Chapter 82

I climbed up onto the wall.

The wind was so cold it bit into my skin.

This place is already miserable enough because of the cold, and to have to fend off monsters on top of that—it’s no wonder it’s a living hell.

"…Are you going to stay here?"

Selena, who was standing beside me, asked.

Her maid outfit, which exposed far too much, must have been unbearably cold in this place.

"Yes."

"…C-could I go and change my clothes…?"

"Wasn’t your purpose to protect me? We’re outside the building, on top of a wall where it’s easy to be sniped. You’re going to leave me here in this dangerous place?"

"A-ah, no. I’ll stay by your side."

With that, Selena stood next to me.

I could see that despite her efforts, her body was still trembling.

Tsk, I clicked my tongue.

"Go and change. And from now on, wear something normal, no matter what."

"T-this outfit is perfectly normal. It’s just not suitable for the season…"

"Fine, go."

Selena nodded quickly and disappeared.

I sighed and checked the condition of the wall.

It wasn’t good. There were patches everywhere, like a beggar’s clothes.

Where there were no rocks, they used stones; where there were no stones, they used wood; and in a pinch, they even gathered scraps of cloth or trash to patch it up.

…The ‘Restoration’ function exists in weaving. Although it’s still locked, it might be unlocked with a level-up.

Of course, the monsters won’t wait for that, so until then, I’ll have to fight with this unstable wall in front of me.

"…It’s normal for it to collapse."

In fact, Teibun can’t hold out during the winter break and gets breached.

If you play the game normally, you learn this from the stories Ainen tells and the newspapers.

The wall collapses, Teibun becomes a wasteland, and the dispatched pros and knights barely manage to hold the line.

Teibun doesn’t completely fall, but the reduction in territory is inevitable.

As a player, Aster can’t stop this flow. Aster is a commoner, and even if he comes to Teibun by force, he’ll only be used as a soldier. Even if he survives, he can’t make a significant change.

However.

"…Not right now, but."

I will reach that Excalibur during this winter break.

If I go now, I’ll just be torn apart by the monsters.

The sound of footsteps came.

They were steady but measured. I guessed who it was.

"There you are."

When I turned around, it was indeed Robert.

"Sir Robert."

"Mr. Frontier. What’s going on in Teibun?"

It’s a question I’ve heard several times. But since it’s a valid concern, I smiled.

"It’s just like homework."

"Coming to Teibun for homework? Is Constel trying to kill its students?"

Constel was taking the blame instead of me.

"What about the other knights?"

"They’re still on standby. They’re just chatting a lot."

They were probably still mocking me.

After all, if no one died in Teibun, I would have mocked them too if I heard about it.

"Sir Robert, you’re very polite. You’ve been using honorifics with me since we first met."

"I learned it from my superior. Since you use them everywhere, I guess I picked it up."

He must be talking about Queen Phil.

…Phil’s use of honorifics doesn’t mean ‘politeness.’

"Why are you here, Sir Robert?"

"I’m a knight. I’m just following orders."

"Without knowing the reason?"

"You naturally learn the reason as you follow orders."

Truly loyal. I can understand why Phil keeps him around.

I smiled bitterly.

"It would be good if the other knights were like you, Sir Robert."

"They’re not much different from me. It’s just because this place is so harsh."

I partly agreed with Robert. As I said before, in such an environment, it might be better to be a little crazy.

But a harsh environment only reveals one’s true nature.

Not all knights have the same mindset as Robert. They might seem that way when acting together in the knight’s order, and they might even think that way themselves.

But in such an extreme place, and especially as individuals rather than as part of the knight’s order, they are just humans.

"Let’s go inside. The wall is too cold when it’s not a battlefield. Besides, I have a schedule today."

"Schedule?"

Now that I think about it, I didn’t see Lidwig, who was supposed to send me to the barracks. I thought he must have sent me to the waiting room because of the monsters.

If it wasn’t because of the monsters, why did he gather the knights in the waiting room?

"Didn’t you know? The princess is coming for an inspection."

"…The princess?"

There’s only one princess right now.

The eldest daughter had her position stripped, and the second daughter is busy inheriting the emperor’s throne.

"…You don’t mean…that one?"

"That one?"

"Just talking to myself."

* * *

Athen arrived in Teibun with the royal knight’s order.

It seemed excessive to bring so many to protect just one person, but it was natural for Teibun.

