Chapter 2: The Me from Yesterday, the Me from Today
Chapter 2: The Me from Yesterday, the Me from Today
Today, too, Elunheine Adventurer’s Guild was bustling as usual. However, what was not usual was the heavy atmosphere in the air. The cause of this was clear in the eyes of everyone present. It was because of the presence of the giant man who was “hiding” himself at the far end of the reception counters. Shouzou had half of his face peeking behind the counters, maintaining a steady gaze toward the office area. Although everyone knew why he was doing that, nobody would call out to him. The “don’t come near me” aura that he was clad in was too powerful for most people to bear.
The target of Shouzou’s stare was a single girl. The girl who was talking to Lalaine of the Naga race, his eldest daughter, Yuna. At the moment, she was being briefed on adventurers and quests. However, she was having difficulty settling down. The reason was a certain unnatural atmosphere. Everybody present could feel it. Naturally, so could Yuna.
(If only he would actually come in and just talk to us......)
Lately, Shouzou had been busy making frequent trips to the royal capital. Consequently, he hadn’t been able to show his face much at the guild. Today, too, he supposedly had an engagement in the morning, but he wanted to catch as many glimpses of his daughter as possible.
Yuna thought about going over to speak with him first, but Lalaine just happened to be getting into her stride, which made it hard for Yuna to stand up. Just when she was crying out in her heart for someone to do something about the situation, a hero of valor willing to brave talking to Shouzou appeared as if in answer to her prayer.
“Shouzou...... what are you doing?” It was Elizabeth, the guildmaster.
Shouzou replied with his head still half peeking out from the counter. “Is that you, President? Don’t mind me, I’m just checking in on the state of the guild.”
“Checking in on your daughter, you mean. Why are you just standing there? Just go in and talk to her directly.”
“I don’t want to get in the way of her work. And I have to go soon anyways.”
“Um, you do realize that you are already in the way, right.......?”
Shouzou finally realized all the stares directed at him. When he turned around, all the adventurers immediately turned their heads to look somewhere else.
“So, how is Yuna? Has she gotten used to the job yet?” asked Shouzou in slight discomfort.
“She is doing great. She remembers things quickly. More like, she’s too good. That girl, she remembers everything that she’s heard just once. Her lack of experience is what’s holding her back, but I’m sure that’s just a matter of time.”
“Is she fitting in with those around her? I mean...... she’s not being bullied or anything, right?”
“Of course not. Your teaching of ‘If you feel envious of someone else then just direct that energy into your work and earn more money, then you’ll be happy’ has thoroughly pervaded the guild. Well, at the start, there was some slight unease on the part of the other staff in regards to how to interact with ‘Shouzou’s daughter,’ but your daughter is actually quite socially capable, so there’s no problem at all.”
“Is that so, is that so......” Shouzou exhaled a long sigh in relief.
“So that’s why we plan to let her experience being at the counter today.”
“I-Is that so...... Isn’t that taking things a bit too fast?”
“Moko will be with her, so it’ll be fine. Why don’t you put a little more trust in your daughter? I said this just now, but that girl is quite capable, all right?”
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her. However, being unable to stop worrying comes part and parcel with being a parent.
“More importantly, what’s your schedule for today?”
Recently, Shouzou had been busy going around making his greetings to all the nobles in the House of Lords. Every part of his acceptance into the upper echelon of the country had been a special exception. Therefore, with the hope of smoothing over as many ruffled feathers as possible, he had enlisted the help of Marquis Goldas in order to properly open up channels of communication with as many of them as he could.
“Today, I’ll be meeting your father first, then—” As Shouzou started listing out the names of the nobles that he would be meeting today, Elizabeth’s face grew increasingly fatigued.
“You’re meeting those people back to back? I wouldn’t be able to bear it if I were you.” Every single one of them were famous bigshots in the House of Lords. Not only were they in high social positions, but their long years in those positions had made them cunning and crafty beyond measure. Every single word in even a simple greeting would be read into, every facial twitch would be considered, so in that regard, there would be no room for respite.
