Chapter 11: The Princess’ Blessing
Chapter 11: The Princess’ Blessing
THE first thing Aki saw after following Elias into the audience chamber was the king sitting on top of a lavish throne and the princess beside him wearing an overly frilly red dress. The princess with her blond hair done up in tight twists and sharply angled eyes stood in stark contrast next to the composed features of the king with his graying mustache and hair. The fiery aura coming from her was a surprise considering the soft demeanor of her older brother Arnold.
Aki studied the spacious audience chamber. Round, marble pillars supported the vaulted ceiling. A decorative painting spanning the length of the ceiling depicted a woman, seemingly the Creation Goddess, flying across a beautiful blue sky. A hundred crystals making up a gorgeous chandelier sparkled from the center of the ceiling. Together with the light shining in through the windows placed between every pillar, they lit the patterns engraved in the marble flooring.
Overwhelmed by the enormous room and all its glamour, Aki whispered to Johann who had his head bowed to the king and princess, “…Hey, Johann, is it just me or does she look like a princess with an attitude to you too?”
Johann blinked at her question and brought his lips to Aki’s ear. “Well, Elias does not get along with her personality-wise, so please rest assured about that.”
“I didn’t mean it that way!” Aki accidentally shouted—Johann hit pretty close to home with his comment. A few steps in front of them Elias looked over his shoulder.
“Is something wrong, Aki?”
Uh-oh, this is bad!
Aki waved both hands in front of her face and forced a smile, “Ah, no, nothing is wrong! Sorry for causing a scene…”
She withdrew a step and tossed a spiteful glare at Johann. “You made me draw attention to myself!” she complained in a whisper.
He turned his face toward the window with little concern for her plight. He was teasing her! Just as Aki considered getting him back by stomping on his foot, the princess visibly lifted a judgmental eyebrow at them.
“Good heavens, does your thoughtlessness have no bounds? How could you shout inside the audience chamber? As a fellow lady, I wish you would refrain from disgracing women with your lack of refinement,” the princess surly remarked.
“What?” Aki froze. Elias tensed at the front and Johann and Leo sharply inhaled beside her. She never thought the princess would openly scold her. All the blood drained from Aki’s face.
I can’t deny the rudeness of shouting in front of the royal family, but isn’t she being too direct with her manner of pointing it out?
As Aki silently contemplated whether she should apologize, the princess’ annoyance only grew. She lifted the hem of her dress and stood with an angry puff. Her heels clicked against the marble as she strutted across the royal dais until she stood before Aki and haughtily lifted her chin.
“Listen well, foolish woman. People may refer to you with grand titles such as the Hero’s Right-hand or the Hero’s Secretary, but the only person suited for the Hero is this country’s crown princess—me! A straggler like you doesn't possess the qualifications to stand beside Lord Elias!”
The way the princess boldly declared her position in front of Elias rendered Aki speechless.
I-Is the princess infatuated with Elias? I mean, I get that Elias is extolled by the entire world as its Hero and is probably the strongest existence on par with the Dark Lord. Not to mention, his good looks would make anyone stop in their tracks to look at him. He’s the type you could fall in love with at first sight, so it might not be too far-fetched for the princess to lose her head over him. But what bothers me is whether those feelings are for Elias or the value he holds as Hero.
Detecting the ominous tension between the two women, Elias awkwardly scratched his cheek. “Princess Carolina, you are a lady of outstanding beauty, but Aki is also a kind and charming lady. I believe you can both captivate the hearts of men.”
“My, the Hero is siding with this country bumpkin! Lord Elias is renowned for his kindness, so it must be that you refuse to speak ill of another.”
Aki cringed at Carolina’s unreserved attack on her.
Sure, I’m just your run-of-the-mill secretary when compared to the crown princess of a major world power. I’m fully aware I’m not a good partner for the Hero, even if I was called from another world to serve as Elias’ secretary. But it takes a lot to endure someone saying it to my face.
“…I’m sorry. I acted inappropriately.” Aki deeply bowed her head, feeling like her heart was clamped in a vise.
The whole situation deeply hurt her. She felt like she was forced to clearly see the wall she had only felt between her and Elias. Just as she thought about leaving the audience chamber, Elias stood protectively in front of her. Surprised, she glanced at the side of his face—the forced smile that was there before was replaced with a cold mask. The iciness in his eyes coupled with his beautiful face had the power to freeze anyone in place.
