Chapter 5

※This is a story from the perspective of a soldier observing Octavia and others.

That day, the princess of our country stepped into the training ground.

The reaction of His Highness, the Second Prince Alexis, was swift.

He immediately noticed the princess and, his face lighting up,

"――! I'll go greet my sister. Rest until I return."

He dashed over to Princess Octavia. No matter how many times I see this transformation, I can't help but doubt my eyes.

It's because of how he usually is, you know, His Highness Alexis.

――And, in a rather presumptuous manner, I, a new recruit who served as the sparring partner for His Highness, the Second Prince Alexis, was subjected to intense, clearly love-driven jealous glares and decided to leave.

It's so unfair…!

You guys, that's why you never get picked for training by His Highness Alexis!

On my way, I found a colleague who seemed to be on a break, so I decided to chat with him for a while.

Even as we talked, my eyes kept drifting to the royal siblings.

First, Her Highness, the First Princess Octavia. She is sixteen years old. She is the kind of princess I used to imagine in my hometown village. She looks different from the village women. With her silver hair and pale blue eyes, she is graceful and delicate, and her face is more cute than beautiful.

She seems very kind. She embodies the ideal princess. Indeed, she is smiling gently at her brother, His Highness Alexis. His Highness Alexis, who usually shows no affection to us soldiers, is completely relaxed with his sister.

Such a harmonious sibling relationship...

"That... That's him, right? The same person who was on that battlefield, right?"

My colleague, who was looking in the same direction, muttered.

Don't say it like that. It reminds me of my mother back home.

My colleague, like me, is of commoner origin.

For a commoner to be hired as a soldier in the royal castle, there are quite a few difficulties.

Connections, money, or ability.

If you don't have any of these, strangely enough, the only way to become a regular soldier is to achieve some kind of merit on the battlefield before that. Most commoners are treated as expendable and die, so just surviving is a merit.

Both my colleague and I won the narrow path to become royal castle soldiers through this fourth method.

A year ago, we participated in the war that the Saza faith's soldiers waged against our country. The Saza faith was the first religion with many followers in Esphia, but after this defeat, unprecedented scandals were revealed, and their influence greatly diminished.

The most significant was the death of the Saza faith's leader. This secured the victory of the national army and dealt a major blow to the Saza faith. However, strangely enough, the country is searching for the leader's killer to punish them.

There must have been some dirty deals between the country and the Saza faith that we commoners can't even imagine.

...There was a man who participated in that war, called the 'Messenger of Ongarnu.' It was a name given to him. No one knew whether he belonged to the country or the Saza faith. He killed soldiers from both sides.

Ongarnu is the name of hell in the Saza faith, the most painful and harsh place in the afterlife. The name 'Ongarnu' was also given to a certain land to mock the scandals revealed in the Saza faith.

Anyway, someone started calling this man the 'Messenger of Ongarnu,' meaning a messenger who leads to hell.

Both my colleague and I saw the 'Messenger of Ongarnu' on the battlefield.

And... the man who was called the 'Messenger of Ongarnu' on that battlefield is now a knight guarding Princess Octavia.

I nodded.

"It's really him."

"...How much do you think Princess Octavia knows?"

How much, you say.

We only know the face of the 'Messenger of Ongarnu' by chance. So, we don't doubt that he is a real person. However, the 'Messenger of Ongarnu' seems to be becoming more abstract as time passes.

He is becoming a fabricated entity, a mix of the deeds of several people.

Even nobles laugh at the story of the 'Messenger of Ongarnu.'

Then, what about the royal family?

His Majesty the King, Her Majesty the Queen, His Highness Prince Serius, His Highness Prince Alexis.

And... Princess Octavia.

It can't be that His Majesty doesn't know.

...Who orchestrated the 'Messenger of Ongarnu' to become a guard knight?

It's more likely that Princess Octavia knows everything and has brought him in...

"Does she know and has brought him in? ...Including all the rumors?"

The killer of the Saza faith's leader is whispered to be the 'Messenger of Ongarnu.'

Whether you believe in his existence or not, this is a common perception.

Princess Octavia is a graceful, ideal princess. However, since she started working in the castle, I've heard that she is more than just that.

If Princess Octavia has brought in a worm in the lion's body, knowing everything, her heart must be...

I shook my head. My colleague shivered as if infected.

"Well, let's not imagine weird things. It could just be a resemblance. Maybe we remembered the wrong person."

"Yeah, that's true."

I decided to go along with my colleague's words. The knight guarding Princess Octavia might not be the 'Messenger of Ongarnu.'