However, Shouzou had plenty of experience making contact with politicians back when he was living in Japan. Though there might be slight differences in values between the two worlds every now and then, but Shouzou did not expect to have too hard a time.
“Then at night, I’m also going to have an audience with the king.”
“WHAT?! You even made plans for an audience?!”
“Well, it’s not a proper audience. Apparently he wanted to meet in a personal capacity.”
Elizabeth’s cheek twitched unconsciously. The current king was famous for his curiosity. No doubt Marquis Goldas putting in a word also had a part in this. However, a mere guild staff employee suddenly getting to meet with the king in a personal capacity was still almost too unbelievable.
“Mind yourself, all right? You never know, maybe there’s something going on in the shadows.”
“Well, I’ll just have to meet him and see for myself, won’t I?” With that, Shouzou stood up. “It’s time for me to go.” With brisk steps, Shouzou cut through the packed lobby, and soon disappeared from sight.
★
After paying his greetings to the nobles scheduled for the day, Shouzou headed toward the royal palace with plenty of willpower to spare. Even when facing those crafty old foxes from the House of Lords, Shouzou had been so forceful that it was his opponents who withered up in the end. The face-to-face before the previous one was also a dinner banquet, so his stomach was also comfortably filled.
Shouzou caught his own loosening expression and braced himself. The very last person that he would be meeting today was none other than the person who stood in the top position of the country, the king himself. In addition, it was not an official audience, but an unofficial, closed door meeting in a private chamber. He had received no prior notice regarding the topic that would be discussed. The probability that there was something going on, just as Elizabeth had said, was very high.
★
Deep within the depths of the royal palace was a wide, spacious room lined with bookshelves that were filled all the way to the ceiling in a grand, overwhelming display. This was originally an archival room, but apparently it had been converted into the king’s personal relaxation room, as evidenced by the lounge furniture that had been brought in.
Shouzou entered the room together with Marquis Goldas, and found the owner of the room already waiting. He was in one of the sofas, absorbed in a book.
“There you are.” So saying, the man closed his book and stood up. This man who directed sharp eyes toward Shouzou was none other than King Alan Alsbeit himself.
He had blond hair streaked with white. Having reigned for more than twenty years since his coronation at 18-years-old, the hardships over the years played no small part in causing the deep wrinkles carved into his face, which made him look much older than someone with fewer than 40 years under his belt.
His governance was extolled as being one of the very best in the kingdom’s entire history. His benevolence and wisdom had caused him to be reverently referred to as the “Sage King” by some. However, he was also well-known for being quite the odd character.
Goldas respectfully lowered his head. “We apologize for the wait.”
“I mind it not. Waiting here is no burden. And it seems you two have arrived earlier than the scheduled time as well.”
As the king turned his gaze toward Shouzou again, the latter also lowered his head. “Your lowly subject is filled with joyous delight at being granted the honor of this audience with Your Majesty.”
“There’s no need for such formalities here. This is an unofficial audience. Today, I want to hear candid and unreserved opinions from the both of you. As I’ve ordered that no one else enter the room, unfortunately I can’t even offer a cup of tea. But well, have a seat.” King Alsbeit gestured toward the sofa across while dropping himself into his.
Shouzou followed Goldas in sitting down.
“First, allow me to acknowledge your efforts, Shouzou. Despite the necessity of laying down groundwork as someone new to the scene, going around lowering your head to those troublesome geezers must have been tiring indeed.”
“No, it was not that much trouble, actually.”
“Is that so? And here I was, expecting the usual complaints. What a fearful man you must be to be able to say that of the gaggle that gives even me headaches at times.” The sight of the king laughing frankly and openly caused Shouzou’s nervousness to recede a little.
However, the king’s face quickly turned severe. “Allow me to get straight to the point. We might have to go a few rounds with the Bardimian Empire after all.”
“Your Majesty, what are you saying?! That’s too sudden......” Goldas was so surprised he almost stood up.