Aki swallowed hard at the clear change in him, when he spoke in a low tone. “Princess Carolina, Aki is an important person to me. Not even the princess of this kingdom will be forgiven for speaking ill of her. I view any insults against her as a personal insult against myself as the Hero.” It was almost hard to believe it was the usually calm Elias speaking, because his tone held an edge of absolute rejection.
Aki unconsciously grabbed hold of his cloak. She was happy he got mad for her sake. It proved how much he cared about her. She thanked him silently. Meanwhile, Carolina’s cheeks were turning crimson at being blatantly rejected by the source of her infatuation. She bit her trembling lip in an attempt to regain a façade of composure.
“N-No doubt the great Hero is having a momentary lapse of judgment because he is allured by the novelty of a woman from another world. I’m certain you will quickly come to your senses, so I shall forgive you for your rudeness toward me—the crown princess—today… I must excuse myself now for I feel unwell.” Carolina cast a sorrowful look at Elias before quickly flashing a scornful glare at Aki. She completely recognized Aki as her enemy now.
Aki flinched, but undauntedly glared back at Carolina. I-I won’t lose to you!
Leo and Johann paled beside Aki, horrified by her catfight with Carolina.
Sparks flew from their locked glares until Carolina turned her face away with a huff. She ostentatiously clattered her heels against the marble floor as she took large strides past Elias and Aki to the audience chamber door where she stopped to look over her shoulder at them. Aki and the others only quietly watched her.
“Please excuse me!” she shouted, her shrill voice echoing through the chamber as she slammed the door behind her with all her strength.
BANG! The explosive crash of the door slamming shook the audience chamber, getting a flustered look out of the imperial guards who were in charge of opening and closing the grand doors.
After watching the princess go, Leo heaved a heavy sigh as he pushed back his bangs. “…Dang. You pissed her off.”
“Elias’ counterattack was thrilling though,” Johann whispered in agreement with Leo and softly grabbed hold of Aki’s sleeve. “…Aki, please forgive me. My actions were careless. It did not occur to me that the princess would have such an adverse reaction.”
“It’s okay. Honestly, I was shocked too. Who would think raising my voice a little would bring out that much wrath? The princess must love Elias.”
“She loves him so much she’s lost her head with jealousy—”
“Leo!” Johann shouted, interrupting Leo before he could finish. “You have gone too far with your comment.”
Aki partially listened to Johann nag Leo as she looked up at the king. “Please forgive me for the rudeness of speaking without knowing my place earlier, Your Highness,” she apologized, sincerely lowering her head to him. They wouldn’t be in this situation if she had never raised her voice.
The king smiled grimly and twirled the corners of his mustache with his finger, an expression revealing his anguish over how to deal with his temperamental daughter more than any desire to blame Aki. “No, my daughter was also rude. She has the passion of a hundred men, you see? Allow me to apologize on her behalf to you as well, Elias.”
“No need. I also allowed myself to become emotional. Please forgive me.”
Aki’s heart skipped a beat at the sudden formality in Elias’ voice. He overflowed with the dignity and confidence of a Hero whenever he took to official business. She couldn’t blame Carolina for falling for his gallant profile.
The king rested his elbows on his throne’s armrests signaling the end of that particular topic. “…Let’s get to the main matter of business, Elias. You came to inform me of your departure on the journey to defeat the Dark Lord, yes?”
“Yes, sire. We will depart for the Dark Forest where it is said the Dark Lord’s castle resides, capture him, set the forest aflame, and bring him back to this castle with us.”
“I’m counting on you. We might be able to lift the curse on my son Arnold with the Dark Lord’s magic. My greatest wish is to save my son.”
“As you wish.” Elias put his right hand to his chest and lowered his head.
According to the king, the only way to lift the curse on Arnold required the Dark Lord’s magic as he was the perpetrator who cast the black magic on him. Because his magic required him alive, the mission this time did not follow the normal rule of killing the Dark Lord, but needed him to be brought back to the castle.
Aki thought it was going to be easier said than done to drag back the sinister-looking Dark Lord who had whisked Nako away, but she also wanted to save Arnold from a life of impaired mobility. In short, their mission was to convince Nako and Dark Lord to come back to this castle with them, have Dark Lord save Arnold, and in the process save the world. All that responsibility rested on their shoulders.