"Mr. Athen. You should go back. This place is too dangerous. You never know when the monsters might breach the wall."

A knight beside her said solemnly.

"If the wall is unstable and the monsters breach it, causing greater damage, it’s only natural for a member of the royal family to inspect it."

Athen had thought about visiting Teibun at some point, not necessarily during this winter break.

Unlike Yeranhes, which Ampere guards, Teibun, despite being in the north, was the most unstable corner of the empire.

Frontier was the catalyst, and Athen’s concern for the residents of Teibun was genuine.

"…I see. Then let’s go to the lodging. The horses are tired too."

The journey here wasn’t easy.

A car would be better for just traveling, but for combat, bringing horses is much better.

Unlike cars, horses need food, rest, and are sensitive to temperature. In other words, they feel the same discomfort as humans.

It was a long distance from the capital to here. The horses were exhausted, and the knights were no different.

"Indeed. It was a tough march."

Athen said, looking around at the knights.

"Everyone has worked hard. Not many people ride horses from the capital to here…"

Then she stopped.

In one corner of her vision, a horse was trotting alone.

At first, she thought one of the knights had left, but it wasn’t. The horse wasn’t wearing armor, and the person riding it was dressed in ordinary clothes, not armor.

"…??"

The horse continued to trot and passed by Athen’s left side. The sight was so strange that not only Athen but all the knights were drawn to it.

"…Hmm, it’s a traveler. The person on the horse seems to be sleeping."

"Y-yes, that seems to be the case."

As the knight said, the woman on the horse had her face buried in the horse’s neck, breathing steadily.

But her appearance, her silhouette, seemed familiar—

"…Mnya. Are we there? I must have woken up, so we must be there, right?"

The person on the horse stirred and sat up.

Long pink hair, green eyes. Her disheveled hair and a face that was beautiful and equally alluring, even covered in dust.

"…Cybel?"

Athen called out the name without thinking.

The woman with pink hair turned to Athen, her eyes widening.

"Oh, Athen! What a surprise! Why are you here? How did you get here? Wow, that’s really impressive!"

"…Those are exactly the questions I want to ask."

Cybel Forte.

The girl who was destined to be loved, had come to Teibun.

* * *

"Ahaha, you really surprised me."

Cybel exhaled, as if releasing the tension inside the lodging.

When she tried to approach Athen without a second thought, she was met with the knights’ spears.

Athen stopped them, but the sleepiness was gone.

"No, it’s okay. Athen is a princess. I guess I was still in the habit from Constel."

"I’m sorry. The knights were just concerned for your safety."

"No, it’s my fault."

"…If we meet in a formal setting, it’s best to…keep Cybel safe."

"Sure, sure. I’ll be more formal."

Cybel nodded with a bright smile.

The two were now in a guest room Athen had borrowed from the lodging. To have a comfortable conversation, they were alone in this room.

"Um, I see. For an inspection. You really have a lot on your plate, Athen."

"…Why are you here, Cybel?"

Athen hadn’t expected Cybel to come here at all. No one from Constel would have thought so.

Could it be for ‘training’ like Frontier, or some other ridiculous reason…?

"Huh? Because of Frontier."

"…!"

Cybel’s straightforward answer surprised Athen.

Athen was clearly here for an inspection, and that was her main purpose.

For some reason, at this moment, she felt she couldn’t be as honest as Cybel.

"No, don’t misunderstand. I just came out of concern, as a friend."

"…I see. Just out of concern, from the capital to Teibun…"

"Isn’t that guy ridiculous? Suddenly going to Teibun during the winter break. How could I hear about it faster from rumors than from him?"

"…I heard about it from rumors too. I think Elody was the only one who heard it first."

"Um! Right, Elody! He told her directly, but not me. Well, the rumors were just too fast!"

Cybel nodded, tilting her head. Athen swallowed involuntarily.

It seemed they needed to change the topic.

"S-so, how did you get here? It wasn’t an easy journey, was it?"

"Um, somehow? With a lot of help? I guess I was just lucky?"

Athen thought it sounded like Cybel was brushing it off, but Cybel was being honest.

Most of what Cybel wants is usually achieved by chance and luck.

"I borrowed a horse named ‘Kasian’ from Constel. He’s really smart. It feels like he’s following me."

"…You borrowed Kasian? Just like that?"

"Huh? They just lent him to me."

"…."

It shouldn’t be that easy, but the person is Cybel.

That was enough for Athen to understand.