“Of course, this is not confirmed yet. However, if things take a turn for the worse, we would be hurtling down a one-way path, is what I’m trying to say.”
“I’m afraid I do not follow the situation. What change has there been after the water dragon incident?” asked Shouzou while keeping his cool.
“The water dragon incident...... Thanks to the initiative we held, that matter did not go awry. In regards to the reparation, the empire readily agreed to drop the issue for the lowest amount we offered, much to our surprise.”
“In other words, is the empire trying to shake us up with a new approach?”
The king nodded gravely, then stood up with his book in hand. While walking over to the bookshelf behind him to put the thickly bound book back in its position, he said, “I assume both of you know that I have children. One son and one daughter......”
The elder brother was 16 years old. In this kingdom, that age was considered an adult already. However, the rumors about him were not good. Supposedly he had inherited none of his father’s ability, and was permanently locked up in his room. It was said that no one had seen him at a formal function for the longest time.
On the other hand, despite being merely 8 years old, the younger sister was already known throughout the kingdom for her wisdom and cheerfulness. She was a bit of a tomboy, but voices supporting her as the next generation ruler had already reached the level of being general public opinion.
“The next move that the empire made...... was an offer of marriage. They asked for the princess’s hand in marriage to a man of a branch family of their imperial line who was feudal lord over what is effectively one of their most backwater domains.”
“Such insolence! Such arrogance!” Goldas leaped to his feet in incensed indignation.
“So well, that’s what’s going on behind closed doors at the moment. I haven’t shared the news of this offer with the more hot-blooded nobles yet. I can already imagine them screaming ‘Reject it immediately!’ at me.” The king shrugged his shoulders while turning back around. “Onigawara, what are your thoughts?”
“I am unable to make judgment. There is insufficient information.”
“In other words, you would consider accepting, depending on the circumstances?”
“That is not so. I am, in principle, against marriages formed against the will of the couple in question. However, encounters can happen in an almost endless variety of ways. I do not deny that even in political marriages, the couple can learn to love and cherish each other. However—” This time, denial was the only viable option. “Her Highness is still only 8 years of age. I believe that she needs to at least be old enough to be capable of objectively understanding her own emotions.”
“I see. I understand your point of view. However, this is a highly political dilemma. Those born into royalty have a duty to do what must be done, even if that requires one to suppress and kill one’s own emotions,” said King Alsbeit flatly.
His value system was at complete odds with that of the one in modern Japan that Shouzou was from. To ask him to change his mind would likely be an effort in futility. If it was on a usual matter, that was—
“I see, ‘even if that requires one to suppress and kill one’s own emotions,’ is it. Is it not because you cannot do this that you have summoned us?”
“Shouzou, you are out of line!” Marquis Goldas raised his voice, but King Alsbeit waved his hand dismissively.
“Leave it. He speaks true. I thought I was the one probing you, but it seems I was the one being probed instead. As expected of the man that Jilk recommended so strongly.” The king dropped his gaze toward the low table, the wrinkles on his brow deepening into a grimace. With a heavy tone, he spat out, “The princess is my ultimate pride and joy. The very thought of letting her go is enough to make me go mad.”
“Y-Your Majesty?!”
(I get it......) Shouzou nodded deeply from his heart.
“However, if I simply rejected the empire’s offer in a fit of emotion, it could have led to war. And so—”
“And so......?”
“I said to them, ‘The princess is still too young, we would not want to cause trouble for the family that she marries into.’ Though well, that was the pretext. Then I suggested, ‘Instead, the prince is already of age but unfortunately has yet to be blessed with a good match. Would the empire consider sending over one of your imperial princesses to be his partner?’”
“Ha~ha~ha! What a splendid idea it is, having the emperor experience the pain of losing one of his beloved daughters!” However, Shouzou had the presence of mind to not comment on the fact that that was still a very emotional response. Apparently this king would lose all traces of being the “Sage King” when it came to his family.
“Would that not be taken as provocation......?” asked the marquis worriedly.