The king stroked his mustache in satisfaction over Elias’ firm response. “Very good. This is something I can only ask of you. I have high hopes for you.”
“Please leave it to us. I will absolutely fulfill my duty as Hero and safely return to this kingdom,” Elias answered with a dauntless smile. Aki, Leo, and Johann all placed their hand on their chests and lowered their heads ceremoniously.
***
EVERYONE returned to their rooms for a brief time after they finished greeting the king. Leo and Johann split up to gather and pack the necessary equipment, food, and medicine for fighting monsters on the Field.
Once they finished their final preparations, they met up and secretly took a hidden back road out of the castle to the city’s back gate. Should the residents know the Hero Party was embarking on their journey, they would rush to throw a festival in honor of them. In order to avoid any delays, it was customary for the Hero Party to stealthily depart.
The city’s back gate had been inconspicuously built at the end of a residential area’s deserted and narrow alleyway beside a tiny church on the outskirts of the city. The short iron gate sat surrounded by dense trees with two stone lions facing each other on top of its pillars. Barren plains stretched beyond the gate without a tree in sight—the Field.
Since they were going to encounter monsters once they passed through the back gate, they decided to double-check their equipment. Johann placed his weapon, a cross-shaped staff almost the same height as him, on his back. A customary weapon for the sacred role of Priest. Aki couldn’t hold back her laughter at how cutely unbalanced he looked with the large staff jutting over his short back.
Johann immediately eyed her dubiously. “…Why do you look at me and laugh, Aki?”
“Ah, sorry, I just thought your staff looked heavy because of how long it is. You won’t be swinging it around, will you?”
“I have no reason to swing it. A staff is nothing more than an implement used to cast magic through. However, I do believe it will also serve as a fine tool for whacking you on the head whenever you say something unnecessary.”
“Y-You’re awful!”
“I am just kidding,” Johann laughed.
Leo stood beside him dressed in lace-up boots and a jacket, with a pitch-black robe tossed roughly on top. Unlike Johann whose staff took up his whole back, Leo was practically empty-handed. All he had on him was the tiny grimoire he always used stored away in the pouch fastened to his thigh.
Elias had stepped away from them to do warm-up stretches. He wore light armor for better mobility: a silver breastplate protected his chest, the Holy Sword dangled from his waist, and long leather boots covered his legs. Apparently, he didn’t fight in the heavy plate armor associated with his class or knights.
Aki was perplexed the Mage Leo didn’t even have a wand on him. “Hey, Leo, you don’t use a staff like Johann for your magic?”
Her image of Mages included them using an old wand that looked like an old, gnarly tree branch.
Leo put his hand on his hip. “Huh? I wouldn’t be caught dead using that uncouth abomination. In the first place, Mages and Priests use different systems of magic. That determines the necessity of a staff.”
“Systems of magic?” Aki repeated.
Johann walked over to her and glowered at Leo for his inexcusable explanation. “Calling our staves uncouth is offensive. Aki, we Priests call down the Creation Goddess’ power into our staves to make use of the magic system known as Solar Magic. Solar Magic is primarily the system of magic used for healing, curing, and support class spells.”
Leo continued the explanation for Johann, “On the opposite side of the spectrum is the Lunar Magic we Mages use by gathering the magical elements existing naturally in our atmosphere. Lunar Magic’s primary uses are for attack and damage over time, such as curse and poison based spells. Lunar Magic is further broken down into a six element system of fire, water, wind, earth, light, and dark magic.”
“Hmm, I see,” Aki muttered, somewhat understanding Leo’s smooth explanation. She pulled out her notebook to take down notes.
The Systems of Magic
1. Solar Magic
・Used by Priests
・Mainly for restorative and support spells
・Activates by borrowing the power of the Creation Goddess
2. Lunar Magic
・Used by Mages
・Mainly for attack and DOT spells
・Activates by borrowing the power of the magic elements existing naturally in the atmosphere
・Six element system of fire, water, wind, earth, light, and dark magic
Ultimately, while Johann and Leo both used Magic, their magic worked under different precepts. Priests and Mages had different specializations and couldn’t use the other type of magic.