...But I don't really believe that at all.

My colleague added.

"Maybe it was a mistake for him to become Princess Octavia's guard!"

But I couldn't help but point out.

"Even if it was, the final decision to choose a guard is up to Princess Octavia herself, right?"

"...Yeah."

I failed. We were getting back into the scary talk. Let's talk about something less scary.

"Right. Think about it. Could time pass so peacefully if she had such a person as her guard?"

It has been a month... or more since the 'Messenger of Ongarnu' became Princess Octavia's guard.

I asserted strongly.

"Look. Princess Octavia's surroundings are completely peaceful. There's no bloodshed. No suspicious deaths in the castle."

My colleague nodded deeply.

"...That's true."

"As long as there's no harm, it's still good, right?"

After all, we are currently exposed to a more immediate threat than the 'Messenger of Ongarnu.'

"Well, the 'Messenger' hasn't caused any real harm yet, right?"

We agreed.

"However, the jealousy from the guys..."

"Causes a lot of real harm."

Our sentences were completed, one after the other. We nodded at each other, looking tired.

Our topic shifted from the 'Messenger of Ongarnu' to the factional issues within the soldiers.

—This is a matter of life and death.

We have to advance here. We come from different villages, but we were sent off with great fanfare. If we return unemployed—our status in the village will be erased. It would be better to die on the battlefield and send back a consolation payment. They might even build a proper tomb for us in the village.

Even if we continue working in the castle, staying as a mere soldier is only slightly better than returning to the village. The salary is low unless we reach a certain rank. Even if we get married, we can't support our wives. We can't afford a house in the capital. We'll be stuck in the barracks forever.

To avoid such a bleak future, the key issue as a castle soldier is our position.

Which faction should we join to advance as commoners?

Most soldiers are followers of Prince Serius. He is charismatic and excellent.

However...

My colleague and I are assigned to the unit under the princes.

We passed the test to become castle soldiers, but we are still in the probationary period.

After the new recruit training, we will work under the jurisdiction of the prince we choose.

Our preferences are usually respected.

We are about to graduate from the probationary period.

Prince Serius or Prince Alexis. Two choices.

Princess Octavia is not included. She is a woman and is not expected to fight on the battlefield.

The two choices mean which prince we want to serve as a commander and who we want to remember us for our future advancement. Normally, common soldiers don't even get a chance to speak to the princes.

...My colleague and I often speak to Prince Alexis and frequently serve as his sparring partners, which is an exception. This is partly because we are commoners and partly due to Prince Alexis's situation.

"The power balance is overwhelmingly in favor of Prince Serius, right?"

My colleague said.

That's true. He is the heir to the throne and is not particularly harsh on commoners. However,

"But Prince Serius already has excellent subordinates, and they are nobles and capable."

I stated the facts plainly. They are not just nobles in name; they are truly formidable.

Noble and capable. Commoner and capable.

Which is more advantageous?

Furthermore, noble and capable. Commoner and average. Who will advance?

"There's no room for commoners to advance in Prince Serius's camp."

My colleague's complaint was also mine.

"Still, Prince Alexis. With effort, we have a chance to advance."

Ultimately, this is our conclusion.

"Right. Prince Alexis is also excellent. He doesn't mind that we are commoners."

"Yeah... but"

I hesitated.

Prince Serius doesn't discriminate based on status. However, Prince Alexis doesn't discriminate based on status, but that doesn't mean he doesn't care about commoners.

After a pause, I finally said it.

"...The problem is... the noble class's attitude of being okay with same-sex relationships."

And the harm caused by the soldiers who are in love with Prince Alexis, their interference, harassment, and jealousy!

With Prince Serius, this wouldn't happen because he already has a lover. It's a Prince Alexis-specific issue.

My colleague said something terrifying.

"—And whether we will be tainted by it."

"!"

I didn't want to think about it, but he said it!

Yes, there are noble-born soldiers. They are in the minority compared to commoners. There are also commoners who have advanced.

—The typical love for commoners is heterosexual.

In our village, same-sex relationships were a minority.

But here in the capital...

We are the minority!

And the commoner soldiers... the commoner soldiers who have been working in the castle and had no immunity to same-sex relationships!

Most of them are now open to men (or only men)!

In that sense, we are looked at with a warm, "You will be like us eventually..." by the senior commoner soldiers!

Of course, there are no female soldiers in Esphia. All soldiers are male!

Scary. Too scary.

I can't stop shaking.

Impertinently, I understand Prince Alexis's feelings.