“Indeed, I myself also regretted it as soon as I calmed down. However, to my surprise—” The empire had immediately sent a response of agreement. “And that is the very reason why I am troubled. Lend me your wisdom, gentlemen.”
Shouzou tilted his head in puzzlement. “I am afraid I do not follow. If the empire is willing to send over a consort, then the relationship between the two countries would not only be bettered, it would in fact become unshakeable.”
“You are right. However, that is only if this marriage goes well.”
“Could it be......”
Is the empire planning on finding fault with the marriage after the fact, forcing a breakup, and shoving the blame for that onto the kingdom?
“The emperor is a man feared as the Emperor of Ruin. He has no qualms about using his family members as mere tools. So we cannot fully rule out that possibility. However, regardless of what their intentions are, this marriage is doomed to fail. The fact that the empire still holds the upper hand and that our kingdom is still in a predicament remains unchanged.” King Alsbeit stood up with a grave look on his face. “Follow me,” he said. Then he walked out of the room without turning around.
Shouzou looked at Goldas’s face, but the latter merely had his brows drawn in distress, and wordlessly followed after the king—
★
After leaving the room, the trio made their way out of the royal palace, eventually arriving at a certain tower. There was not even a single guard in sight. It was probably true that they didn’t need one, as Goldas was strong enough to go toe-to-toe with a Platinum class adventurer. But even so, the situation seemed very out of place to Shouzou’s eyes.
They climbed the spiral staircase that led them to the room at the top of the tower.
Champ, chomp, munch......
From behind the thick, wooden door echoed very strange sounds. The atmosphere seemed very eerie.
Both the king and Goldas had remained quiet the entire way, which made the air very heavy. Though not scared, Shouzou did find it slightly suffocating.
The king flung the door open carelessly. Surprisingly, the room inside was much more spacious and well-lit than expected. Shouzou inadvertently narrowed his eyes against the light.
Chomp, chomp, munchmunchmunch......
Upon realizing the source of the strange sounds, Shouzou became stunned.
Right beside a canopy bed were mounds of pies and stews, fried foods and potatoes and dried meats galore. There was way more food there than what a single person could eat.
—And in the middle of it all...... was a pig.
So round and so fat was the silhouette that he mistook it for a pig at first sight, but apparently it was a human. This giant that wasn’t particularly tall but was horizontally greater than a normal person by twofold was wordlessly stuffing his face with food.
“Sharlo...... Oi, Sharlo!” The king’s irritated shout caused the person who was apparently named Sharlo to start and then look over.
“P-Papa......?” This person who saw the king and called him “Papa” was none other than—
“This is my son, Prince Sharlo.”
Although he had a sneaking suspicion prior to this, it was hard for Shouzou to believe that this overly well-rounded figure was a 16-year-old boy. His flabby skin was rougher than sandpaper. His blond hair was streaked with even more white than his father’s. There was not a single part of him that looked polished. So the reason why he had not been seen at a formal function for a long time was because this terrible appearance was simply not presentable to the citizens. In other words, he couldn’t show up to formal functions.
“I am ashamed. I am truly ashamed. As a result of overly doting on my child while bringing him up, this is what he has become. A marriage means there’s no getting around exposing him to the citizens. But the even bigger issue is—” The king abruptly opened his eyes wide and shouted, “WHO WOULD WANT A MAN SUCH AS THIS AS A SPOUSE?! I would not. Not in a million years.”
Without any hesitation, Marquis Goldas also nodded his agreement.
“The instant the princess from the empire lays eyes on him, she would surely explode in indignation and outrage. Then after that, the relationship between our countries can only spiral into outright war.”
“Th-That’s a bit much, Papa. Well, not that I want to get married anyway. Little Sis can have the throne, all I need to be happy is to stay locked up in here until I die. Or rather, it might be better to treat me like I’ve already died, how does that sound?” Sharlo smiled sheepishly while crunching on potato chips.