“Also, Lunar Magic users can activate their spells by drawing a magic circle with their fingers in the air, but Solar Magic users have to borrow the Goddess’ power to do anythin’, which is why they need a staff to act as an implement for the Goddess’ power to pass through. Basically, the necessity of a staff all comes down to whether you’re a Solar Magic user or a Lunar Magic user,” Leo added.
Oh, so that’s why Leo doesn’t use a staff, Aki thought, looking from Leo to Johann.
“I see. It’s kind of difficult to follow, but is it okay for me to summarize it as Johann uses magic with the power borrowed from the Goddess and Leo uses magic with power borrowed from nature?”
“Somethin’ like that. By the way, Solar and Lunar Magic possess contradictory elements of restoration and damage, so you can only ever master one. This is especially true for Solar Magic, because only people from the Sanctuary can learn it, limiting the amount of people who can use it in the first place. Solar Magic users are rare,” Leo said, glancing at Johann.
Arnold had told Aki that the training facility for Priests known as the Sanctuary was located in the Holy Kingdom and only people of a distinguished bloodline and family were granted citizenship there, and only citizens were admitted into the Sanctuary.
On the other hand, while you needed to have outstanding grades to attend the Academy, the doors were open to anyone, and its graduates became Mages who were Lunar Magic users. It made sense that there would be more Lunar Magic users than Solar Magic users with the way their training facilities were set up.
Leo went on as he did his warm-up exercises, “A commonality for Lunar and Solar Magic users is the more magic reserves you have, the more consecutive spells you can cast, and it also becomes possible to activate high-tier spells on your own that usually require several people casting at once. Take the Dark Lord for example.
“The World Transference Magic he can activate in a matter of seconds would be impossible for normal human mages unless dozens of them worked together for weeks drawing magic circles. Even then, the chances of success are close to zilch. You can pretty much say the Dark Lord’s magic reserves surpass the bounds of human logic.”
“I see… I didn’t know the Dark Lord was such an amazing person,” Aki mused.
Why did his personality go in a deplorable direction then? I guess it’s like Aristotle’s saying, ‘Every great genius has an admixture of madness.’
Elias strode over to them after finishing his warm-up exercises. “The Dark Lord really is amazing. I don’t have an ounce of magic in me.”
Leo’s right eyebrow shot up. “You don’t need magic. Besides, you’re a klutz. Even if you had magic reserves, I doubt you could use a single beginner level spell.”
“On what basis are you making that claim? If you’re so convinced, prove it to me. Teach me how to use magic when we get some time, Leo.”
“Don’t wanna. Why do I have to waste my precious time on somethin’ utterly unproductive?”
Leo and Elias’ usual loud back-and-forth banter began again. Johann put his hand to his head like he had a headache.
“Good grief. Please don’t begin your antics before we leave. Besides, Elias, in return for no magical capability, you have been blessed with outstanding physical abilities of every degree. I needn’t mention your exceptional skills in swordplay and martial arts. Your abilities in the ballroom are unmatched as well. It is no wonder the princess fell head over heels for you.”
Aki blinked at the information Johann inadvertently revealed. “In the ballroom? Are you a good dancer too, Elias?”
“I’m not sure if I can say I’m good, but the movements are similar to martial arts in some ways, so I do find it easy to dance. I often get invited to balls for royalty and nobility where I’ll dance for a bit. It would be impolite of me to just stand around when everyone else is dancing,” Elias said nonchalantly.
Leo grinned. “It’s really difficult to dance with Elias. Wanna know why? Every time there’s a line of princesses and noble young ladies winding out the ballroom door in hopes of dancing with him.”
“…A line?” Aki repeated.
Johann shrugged. “Think of it as a competition of sorts. All the princesses and noble ladies want to have their chance to dance with the Hero Elias at least once. Once they do, they learn how tremendously skilled he is and become hooked on wanting to dance with him as much as they can. If you wish to dance with Elias at a party, you will have to wait behind a large line of nobility.”
“I-I see…”
Elias already has the looks of a prince, I bet it would be like living out a dream to have him nimbly lead you in a ballroom dance, Aki thought to herself. Not to mention, Elias is the illustrious Hero so it must feel like you became a special person to the world by dancing with him.
I hope the day will come that I can take his hand and dance, but that’s nothing more than a dream within a dream when I have no dance experience. I can’t even imagine what we would look like dancing together.
