Chapter 18

"Barry! Where's the East Gate?"

"Hmm, I think..."

Barry looks uncertain. Oh, he doesn't know?

"Sorry. The city of Kyrat is a bit complicated. I've never used the East Gate myself."

Then I should ask someone who knows!

"I'll take on the guide."

Prince Alan stands up.

A royal family member volunteering? No way, that's too much.

"I was planning to return to the front line, so it's fine. From what I heard, the East Gate is troublesome."

Prince Alan says this and picks me up, running off. The soldiers, who have perked up, follow behind.

"Why are you carrying me?!"

It's embarrassing, so embarrassing! You don't need to carry me this far, you brothers!

"Sorry, we need to hurry. It's faster this way than if you ran."

Compared to Prince Alan, who is over 185 cm tall, my legs are like a minuscule creature, but I want to run myself! Why does everyone carry me?

"Can't help but pick up little kids, huh?"

Barry's unnecessary comment makes me want to kill him. Should I spank him too?

But after almost dying just now, is it okay to run so much? The soldiers following behind seem energetic, but they almost died too, shouldn't they rest a bit more?

The former severely injured soldiers are unusually high-spirited. They are shouting about slaying monsters in a slang that is a bit too crude for a lady to hear. Is it okay to use such vulgar language in front of the royal family? Did I infuse too much magic? They are way too energetic.

Thanks to Prince Alan's long strides, we arrived at the East Gate without much time. Admittedly, if I had run on my own, I wouldn't have made it this quickly.

At the East Gate, numerous monster corpses lay scattered. However, two overwhelmingly powerful monsters were still attacking, relentlessly assaulting the soldiers despite receiving damage.

One of the monsters is a Red Flame Bull.

A bipedal bull-like monster, about the size of a single-story building. It charges with its four legs, spreading flames and swinging its arms to attack. It's not very intelligent but is ferocious and quite aggressive. Its skin is tough and covered in flames, making it difficult to pierce with a sword.

But its meat is as delicious as high-grade beef! Yay! Barbecue tonight!

The other one is huge. What is this monster? A bipedal lizard, enlarged. About the size of a two-story building. It spits an ice breath from its mouth and creates ice spears around its body, launching them to attack.

Identifying it with the identification magic, it came up as an Ice Lizard. Perfect. Its meat is bland, similar to white fish, suitable for tempura or simmered dishes. I wonder if simmered dishes exist in this world. Should I try making one?

Kiri is dodging the Red Flame Bull's attacks and striking it. Her movements are graceful and efficient, with no wasted effort. However, her attacks don't seem to be very effective. The monster moves too quickly for her to target its vital points.

A little further away, I see Jin's figure. He is fighting the Ice Lizard alongside the soldiers and mages. They are attacking the Ice Lizard with wind and fire magic, but it is repelled by its breath. That's troublesome.

I tried to communicate with them using the ear cuffs.

"Kiri, Jin. I'm going to use magic, so fall back."

"Princess Shina! Understood!"

"Shina? Are you okay?"

Kiri immediately falls back. Jin looks around, sees me, and his face turns incredibly scary. Huh?

Jin and the mages keep the Ice Lizard at bay while rushing towards me at an incredible speed. I didn't need them to come all the way to me, just falling back would have been enough.

"Jin Crete! Long time no see! Thanks for coming, it's a big help."

Prince Alan greets the approaching Jin happily.

"Alan, why are you carrying Shina?"

Jin's voice, like it's crawling from the depths of the earth, shows no joy at reuniting with his brother. Is he angry?

"Hmm? Princess Shina wanted to go to the East Gate, so I brought her. It's faster if I carry her."

Prince Alan explains, looking puzzled at Jin's reaction. I realize I'm still being carried by Prince Alan.

"Prince Alan, thank you. Please put me down."

At my words, Prince Alan puts me down without hesitation.

Jin approaches to pick me up, but I dodge his hands and face the monsters. We're about to slay them! No need to carry me.

First, I dealt with the Ice Lizard that Jin and the others were chasing. I stuffed a block of ice into its mouth before it could breathe out its ice breath. Thanks to its own ice breath, the block of ice solidified in its mouth. It struggled, unable to breathe, and eventually fell still. I confirmed with the identification magic that its vital signs had ceased. Cause of death: suffocation. Weak.

Next, I activated ice magic and covered the Red Flame Bull's body with thick ice, about 5 meters thick. It couldn't move, and it let out an angry roar, but it was too late.

Kiri, with her silver hair flowing, ran up to the monster and decapitated it. She moved away before the blood splattered, sheathed her sword with a ringing sound. Her movements were so refined, it was breathtakingly beautiful.

"Yay! Kiri! So cool~!"

I cheer with tears in my eyes. So cool! So cool! So cool! I want to start a fan club! Oh no, my child is not just cute but also cool! If Kiri were a guy, I'd be in love! Definitely!

"What! The Red Flame Bull's head was cut off!"

"The Ice Lizard is down? What's going on?"

The surrounding soldiers are buzzing with excitement.

Jin, Prince Alan, and Barry are staring at the scene with their mouths open.

"That Ice Lizard, which we were struggling with, died from suffocation..."

"I almost died from that Red Flame Bull..."

"Wow, that's out of the ordinary..."

◇◇◇

After the Red Flame Bull and Ice Lizard were defeated, the other monsters retreated like the tide.

The monster repellent incense set up by the old men did a great job. Good work!

We were given permission to do as we pleased with the monsters Kiri and I defeated, so we'll process them!

Staff from the Kyrat City Adventurers' Guild came out to assist, following us like secretaries. They received a call from the Aile City Guild, instructing them to give us the highest priority and the best treatment. The Kyrat City Guild Master even came out to greet us. I wonder what the Aile City Guild Master talked about with him.

