Chapter 31

This is the first-person narrative of Princess Kujastria. I appreciate your pointing out that while "妾" is a term seen in various novels, it is not a good expression, so I would like to change it to "わたくし". I also considered using "わらわ" in hiragana, but that would give it a more childish connotation.

It's difficult.

Roland—

When called by that name, Hikaru was startled and almost stopped in his tracks.

However, he managed to hide his agitation.

The guards with magic lamps were running around.

Hikaru walked quickly, but without particularly hiding himself. He had confirmed many times that he wouldn't be seen through at this level.

(Why does the princess know Roland? There's no memory of the princess in Roland's mind...)

To Hikaru, the princess was a "first meeting." He didn't recall her face even when he saw her name on the Soul Board.

(I don't understand. But thinking about it is pointless. We won't meet again anyway.)

The goal was achieved.

East shouldn't be sentenced to death now. Technically, it might still happen, but if it does, Hikaru would be at a loss. He could help East escape from prison, but East seems to be a serious person and probably wouldn't want to escape.

(Well, it's time to wrap up the stay in the capital.)

* * *

The next day at noon, the princess called a single investigator to her office. It was the investigator who had been investigating Ravia's escape.

The investigator looked visibly exhausted. His originally thin, intelligent face was now gaunt.

"…What's wrong with your face?"

"It's nothing, really."

The senior official in the room said to Kujastria,

"I heard that you reported directly to His Majesty yesterday. After completing such a major task, being called by the princess must be nerve-wracking."

"Mm… I'm sorry to trouble you when you're tired."

"No, no!"

The investigator was flustered by the princess's apology.

"Could you tell me the report you gave yesterday again?"

"Yes."

The investigator regained his composure and began his report. The content was, of course, not much different from what the Knight Commander Lawrence had heard.

"Investigator, what did His Majesty say after hearing your report?"

"…He said, 'useless man.'"

The investigator answered with a pained expression. The princess sympathized with him in her heart. She thought the information he brought back in such a short time was a decent achievement. However, what the king wanted was a clue to the whereabouts of the countess. There was no such result.

(…Father wanted the countess so much… Why?)

With such obvious actions, Kujastria could imagine that there must be some secret about the countess. Probably something related to the war. But Kujastria didn't think it was something she should investigate further.

"I have a question for the investigator."

"Yes, what is it?"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe there was a surviving heir of the Viscount Zarasha in Ponde. Did you meet him?"

"Viscount Zarasha…?"

The investigator thought for a moment—next to him, the senior official's eyes gleamed. The princess had mentioned a name that hadn't come up in any previous conversations. The senior official knew that the Viscount Zarasha had been destroyed by the Count Morgustat, but he hadn't paid attention to what happened afterward.

"I'm sorry, I didn't meet such a person."

"I see… Thank you for your trouble. You may go."

"Yes."

When the investigator left, the senior official asked curiously,

"Princess, are you concerned about the heir of Viscount Zarasha?"

"Yes, a little… By the way, how was today's council meeting?"

The council meeting begins at 10 a.m. and is attended by the king and important officials. Serious officials and generals bring their cases here.

"It was chaotic."

The princess thought, "That's to be expected."

Today's topic was—Knight Commander Lawrence's defeat. There was no doubt about it.

"What happened?"

"Will you tell me about Viscount Zarasha if I tell you?"

"Yes, if I know."

"It's a deal?"

The senior official is an ambitious man. He seems to want to gather any information about the nobility.

He thought for a moment about where to start.

The princess had refrained from attending the meeting because the king and the first prince were there. She had never wanted to attend more than today.

After all, Lawrence had been severely injured. Inside the knight's quarters. How would everyone react?

In fact, Kujastria had returned to the castle alone without being seen by the soldiers. As a princess, she knew several secret passages and wore a cloak to hide from others.

"So, the council meeting. First, there was a report that the Knight Commander was injured and would be unable to move for a while."

"Oh, the Knight Commander?"

