Chapter 4

Translated by KuroNeko Edited by KuroNeko

Even after the others had left the training ground one after another, Evan stood alone with an unconvinced expression on his face.

“.…..”

The auburn-haired young man clenched his right fist more tightly, not releasing it from the salute. He really wanted to defeat the vice commander in public and take his rapier.

“What’s the matter, you don’t feel well? Just take a deep breath.”

Victor called out from behind Evan.

“You looked like you were in pain when he poked you in the stomach…”

From behind him, a brown-haired knight peeked. He had round, light-brown eyes and a plump face with a low nose and freckles on his cheeks. He appeared to be in his early twenties.

He clasped his hands behind his head and casually approached Evan.

“Well, you were incredible previously. You’re a worthy foe. You must always brag about being from a knightly family.”

Evan slapped the brown-haired knight’s whiskers with a spunky sound.

The brown-haired knight yelped in agony as he twitched his long, pointed ears.

“.…..You elves believe you can feel sorry for me?”

Evan fixed his untidy hair with a hand comb as he moved away from the brown-haired knight.

“What the hell!?”

The brown-haired knight yelled at Evan’s distant back as he held his smacked head.

“Phil. Let’s leave it alone. If he’s that brash, he’ll be fine……”

Victor shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. The name of the brown-haired knight was Philip, but because everyone nicknamed him Phil, the moniker stuck.

“I don’t know why he’s always like that.”

Philip sniffed, his cheeks swollen.

Evan, as a perfectionist, makes no effort to blend in with his colleagues and instead concentrates only on honing his sword skills. He’s also prone to elitism, which is understandable given that he hails from a noble family that has produced knights for generations.

Victor, a former sailor from the port of Carmelatan, and Philip, a hunter-elf, were his companions from three months ago, and he was angry with them for being obnoxious country dwellers.

“… Huh?”

A few dozen metres distant, Philip happened to stare up at the city walls and noticed two tiny figures. Elves have exceptional hearing and vision.

“There’s Lady Primrose……”

These remarks caught Victor off guard, and he glanced towards the castle wall. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find any proof of it.

“I don’t believe she’s in that location, does she?”

“What!? It’s really Lady Primrose…… Isn’t it time for you to get a new pair of glasses?”

Victor didn’t believed him and turned away in disbelief.

“Haha, based on you, most of the people in the world would have to wear glasses.”

Laughing jokingly, Victor lightly tapped his colleague on the shoulder. For him, Evan in his early twenties and the baby-faced Philip were like younger brothers.

Primrose and Ivy were in the middle of crossing the corridor of the city wall, which was nearly 500 meters above the ground when combined with the elevation of the hills. This is what Primrose calls “The road that no one takes.”

“Ivy. You’ll get dust on your skirt if you lean over here.”

“However, if you walk normally, you can see right beneath the castle……!”

The uneven stone walls, which resemble saw blades, have no railings, and the powerful wind blasts through the unimpeded roof. When the enemy stormed the castle, the passageway was originally designed to toss stones from high places. It is connected to the castle’s back entrance, and the royal family evacuates from it in the event of an emergency.

“If you fall from here, you’ll be in trouble……!”

Ivy knelt down on the cobblestone floor, clutching the collar of the navy blue poncho she was wearing. She was now dressed as a town girl in a dark green dress that she had removed from her apron, but she didn’t have time to worry about it. A shiver went down Ivy’s spine every time the wind blew, and she lost strength in her both legs.

Primrose, who was ahead of her, walked around to Ivy’s side and gently took her hand.

“Close your eyes.”

Ivy followed her words and squeezed her eyes shut.

“We’re in the courtyard walkway.”

Primrose held Ivy’s hand while supporting her back with her other hand.

“Your eye lids are warm and bright. It’s a beautiful day.”

With Primrose’s assistance, Ivy, who was meditating, stood up. She imagined the castle’s courtyard in her thoughts. It was a peaceful scene with the light beaming on the leaves of the trees in the garden. Her fear dissipated with time.

“Take a deep breath…… Doesn’t the autumn air feel crystal clear?”

Ivy felt her quickening heartbeat subside as she took a deep breath. Primrose became aware of this and began to walk forward, one step at a time, pulling on her hand.

The girls start walking again.

“When does Ivy prepares the breakfast?”

“By the time the sun rises, we’ll be all set.”

“Doesn’t it make you sleepy?”

“That’s why I go to bed early at night. We also have a night maid.”

“I didn’t know that……”

They chatted for almost three quarters of the way down the corridor. They were startled by the sound of a bird chirping from beyond the city gates. The sound was as sharp as a bell and a little fragile.

“What kind of bird is that?”

“It’s Daurian redstart.”

Ivy listens the chirping nostalgically with her eyes closed.

“I was in my hometown during this season.”

“To the village of Yui.”

“Yeah.”

The Yui are a group of priestesses in the service of the royal family that have been in Belironite since ancient times. In their hidden village, they take in children with spiritual powers and train them in shamanism. Some of them leave the village to serve the royal family. Ivey was one of them.

“What’s the place like?”

“Please accept my apologies. I’m afraid I won’t be able to tell you the specifics……. But it was a beautiful place, extremely peaceful and clean.”

“It fits your image. I have a vague impression that Yui and it’s peoples are mysterious.”

“Oh, my God,” she said, “— I’m a failure who lacks both training and talent.”

Ivy’s downcast eyelids quivered slightly, something Primrose noticed.

“But Ivy might not have gone to our house if she had become a great priestess. That would’ve been a lonely…….”

The princess’s casual words caused Ivy’s eyelids to open involuntarily. She was already at the entrance of the tower at the end of the castle wall before she realised it.

Primrose, who was strolling alongside Ivy, let go of her hands swiftly and pointed to the steel door in front of her.

“We’ve already gone this far; now all we have to do is descend. I’m no longer frightened.”

Primrose’s face lit up with a bright smile.

“Yes, thank you……”

Ivy squeezed the hand that had been holding hers in an amused manner.

After descending the spiral staircase of the tower, Primrose and the others reached the grazing grounds outside the city walls.

Ivy’s face twitched as she realized what was going on.

“…… perhaps, from here on out.”

“I think it’s faster to take marron than to walk.”

They straddled Marron and rode down the gentle hill. Primrose carried Ivy on the front, where the swaying was relatively weak, and handled the reins from behind her.

“Wow, I’ve never ridden a horse before……!”

“It’s okay, just hold on tight.”

Marron is a laid-back guy who doesn’t normally take double rides, so they rode quite slowly. Ivy was initially perplexed, but she gradually relaxed and enjoyed the scenery in front of her. Even the familiar grass and trees of the field appeared fresh from a higher vantage point than usual.

“Look, the silver grass field is beautiful.”

“Wow… it’s like a golden carpet.”

“That’s a nice metaphor. Isn’t it fun to go on horseback?”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s take a ride into town!”

Primrose clutched Marron’s torso with both of her legs before Ivy could say anything. Marron took off at a faster and faster pace after being prompted by her master. As Ivy shook her head, the violent swaying of the saddle turned Ivy’s eyes dark.

“Whoa! You’re moving too fast!”

Beyond the hill road, the chestnut-haired horse carrying the girls rode over the sawgrass field to the brick-roofed streets.

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