Chapter 3

As they continued their casual conversation, sleepiness began to overtake them.

They spent the night by the bonfire, and the next morning, Jill and the painter set off walking again.

After about two hours of walking, they came to a fork in the road.

The painter was heading to a mountain village in the north to paint the grand nature.

Jill was going to proceed to the forest to the east.

The journey with the painter was coming to an end.

"Thank you. Meeting you was a great fortune."

"Next time, don't get lost."

"Life is full of uncertainties. It's inevitable."

"Hmm."

"I am the painter Ionia. And you are?"

When asked this, Jill hesitated about whether to give a false name.

Jill knew well that it wasn't a good thing for a stranger to know that she was a princess... no, a former princess.

But even so, it was a common name, often given to girls but also used for boys. Few would find it strange if she called herself Jill. Besides, there was something in her conversation with Ionia that resonated deeply with her. At that moment, Jill didn't want to lie.

"My name is Jill."

"Thank you again, Lord Jill."

"Yes. Goodbye, Ionia."

"Would you like to travel with me?"

"Huh?"

Ionia invited Jill as if it were nothing.

"Chasing the path of art can be tough, but it's also enjoyable. You distance yourself from the world and pursue what beauty is. You become one with the grand nature. It's worth dedicating your life to."

"…I see."

"Then…"

"I'll decline."

Ionia's proposal was very tempting.

Jill also enjoyed painting.

She liked it much more than practicing attack magic.

But that was precisely why she thought she couldn't travel with him.

Even though Jill had been exiled from the royal castle, she wasn't free.

She couldn't travel abroad.

If her true identity was revealed at a checkpoint, she would be stopped immediately.

Even if she managed to leave, there were plenty of people in foreign countries who harbored grudges against the Dylann royal family. She would either be taken hostage or killed, with no other options.

Moreover, Jill wasn't traveling to live another day. The mansion she was given was both her final home and her tombstone. She had been traveling with that in mind. Taking someone like her on a journey would only be a burden.

Jill thought her decision was foolish and self-destructive, but she wasn't about to change it.

"I have my own place to go."

"I see… That's a shame."

Ionia wore a sad smile.

"Then, let me give you a final prophecy."

"Prophecy?"

"Don't hesitate to give water to someone. If you do, good fortune will come to you."

◆

Jill started her solo journey again.

The air was dry.

It hadn't rained in a while.

The scene was filled with silence, but strangely, she didn't feel lonely.

"It's been a while since I talked to someone…"

She had a human-like meal with a human-like person.

The meals she had with the terrifying people in the royal castle, no matter how lavish, never resonated with her heart. They would compete over how many people they had killed in battle and show off the treasures they had stolen. The banquets in the royal castle, where she had to entertain such bloodthirsty people, were always painful for Jill.

In contrast, the simple soup made from lean dried meat and mismatched vegetables was like sweet nectar. As they parted ways, he gave her some wild herbs and spices. Jill thought about making the same dish again.

"…Huh?"

While enjoying her meal, Jill's eyes caught a strange rock.

It was a large rock, about the same height as her.

It was shaped like a small mountain, round and plump.

And it moved a little.

"Is it a rock…?"

As Jill approached, she noticed something even stranger.

There was a crack in the middle of the rock.

The crack moved, creaking.

"Wh-What!?"

What she thought was a crack was actually a pair of pincers tightly pressed against the body.

Jill immediately realized it was a Dylann Clam.

A crab-like monster that lived in the rivers and lakes of the Dylann Magic Kingdom, with a round and plump body.

Incidentally, Clams were different from ordinary crabs in that their pincers were very wide.

They covered and protected the front of their bodies like a shield.

The Dylann Clam was a member of the Clam family.

They usually stayed near water but were sometimes seen walking on land due to their resistance to dryness.

However, this one was far too large.

It was about twice the size of a normal one, which was usually about half the height of a human.

"Did it fail to cross the land?"

Looking at it, it seemed to be on the verge of death. It was exposed to the wind, and dirt was stuck to its shell.

One of its eight legs was almost gone.

It must have fought something.

Either a human hunting Dylann Clams or a monster that preyed on them.

And it either lost or fled.

Now it was here, about to die and return to nature.

Jill had no interest in helping monsters.

But she felt a strange sense of empathy.

"…Mr. Clam, are you going to die here?"

The pincers clicked shut.

"If you want to die, I'll leave you alone, but if you don't want to die, I'll give you water."

The pincers clicked again, and the Dylann Clam's eyes moved as if nodding.

"【Water Generation】, 【Healing】"

Water gushed from Jill's hand, showering the Clam.