King Alsbeit looked up at the ceiling. “Such apathy...... Even if his appearance was bad, if he had an earnest and positive personality, then we might have been able to make something of it. And so, this is the situation we are in. Jilk and Onigawara, we need to dissolve this marriage offer in a peaceful way. I am open to ideas.”
Goldas crossed his arms and tilted his head.
Shouzou stared long and hard at Sharlo. Noticing Shouzou’s stare, Sharlo flashed another sheepish smile while stuffing his cheeks with more food.
Without averting his eyes, Shouzou spoke up. “I am of the mind that it would be fine to proceed with the marriage talks. Whether it goes through or falls apart, it doesn’t matter. There’s only one thing that we need to do.”
“Let’s hear it then. What is that ‘one thing’?”
“I said this earlier, but I believe that marriage is something for the people involved to decide. Based on that, I recommend telling the other side about the prince’s appearance and personality without holding anything back, and even including the prince’s preference for women while at it.”
“You mean to make the requirements we put forth even stricter? You surely must be aware that that could too easily be taken as arrogance, right?”
“The point is to frame this in the light of us putting effort toward bringing about reconciliation between our countries and doing what we can so that neither party walks away disappointed. To complain about that would only paint the empire in a bad light.”
“I see...... It pains me deeply to expose the embarrassment of my family, but there’s no helping it. Once the empire knows of my son’s state, then surely they will drop this matter by themselves.”
Would they really? If the emperor was truly a man who would not hesitate to use his family members as mere tools, as King Alsbeit had just said, then chances were high that he would attempt to take advantage of even these new conditions.
“Well then, that aside.” Shouzou slowly walked forward toward Sharlo, who was looking at his approach with suspicion.
“I speak in full knowledge of my disrespect, but I sense something that shines within this youngster. May I have custody of him for a period of time?”
The eyes of everyone else present widened in surprise.
The first person who responded was... none other than Sharlo himself.
“Wh-What are you saying? All out of the blu—”
Shouzou peered into those eyes colored with unease. There was no way to know how the marriage talks would end up. And not knowing meant that there was not much that could be done in preparation. That was why it would be a good idea to play the hand that seemed like it would make the biggest difference ahead of time.
Specifically, that meant—
Shouzou smiled kindly, then said, “How would you like to try being an adventurer?”
—changing the prince himself as much as possible. Shouzou was convinced that that was the best option available to them to break through the situation they were in.
After several beats of silence—
“““SAY WHAAATT?!”””
—Shouzou’s smile remained unaffected by the chorus of manly exclamations—
★
A certain man approached one of Elunheine Adventurer’s Guild’s many counters. The adventurer clothes he was wearing appeared newly bought, and gave off a strong impression of him just wearing them. As for the person himself, he had a very roly-poly build that made all onlookers wonder “wouldn’t he be faster rolling instead of walking?” inside their hearts.
The receptionist who greeted him at the counter gave him a slightly stiff smile. It was her second day at the counters, and her name was Yuna.
“Welcome to Elunheine Adventurer’s Guild. Are you here to register as a new adventurer?”
“Mm,” grunted the man curtly. Everything about him was giving off the impression that he did not want to be here.
“I-In that case, then please fill in all the relevant fields on this application......” As Yuna proffered sheet and pen, the man accepted them with another annoyed expression. He looked very impatient as his pen flew over the paper.
While looking on, Yuna could not help but to murmur, “Such beautiful handwriting......”
The man shot a glare at Yuna. Then he tsked once, after which he changed to writing as roughly as he could.
“Here. This good enough?”
“Eh, ah, yes sir...... Umm, so you are ‘Sharlo Aashu,’ is that correct?”
“Can’t you tell by reading?”
“I-I apologize. Let me see, your previous profession was ‘None’......? Age...... you’re 16 years old?!” Yuna could not help but to take another look at the man.
His unkempt blond hair was streaked with white, and his skin was in terrible condition. No matter from which angle she looked, Yuna could only see him as a man in his 30s hoping to get back on his feet by trying to be an adventurer......
