Chapter 3

The girl who got off the carriage widened her eyes and opened her mouth in surprise when she saw me and Leisha.

This girl is Maria Flandre, a classmate of mine and Leisha from the noble school we attended.

To be precise, Maria is a baroness, and her status is much lower than Leisha's and mine.

However, Maria is skilled in healing magic, and her abilities are top-notch even among the nobles at the school.

That's why after graduation, she was recommended by the school to join the church and became a sister.

Maria is highly regarded for her skills and has become quite famous in this country.

Some commoners even call her a saint.

"It's been a while."

"It's been a while, Maria."

Leisha and I called out to Maria, who was still in a daze.

"Oh my... What are you two doing here!? You shouldn't be in such a place!"

Of course, it's rare for a prince or a duke's daughter to go out.

Especially without any guards.

"Hey, were you in the capital?"

I was curious if Maria knew about the arson in the capital.

"No, I arrived in the capital around noon, but I couldn't get in for some reason."

It's our fault.

"Did something happen?"

Leisha asked with a feigned innocent look.

"I'm not sure. It's a bit strange that my carriage, even though it belongs to a poor baron, couldn't get in..."

Nobles are absolute, even if it's a poor baron like Maria.

"I see."

Leisha nodded and gave me a look.

"No, but why are you two here!? And could it be that the reason you can't enter the capital is related to you two being here?"

She has a good intuition.

"Actually... But before that, can you give us a ride?"

We need to move while we talk, and we have to consider the pursuers.

"My wife hurt her foot."

Leisha said this with a happy smile, touching her cheek.

"Oh, I see. Please, get in."

We followed Maria's suggestion and got into the carriage.

"I'm sorry it's so cramped."

The carriage was indeed small, and there were no seats, just a shabby carriage for transporting goods.

"You're really poor, aren't you?"

"You should buy a better carriage."

Leisha and I complained in the carriage.

This is not a carriage for a noble to ride in.

"Well, it was a proper carriage until halfway through. But the wheel broke... So I had to stop by the church and borrow a different carriage."

The church should have lent a better carriage.

Maria is a noble, after all.

"Are you in a hurry?"

Normally, you would wait for repairs.

"Yes. Actually, I'm going to the Holy Kingdom for training. I'm taking the airship from the town of Guelk to the Holy Kingdom."

The Holy Kingdom...

The headquarters of the church.

"You're amazing. You're an elite among elites."

"Hehe, really?"

Maria smiled bashfully.

"Looks like the grape lady has made it big."

"Really?"

"I heard the same from classmates I met on the way."

The "grape lady" is a nickname because her territory is known for producing grapes.

She often gave wine as a gift, which led to this nickname.

"Good luck. Now, about why we're here..."

I decided to get to the point.

"Oh, right. What are you doing here without any guards?"

Maria asked, and Leisha looked at me.

She was leaving it to me.

"You might not know since you didn't stop in the capital, but actually, I was disinherited yesterday..."

I decided to be honest.

"What!? Why!? Did your suspicious black magic research get exposed?"

What suspicious black magic research... I didn't do anything.

"Well, you know, the king hates magic and loves swordsmanship. So my younger brother became the crown prince."

"Ah... I see. But wouldn't your family protest such a reason?"

Normally, they would.

It could even lead to a civil war.

"But Walter is far away."

Walter is a distant country, separated by several other countries.

Even if they complained, we could ignore them in the worst case.

"Hmm, maybe Ian's maternal family took action?"

Ian's maternal family is a powerful noble in this country.

I think their pressure played a role.

"Maybe. Anyway, I was disinherited and appointed as the lord of Meil. It's even worse than your family's territory."

"Meil... It's indeed more rural than ours... But, isn't Meil in the north? The direction is wrong."

Now, should I lie...

"Actually, when I was disinherited, my engagement to Leisha was also annulled."

"Is that so? I thought Leisha would go to Meil with you. Noble women usually stay with the person they're engaged to, right?"

That's the custom in this country.

"But, apparently, my younger brother likes Leisha."

Ian, I'm sorry.

But you took the throne from me, so it can't be helped.

"R-Really!?"

A girl who likes romance stories got hooked.

"That's right. After all, Leisha looks good, right?"

She looks good, but she's known for her beauty and sewer-like personality.

"Y-Yes!"

Maria nodded, and Leisha happily brushed her hair with her hand.

"But, as you said, noble women stay with the person they're engaged to. And I want to stay with Leisha, whom I've known since childhood."

"Wow! Your Highness, you're so cool!! As expected!"

Right?

"So we ran away."

"Huh? You mean, a love elopement, I mean, a runaway marriage!? Like in a story!?"

"Exactly. Like in a story."

By the way, I don't know such romantic stories.

I'm not interested in them.

"Wow, that's so romantic... I can't imagine you two from your student days. A suspicious black magician and a sewer lady..."

Hey!

"People change."

"I see. But what are you going to do about the runaway marriage?"

"That's the thing. We plan to take the airship too."

"Oh, that's why you're in Guelk."

Maria understood.

"Right. So, can you take us with you?"

"O-Okay! If it's an order from Your Highness, Maria Flandre will help! May your love last forever!"

Yeah, yeah.

She's still a naive country girl who doesn't doubt people.

Look at Leisha.

She's smiling in a very evil way.

She's definitely a sewer lady.

Thank you for reading.

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