She feigned surprise. The senior official didn't suspect for a moment that Kujastria had been at the scene.

"Apparently, a thief had infiltrated. The Knight Commander managed to subdue him alone. The training ground was destroyed, and it was a fierce battle."

"…And? What happened to the thief?"

"The thief is hiding in the noble district. The gates were immediately secured, so it's unlikely he escaped. The noble district must be in an uproar now."

No, thought Kujastria. That boy—Roland, the boy she had inadvertently called—was probably no longer in the noble district.

He had sneaked into the castle and the knight's quarters so easily, for two consecutive days. There was no way he would stay in the noble district leisurely.

Thinking about him made her heart flutter.

Who was he? Why did he help her? Lawrence didn't even realize she was hiding.

Now that she thought about it, he couldn't have been Roland. His features, hair color, and eye color were different.

Roland—probably didn't even know about her.

"Fortunately, the Knight Commander's injuries were healed immediately with recovery magic. The king decided to send him to the front as scheduled."

"Really?"

"What's wrong?"

"…Can the Knight Commander fight?"

"Yes. The injuries were minor enough to be healed immediately with recovery magic. Of course, it's surprising that the Knight Commander was injured at all."

The injuries were indeed not severe. He had only been hit by one sword.

But the amount of blood. Recovery magic couldn't restore the lost blood.

(Lawrence… You underreported to calm everyone down.)

By claiming he was already healed, everyone would be reassured. It would become a matter of the Knight Commander going to the front alone.

"However, as long as the thief is still hiding in the noble district, strict security will continue for a few days. Please, Princess Kujastria, do not leave the castle."

"I understand. Is that all about the council meeting? It sounds rather calm for a chaotic meeting."

"It became chaotic after that. The nobles started arguing about who sent the assassin. Some said a certain count had ties with a certain country, others said a certain baron wanted to place his son in the knight's command, and some said they had absolute loyalty to the king."

"……"

What a despicable scene.

Kicking others down and flattering the king.

Kujastria felt dizzy. It seemed impossible to find that boy.

At first, Kujastria thought it might have been a "test of skill." But his behavior seemed a bit different.

If it was a test of skill, he wouldn't have helped a girl he didn't know. If he wanted to make a name for himself, he would have introduced himself. If he wanted money, he would have taken the jewelry she was wearing.

His purpose was unclear.

"Princess, could you tell me about Viscount Zarasha now?"

"I only know a little."

Would she ever meet that boy again?

While thinking about this, Kujastria told the story of Roland. After the viscount's family was destroyed, they were to be sent to a provincial area. At the time of the Count Morgustat's murder, he was probably in the same city of Ponde.

That was all. The senior official seemed disappointed, thinking it wasn't much information.

"Let's get back to work."

And so, the two of them started clearing the pile of documents.

* * *

In a room at the knights' dedicated hospital, Lawrence had a grim expression.

He was sitting in a chair, not on the bed. His complexion was poor, and his lips were chapped and bleeding from lack of blood.

"…Commander."

Opposite Lawrence were three squadron leaders and eight knights, including East.

Though they had been injured by Hikaru, they had all been healed by recovery magic.

"I also lost. The thief's characteristics are too incompatible with ours."

"But such an attack is not commendable. The thought of the Commander's reputation being tarnished—"

"Fool!!"

Everyone flinched at his voice.

"Defeat is defeat. Even if you receive a surprise attack on the battlefield, you'll be killed if you spend time complaining."

"Yes…"

The squadron leaders bowed their heads. The declaration of the Commander's "defeat" was a heavy blow to them.

On the contrary, Lawrence was more optimistic. He had lost so much blood that the recovery mages and doctors had judged him "critical," but after a night's rest, he was able to get up and move. He was so hungry that he ate ten servings of rice. His body was making blood.

No, his body was "trying to live."

He couldn't die without avenging his defeat to that boy.

Speaking of which, the princess should have been at the training ground last night, but Kujastria hadn't contacted him. She probably wanted to keep it quiet.