“Well sorry for my old-looking face. Seriously, this was why I didn’t want to get involved with other people. Why do I have to be an adventurer......” This man muttering complaints to himself nonstop was, needless to say, the first prince of the Kingdom of Alsbeit, Sharlo Alsbeit in the flesh. But of course, his identity was being kept a secret. His father had threatened him that there would be a terrible punishment in store if he ever revealed himself of his own accord.
A large shadow abruptly loomed up from behind him. It was Shouzou.
“Sharlo-kun, I remember teaching you that ‘smiling’ is one of the very basics of social interactions.”
“Y-You......” Sharlo glared at Shouzou hatefully.
“Regardless of who you’re dealing with, maintaining a respectful and open attitude is important. Just by keeping that in mind and applying it, you can already avoid 90% of the troublesome situations that crop up in human interactions.”
“If I don’t talk to anyone, then the chance for trouble would be 0%, wouldn’t it?”
Shouzou handled even Sharlo’s sarcastic remark with a genial smile. “That might be true. However, then you’d also get 0% of the benefits from interacting with other people.”
“Benefits from interacting with other people? I don’t really—”
“Need them? Well, you’ll understand eventually. For now, just take my words as they are, since you won’t be able to go home for at least a whole month anyways.”
When Sharlo had been handed over to Shouzou’s care, he had been strictly told “You are not allowed to set foot in the royal palace for a month” by his father, King Alsbeit. Just recalling that scene caused Sharlo to grind and gnash his teeth.
(Maybe it would be better to back off a bit for now.) In recent years, Sharlo had absolutely no opportunity to interact with other people. Therefore, his wariness toward complete strangers was strong, so it might be a bit much to ask him to approach someone else on an emotional level.
(He doesn’t seem like he’s at the point where he can unconditionally be kind to other people yet. In that case—)
When it comes to interpersonal relationships, a benefit-loss paradigm was a perfectly viable place to start from. “Sharlo-kun, think about it this way. For an adventurer, the adventurer’s guild is a business partner. There is no superiority or inferiority in that relationship. By building a mutually beneficial relationship, both sides get what they want. How about just keeping that in mind and suppressing your emotions for now?”
But that said, being too dry means becoming someone only capable of thinking in loss and benefit, which would cause other people to distance themselves. What Shouzou was hoping to help Sharlo realize was that mutually beneficial relationships, the so-called win-win scenario, was a viable thing to achieve.
“All right, all right, I get it already. I was ordered by Papa to do whatever you say. Geez, how happy I was back when I was left alone......” Sharlo’s inability to hold back from grumbling even while expressing acquiescence caused Shouzou to smile wryly.
(He really isn’t going to make this easy for me, is he.) But that was what made this worth doing.
And as their exchange drew to an end, Sharlo’s adventurer application process also just happened to be done.
Yuna held out a sheet of paper. “Here is your adventurer registration paper. Your rank is Iron. You will need it when accepting and turning in quests, so please make sure to bring it whenever you visit any guild. Please also make sure to not lose it.”
“Hmph, Iron, huh......”
“U-Um, if you were previously a mercenary, or if you have some special advantage, such as being really proficient with magic, then we could consider allowing you to start from Copper......”
“............” Sharlo looked like he was about to voice some complaint or another, but then swallowed it down just in time.
“Um, then, h-here is your Iron adventurer’s plate.” Looking decidedly uncomfortable, Yuna took out an iron plate the size of a business card. There was a fine chain attached to one of its corners.
Adventurers couldn’t very well hang something so valuable as their registration paper around their neck. Therefore, for the sake of telling adventurer ranks apart, they were also given this adventurer’s plate, which is supposed to be worn at a visible location on their body. However, reality did not quite work out that way.
“Huh? What’s this? Looks so shabby.” Sharlo roughly shoved his plate into a pocket.
Like Sharlo, there weren’t many adventurers who actually wore their adventurer’s plate in a visible location. Their reasons for not doing so were varied, but because this was not an enforced rule, they couldn’t be rebuked for not doing so.
