satin had was the Sacred Relic, which had suddenly made its presence known the day before after being quiet for so long.
‘I should just return this to the Grand Temple in Cloverland,’ Satin thought. He had planned to return the relic after his failed escape attempt from the guesthouse, but he had been told that he needed to return it to the place where he had originally borrowed it.
‘Maybe it was a good thing after all,’ Satin thought, remembering how the relic had proven useful the day before, even if it was more like a personal alarm than a sacred object.
Despite his wandering thoughts, Satin dutifully answered the official’s questions. They didn’t ask anything too unusual.
“So, you haven’t seen anyone suspicious…” the official muttered, jotting down notes.
It seemed that the officials were not interviewing everyone who had been staying at the inn, but rather focusing on those who had been in the more expensive rooms. They didn’t seem to know about the kidnapping yet, as they kept asking about the theft.
‘What should I do?’ Satin wondered. He wasn’t particularly noble, but he wasn’t sure if he could just let the kidnappers get away with their crimes.
‘If they’re even still alive,’ he thought, remembering the possibility that they had perished in the fire. He decided to ask the official about it.
“Were there any fatalities in the fire?” Satin asked.
“No, fortunately there were no deaths,” the official replied.
“I see,” Satin said.
“Why do you ask?” the official inquired, noticing Satin’s concerned expression. He leaned in slightly, but quickly stepped back when he saw Cain frowning beside him.
Satin casually stepped in front of Cain, remembering a vague piece of advice from a long-ago documentary about dogs. ‘If an aggressive dog is about to attack someone, you should block it with your leg,’ he thought. Of course, he still thought Cain resembled a cat more than a dog.
‘So, a cat-dog hybrid… Wow, that’s actually kind of creepy,’ Satin thought, looking up at the tall, imposing figure of Cain.
“Was there something you wanted to say?” the official prompted, but Satin just shook his head.
Satin stepped forward as if he had something to say, but then said nothing. The officer tilted his head, puzzled. Satin quickly spoke up, “I overheard something strange while we were evacuating during the chaos.”
“Something strange?” the officers asked, their eyes lighting up with interest. It seemed they were eager for a substantial lead, like hyenas searching for a meal.
Satin decided to play along, immersing himself in the role. “I heard them talking about someone they were planning to kidnap,” he said. This wasn’t about revenge; it was about doing the right thing.
The officers were taken aback by the unexpected information. “Kidnapping?” one of them asked.
“Yes, it sounded like they were planning to kidnap someone for ransom,” Satin explained, carefully omitting any details that might implicate himself. He rationalized that this was a form of witness protection, as he didn’t want to get caught up in a lengthy investigation with their imminent arrival in Cloverland.
“I couldn’t hear everything clearly because of the commotion, but it seemed like they had done this sort of thing before…” Satin trailed off, leaving the officers to draw their own conclusions.
“Is that true?” one of the officers asked, his expression growing serious. If the conversation Satin overheard was accurate, it meant there had been multiple kidnappings in the past. The officers’ faces darkened as they considered the implications.
Satin shrugged, not wanting to seem too certain. “I don’t know for sure. I’m just telling you what I heard.”
“Can you describe what they looked like?” an officer asked.
“They were men, dressed like staff members, but it didn’t seem like a disguise. Oh, and I think one of them had a mustache,” Satin said, feigning a hazy recollection. The officers jotted down every word he said.
After finishing his story, the officers hurriedly left. They still had to investigate the cause of the fire and find the owners of the stolen items. Satin closed the door behind them and let out a sigh of relief.
“Whew, that was a bit nerve-wracking,” he admitted.
“Why?” Cain asked, tilting his head in confusion.
Satin playfully punched Cain’s shoulder. “Because the arsonist is right here,” he said.
“They won’t suspect it was magic,” Cain replied dismissively.
“We can’t be sure. Remember, Rita was researching a way to detect magical residue,” Satin reminded him.
Cain looked at him blankly, as if he had no idea what Satin was talking about. “What are you talking about?” he asked.
Satin realized that he had learned about Rita’s research before he met Cain. He laughed awkwardly and explained, “Rita can use magic to detect magical residue. If someone here knew how to do that, we’d be in big trouble.”
“But since they haven’t said anything, it seems like they don’t,” Cain pointed out.
“That’s true, but we can’t be sure it will stay that way. What if Rita starts teaching that magic to everyone?” Satin worried.
Magicians typically kept their research secret, but Rita might be different. As a princess, she might want to share her knowledge to improve the kingdom’s security.
Satin was lost in thought when Cain suddenly smiled. “Are you worried about me getting caught?” he asked.
“Of course I am… But why are you smiling?” Satin asked, confused.
“I thought you didn’t want me to do bad things at all,” Cain explained.
Satin was at a loss for words. He had been so focused on the immediate problem that he hadn’t considered the bigger picture. “Well, I… I just don’t want you to get caught,” he stammered.
Cain laughed. “You’re so cute when you’re flustered,” he said.
Satin blushed and changed the subject. “We should get ready to go,” he said, packing up his few belongings. They were running out of time to leave Daisyland.
As they prepared to leave, Cain suddenly spoke up. “Oh, by the way, I have an answer for you,” he said.
Satin froze, realizing what Cain was talking about. He turned to look at him, his heart pounding in his chest.
“I wonder what the weather will be like today…” Satin said suddenly, changing the subject. Cain laughed out loud, seemingly relieved that Satin wasn’t going to pursue the previous topic any further.
***
The Temple Knights seemed especially enthusiastic on their last day with Satin, much like they had been on the first day. However, there was a noticeable difference: their faces were tinged with sadness.
‘What am I to them…?’ Satin thought, feeling a mix of embarrassment and gratitude at their admiring gazes. Blind admiration had a way of making a person feel important, and he realized he might miss that kind of attention.
Of course, Cain’s attitude towards him was different. While the knights admired him, Cain often treated Satin as if he were incapable of taking care of himself. It was as if Cain thought Satin needed protection from even the simplest things, like a fork and knife.
Satin knew that Cain’s behavior wasn’t born out of disrespect but rather a desire to protect. People often had misconceptions about the things they cared for, and Satin believed that Cain’s overprotectiveness was a manifestation of his affection.
‘It’s a protective instinct,’ Satin thought, feeling a bit embarrassed by his own analysis. He fanned himself, trying to hide his discomfort.
Cain, sitting across from him, noticed and asked, “Are you hot?”
“Yeah, a little…” Satin replied, grateful for the excuse.
Cain opened the window, but the sound of hooves on the unpaved road was loud and dusty.
“…Maybe we should close it,” Satin said, laughing awkwardly as he shut the window again.