Elias thoughtfully scratched his cheek, guessing the reason for the depressed aura coming from Aki, and suavely held his right hand out to her. “Aki, if it is all right with you, will you do me the honors of a dance next time?”
“Pardon?”
Am I hearing things now?
Unable to comprehend what he said, she stared blankly back at him. His face suddenly turned bright-red as if he only just realized how embarrassing his question was.
“O-Only if you don’t mind dancing with someone like me…” he spluttered. Leo and Johann shook behind him with stifled laughter. Aki was curious about what was so funny, but she was in no state to worry about others.
Elias will dance with me? She never thought he would ask her to dance with him. Shyness and dismay turned her stark-white. But more than the opportunity to dance with him, she was deeply touched he cared enough to offer.
I’ll practice in secret to be ready for when that time comes, Aki quietly promised herself. She lifted her head and nodded with a blissful smile.
“I will! As long as you are satisfied with me as a partner, I would love to… But are you really okay with someone like me? I’m not kidding when I say I will inevitably step on your feet.”
If she wasn’t careful she would trip over her own feet and fall splat on the dance floor, stomping on his feet along the way.
Elias briefly contemplated what she said and titled his head to the side with a slow smile. “It’s okay. I’ll evade your foot before you step on mine.”
“That’s not the problem!” Aki’s shoulders slumped at his serious yet oblivious reply.
He tended to be slow when it came to things of a romantic nature. He occasionally uttered unthinkable comments that were slightly off point. For better or worse, her feelings had a one in a million chance of actually being picked up on by him.
Johann watched Elias and Aki with a smile, until their conversation suddenly reminded him of another matter. “On another note, you ended up never receiving the Princess’ Blessing. How do you want to handle it?”
“Oh yeah, you mean that custom where the princess kisses the Hero while praying for his safety on the road? That’s nothing more than an old wives’ tale. Anyways, Princess Carolina’s blessing seems like it would turn into a curse—Ow!”
“Watch your tongue, Leo.” Johann swiftly whacked Leo on the head with his staff, shutting him up.
Elias readily ignored Leo holding his bonked head with teary eyes, to turn sheepishly toward Aki. “In that case, I guess I’ll receive the blessing from my princess.”
“What are you talking about?” she questioned. He walked up to her and gallantly went down on one knee at her feet.
Aki stared down at the top of Elias’ head dumbfounded as to why he suddenly knelt before her. “Elias, what are you do—”
“Aki,” Elias interrupted her and asked her for permission with his head still bowed to her, “My dear princess, please grant me the kiss of blessing so that our journey may end safely.”
Aki’s eyes widened in shock.
The legend was that a kiss on the forehead by the princess would allow the Hero to safely accomplish his mission and return home in one piece.
Red burst onto Aki’s face as she suddenly recalled Elias’ explanation. Was he saying it was okay for her to take on the role of princess? Was he telling her it was okay for her to kiss him on the forehead?
Leo and Johann nodded at the same time behind them as if to say it was a great idea.
“Makes sense to me. Aki is the bright flower in our group and the princess we need to protect after all.”
“Indeed. Aki is someone we can be assured will send us off with a blessing from the heart.”
Leo and Johann smiled at her as if to say, “Hurry, hurry.”
She couldn’t turn back now. Flustered, she returned her gaze to Elias. He lifted his face—the corners of his lips were turned up indomitably. “I would also be happier to receive the blessing from you than Princess Carolina. It’s not the Hero whose happiness you wish for but the real me.”
His innocent and boyish smile wasn’t the impeccably crafted smile of the Hero but a window into the real him. Aki was overjoyed Elias began to show her his natural smile. She wanted to protect his real smile. Protect him until the very end when he finished his journey and returned home.
Driven by those feelings, she bent down and gently moved his bangs away to plant a kiss on his forehead. She softly touched her lips against his forehead and closed her eyes in prayer.
“May Elias, Leo, Johann, and my journey end safely.”
If possible, without anyone getting hurt and with everyone finding happiness.
Elias stood up and grabbed Aki’s shoulder, pulling her to him.
“Whoa!”
With one arm around her shoulder, he thrust his Holy Sword toward the sky. “Thank you, Aki. I swear on this Holy Sword that I will absolutely make your wish come true.”
Framed by the sunlight, the sword shined as if it were opening a path to the future.