"We must reflect. That thief—no, he can no longer be called a thief. He is skilled at evading our perception. We need a strategy to discover him. And… does anyone know what else we need?"

East raised his hand.

"Shouldn't it be to be able to use heavy armor at all times?"

"Yes, almost correct. Improvements to make plate armor quickly wearable, or the development of foldable shields that can be deployed on the spot. That man's attacks are light, probably because he specializes in stealth."

The squadron leaders nodded in agreement.

"The man reminded me of the phrase 'always in battle.'"

Lawrence stood up, swaying slightly.

He stopped the squadron leader who tried to help him.

"I still need more training. Those who have fought and lost to that man have the duty to warn others of the threat. —East."

"Yes."

"I intended to sentence you to death for losing to the thief. Forgive my shortsightedness."

"Your words are too kind."

East's voice was trembling, his teeth clenched. Tears streamed down his eyes. They might be from the regret of losing, the relief of escaping death, or the jealousy of the man who defeated his idol, the Commander. Or all of the above.

Lawrence nodded at East's tears.

"Everyone, listen. When we meet that man again, we will make him regret it. We must grow that much."

"Yes!!"

"Let's go to the battlefield."

"Yes!!"

And so, Knight Commander Lawrence, despite his ailing body, headed to the front.

* * *

"Ow… My body hurts."

"Are you okay?"

"If I think of it as severe muscle pain, I can manage."

Hikaru was walking through the capital with Ravia.

It was so vast that he could easily get lost. Blacksmiths were gathered in one area, tailors in another, and there were specialized shopping districts everywhere, so he had to use them as reference points.

The pain in his body was due to the battle with Lawrence. The full power of "Burst" 2 was apparently too much for Hikaru's body. He probably needed to increase his "Strength," "Flexibility," "Balance," and "Stamina" to keep up.

(I guess I need to train my body, not just rely on points.)

He didn't want to become overly muscular, but there was no harm in training.

Hikaru thought that, despite the pain, testing his limits last night was a significant gain.

There was a risk of death, but the experience was worth it.

That was the highest level of combat. And his "Stealth" was effective even against them.

"Here, thank you, adventurer. Is this the right place for the signature?"

Hikaru received the completion signature and returned to the Adventurer's Guild with Ravia.

He had completed the required number of quests, so he went through the procedures at the guild.

"Congratulations. You're now Rank F."

A different receptionist congratulated him.

【Adventurer's Guild Card】

【Name】Hikaru

【Record】Ponde Adventurer's Guild of the Ponsania Kingdom

【Rank】F

【Occupation】—

He left the "Occupation" field blank. It would be troublesome to be called a "Civilian" or to reveal his "Stealth God" name.

"Can I go from Rank F to E just by delivering materials?"

"Yes, but it's a long road to E. You need to defeat high-difficulty monsters in large numbers to gather materials."

"I see."

"Hehe, you seem confident. If you have rare materials, please bring them to me."

Is there some benefit to being in charge of material delivery? Maybe a bonus?

The guild was quiet, so the receptionist could chat freely. The members were probably called away for the war.

"…As you can see from the card, I'm from Ponde."

"There's no disadvantage to changing it. Why not make the capital your base? There are no monsters nearby, but there are plenty of 'Escort' requests. You can take some as Rank F, and the rewards are good. Besides, there are many ways to spend money in the capital."

"I have a sense of duty, though."

"I see… That's a shame. Still, what's so good about Ponde? Oh, I'm not making fun of it."

"Are there other adventurers like me?"

"Yes. Some Rank B adventurers from the capital have gone to Ponde."

"Really…?"

Hearing about Rank B piqued his interest.

"By the way, what are they like?"

"Yes. They are a party with a 100% success rate. Four women make up the party."

The receptionist told him the party's name.

"Four Stars of the East," she said.

"…Hmm."

Hikaru immediately realized that they were the party originally assigned to escort Ravia.