At the same time, she cast a healing spell to heal the minor wounds. She couldn't regrow the missing leg, but she thought it might grow back on its own since it was a crab. She stopped the healing spell at an appropriate point.

Jill also placed some dried meat in front of the Clam. Her destination was close, and she wouldn't be able to eat it all. She decided to give it, partly because she wanted to follow the painter's advice.

The pincers clicked happily.

◆

"…How long are you going to follow me?"

The pincers clicked.

Jill sighed and turned around.

For some reason, the Clam was following her.

It had been keeping pace with her for about an hour.

"Clicking won't help. Do you want to say something?"

"Bubble bubble?"

"Did you just talk!?"

It wasn't really talking, but it was making sounds by skillfully blowing bubbles from its mouth.

Jill, surprised, spoke to it.

"Do you want to eat me? You're an ungrateful Clam…"

"Bubble bubble bubble!"

"…You don't mean to?"

"Bubble bubble"

"Hmm… Well, that's fine. If you're going to follow me, you might as well carry me or guard me."

"Bubble bubble"

Jill thought the Clam wouldn't understand, but it bent its back and crouched as if inviting her to climb on.

"…Are you telling me to get on?"

"Bubble bubble"

"Um, weren't you on the verge of death just now? Are you okay?"

"Bubble bubble!"

The Clam blew bubbles as if saying, "Don't underestimate me."

Jill felt a stubborn will from the Clam. It seemed determined not to move until she got on. She reluctantly placed her foot on the Clam's shell and put her weight on it.

"Hmm…"

To her surprise, the Clam's back was quite comfortable to ride. She laid a cloth on the bumpy, rocky shell and sat sideways. She was worried about being thrown off if she tried to straddle it like a horse, but she solved the problem by tying a rope to the pincers and using it as a rein.

"Um… Can you take me to the town, please?"

"Bubble bubble"

Jill was momentarily startled by the height of the Clam's back but found that walking on seven legs was surprisingly stable. A pleasant breeze caressed her cheeks, dry and parched.

If she continued to be exposed to this wind, she would dry out and return to the earth like the Clam earlier. This decadent atmosphere brought her a sense of healing.

After about half a day of riding the Clam, they arrived at a forest.

There was a town near the forest. It must be the town of Shelland.

At that moment, two figures were approaching.

They were two knights on horseback, carrying spears.

If you were a commoner, you were supposed to get off your horse and make way for the knights according to the law of the country.

As a member of the royal family, Jill didn't need to make way.

But she had forgotten that she was disguised as a traveler.

"Hey, you there! Get off that Clam and clear the way! At least get on a horse!"

"You look suspicious… Is it you? Show your face, take off your hood."

The two knights dismounted and surrounded Jill.

The Clam glared at the knights, but Jill calmed it down.

"Hey, calm down. Don't attack them."

Jill dismounted the Clam, pulled down her hood, and took out a piece of parchment from her pocket.

"This is… Hmm?"

"Oh, you're from the royal family…"

The parchment bore the seal that only King Alan could use, stating that Jill was a member of the royal family and that she was to live in the forest and the mansion near Shelland as her fief.

"Please forgive us!"

"Please, go ahead."

The knights changed their attitude when they learned Jill's identity.

"Is something wrong? Is there trouble in the town?"

"We are not from the town. We are knights of the Black Claw Knights. We are searching for rebels who have infiltrated from a foreign country on the orders of our commander."

"Rebels…?"

Jill had never heard of them.

The mages and knights of this country were all elite.

And the king and queen were even stronger.

The people of this country knew well what terrible fate awaited those who plotted a rebellion.

Jill felt a strange mix of admiration and disdain for anyone foolish enough to attempt such a thing.

"Princess, have you seen any suspicious people?"

"I've come from the capital to here, and I only picked up this crab. I haven't seen anyone."

"I see… Damn, the 【Hounds】 aren't much help…"

The knights seemed to give up and dropped their shoulders.

Of course, Jill had a suspicious person in mind.

The painter Ionia.

But she saw no reason to tell the knights about him.

"Princess, would you like us to escort you to your destination?"

"No, that's not necessary. The forest is nearby."

"In the forest… There are monsters."

"Don't worry. I have no intention of getting in your way."

"We appreciate your consideration."

The knights stepped back, seemingly convinced.

It was obvious.

Anyone of royal blood should be a master of magic.

Jill had been exiled precisely because she wasn't, but the knights had no way of knowing that. They probably thought they would be killed if they offended her. The knights looked relieved when she declined their offer.

"Please be careful."

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