We melted the ice around the Red Flame Bull, hung it upside down with wind magic to drain the blood, and began skinning it. Kiri is used to this process, but the guild staff are murmuring in awe. Please collect the monster's skin, fangs, and claws. The magic stones and meat, please bring them here.

Kiri had defeated so many monsters, from large to small, that the guild staff and soldiers were all out collecting them. Joyful cries of excitement were heard everywhere. It seems some rare monsters were included.

After the monster collection was mostly done, the city's carpenters, craftsmen, and laborers came out to repair the fortress walls. They all came out voluntarily, without being ordered, and started the repairs. The cooperative system formed naturally, which is impressive.

Many were injured in this attack, but there were no fatalities. Many were on the brink of death, but I healed them all. I even healed a grandmother with a slipped disk, even though it wasn't related to the attack. It's painful, a slipped disk.

"Shina, come here."

After finishing the healing, I was about to leave the aid station when Jin caught me. He suddenly picked me up, ignoring Kiri and Barry's protests, and ran off at an incredible speed. What's going on?

He brought me to... a room somewhere. It's well-built, so maybe it's a room in the lord's mansion prepared for Jin?

He put me down on the sofa and sat next to me. I feel a bit off that he's not holding me on his lap. No, this is normal.

"Are you okay?"

Jin, sitting next to me, strokes my hair with concern.

"You've been looking troubled. Is there something worrying you?"

My heart skipped a beat. What? What? What? How does he know? Even Kiri didn't notice!

"Just a feeling."

Even though I didn't say anything, Jin chuckles. How can he respond without even talking? Is he a psychic? Can Jin read minds?

"Shina, your expressions are easy to read."

Jin's hand, stroking my hair, is gentle. Staring into his blue eyes, I blurt out without thinking.

"I'm worried... I can't help but worry."

"About what?"

"The Daido Kingdom's monster slaying team."

"..."

Jin says nothing, continuing to stroke my hair. But his expression is a bit stiff, as if saying there's no need to worry about them.

After a long time on the battlefield, I remembered the Glass Forest. In a place where so many monsters roam, without a healer like me, would the noble ladies be okay?

Even though they suffered, I think "serves them right" for the troubles of Prince Lector and the others, but I don't wish for their deaths. I can't be that cruel.

I don't want to save or help the Glass Forest slaying team, but I wonder if it's okay to ignore them after being kicked out. My mind is a mess, and I can't sort it out.

"Shina, you don't need to feel guilty. It's wrong to send a 10-year-old child to the battlefield. The Daido Kingdom pushed the responsibility that should have been borne by adults onto you. Even if, hypothetically, they had no choice but to rely on you, they should have considered your age and provided the best possible treatment. They neglected this and overworked you. Most people would say there's no room for sympathy for those who did this... but you can't digest it. You've shared life and death with them for five years, and without you, they might be in a dire situation."

I was pulled into Jin's embrace, feeling his warmth comfortably.

"But under no circumstances should you consider going back. If you do, you'll definitely be used again. Next time, it might be even worse. In that country, you are seen as a false saint who tried to kill a high-ranking noble out of jealousy."

Jin's words made me shudder. Indeed. Even with the title of the third prince's fiancée, I was treated that way. As a criminal, it would be even worse.

"Yeah, I understand."

I understand rationally, but emotionally, I can't quite get there. Hmm, what should I do?

"Shina, instead of going back, let's think of other ways to support them."

"Other ways to support them?"

I look up at Jin, who is smiling gently.

"Slaying the monsters in the Glass Forest is also a top priority for the Marita Kingdom. The Daido Kingdom is an unpleasant country, but regarding the Glass Forest, we have a cooperative relationship."

An unpleasant country. Ah, they don't get along.

"Regarding support other than you going back, it will be discussed between the countries, but we will come up with specific plans. Depending on the situation, we might need your help. So, for now, don't worry about the Daido Kingdom. If you can't stop thinking about it, don't keep it to yourself. Talk to us."

Jin's voice is so gentle, and the feeling of his hand stroking my hair and his warmth is so comforting that, combined with the fatigue from the day, I started to doze off. Maybe it's because I felt like I had shared my worries with Jin, and my heart felt a bit lighter.

"Shina, are you sleepy?... Should I let you sleep here?"

Jin's soft voice brings my consciousness back a bit. It's warm and feels good... But, can I... sleep here?... Kiri said something about...

That's right! Kiri!

I open my eyes wide. My eyes meet Jin's, who was looking down at me.

"Jin! Kiri said that before a girl gets married, she shouldn't be alone with a man. Especially in the nobility, if a man and a woman are alone together, even if nothing happens, it's considered a fait accompli and they have to get married! Even though I look like a child, I'm technically an adult, so being alone together is not good! I can't sleep here!"

At that moment, there's a knock on the door.

"Coming!"

I respond cheerfully, and the door opens. Prince Alan, his attendant Jean, Barry, and Kiri rush in.

"Princess Shina!"

Kiri jumps at me, picking me up and moving me away from Jin. Kiri, why is your face so scary?

"Tsk... I was so close."

"You... really..."

Jin's low mutter makes Prince Alan sigh in exasperation. Jean and Barry look troubled.

"Prince Jin. Don't try to seal the deal before Princess Shina is ready."

Kiri's cold voice. What's he talking about?

"...If she's ready, it's fine, right? I'll handle it."

Kiri's temple twitches at Jin's words. Is he angry? Kiri is scary.

In Japan, "handle it" usually means "don't do it." I don't know what he's going to handle, but Jin, please do it properly so Kiri doesn't get angry?