“Would you like to accept a quest right off the bat?” asked Yuna.
However, the person who answered was not Sharlo, but Shouzou. “Before that, there’s something that Sharlo-kun needs to do.”
“Wh-What is it? Are you going to make me do something else again? I’m good on the quests today—”
“Most adventurers complete quests in groups. This is especially true for beginners, who shouldn’t be doing anything on their own. So it’s important to first join a party,” said Shouzou plainly, clearly not paying any attention to Sharlo’s complaint.
“Party, you say...... wait, don’t tell me!”
“Yes, people who are to be your comrades in arms. You will need to approach them of your own accord.”
“Y-You’ve gotta be kidding me! Me? Approach complete strangers?!”
“That is correct.”
“Goddammit......” Shouzou’s slightly cold reply prompted Sharlo to direct yet another hateful glare in his direction. However, to disobey Shouzou could possibly lead to his banishment from the royal palace becoming extended. Reluctantly, Sharlo looked over all the adventurers in the lobby, then approached a certain three-person group.
After he was a sufficient distance away, Yuna whispered to Shouzou, “Dad, are you sure he’ll be all right?”
“We’ll just have to see, won’t we. Incidentally, regarding the quest that Sharlo-kun will be accepting—” Shouzou told Yuna the details of the quest that he had previously planned on making Sharlo accept. “—is there a quest like that?”
“Wait, Dad, are you serious?”
“Of course I am. Well? Is there?”
“There should be, but......” With an uneasy look on her face, Yuna left her seat to look for the person in charge of handling the quests. During that time, Shouzou looked over to see how Sharlo was doing.
Sharlo called out to the person who seemed like the leader of the three-person group. “Ah, may I have a bit of your time? I would like to join your party.” The smile on his face was twitching so badly that it was actually quite painful to watch.
The man responded in a slightly creeped out tone. “Hah? Who’re you, old man?” The man looked to be in his mid 20s. That made him way older than Sharlo, but he went and called Sharlo an ‘old man.’
“I am only 16 years old!”
“Eh, for real? Then the hell you talking down at me for if you’re younger than me.”
“Oh, pay that no mind. Anyways, I’ve just become an adventurer, and have no comrades. That’s why...... please.” Those words were the very limit of what Sharlo could manage in the way of earnesty. In addition, he even managed a smirk, which for him was the equivalent of a full-face beam.
“Uwah, so creepy......” muttered the girl in the group, who made no effort to hide her revulsion.
The last person, a priest, calmly asked, “Are you an Iron then?”
Sharlo’s nod prompted the group leader to shrug his shoulders. “Sorry bud, our party is for Copper and above only. Go try somebody else.”
However, the leader’s shooing hand motion proved to be the last straw, prompting Sharlo to murmur, “Hah, acting so self-important when you’re also a mere Iron yourself......”
“Wha-?! How did you—!”
“Oh, did I guess right? Looking around, the only people I see openly wearing their plates are Silver. I figured that Iron and Copper are too ashamed to be identified as such.”
On the other end of the spectrum, Gold and Platinum are all quite well-known in their own right, with most people knowing them by face. In other words, it’d be embarrassing in a different way to wear their plates, as it could be construed as them showing it off. Or at the very least, that’s what Sharlo figured. Based on that logic, Sharlo had guessed that this group that was not wearing plates and was standing in the corner whispering to themselves was most likely even lower ranked than Copper, which meant Iron.
Shouzou was following along with the conversation the entire time with his incredibly sharp ears.
(That is quite the observant eye he has. However—)
“The hell is with this guy......”
“Let’s just go.”
“Getting involved is just going to be a waste of time.”
The group of three hastily walked away, leaving Sharlo by himself.
After that, Sharlo continued calling out to adventurers that he thought were Iron rank.
“We’re looking for someone in a higher rank than us.”
“How can you fight magic beasts with that inflated body of yours?”
“If only you could use healing magic......”
“Your appearance is just... I can’t on a physiological level......”
He was rejected by one and by all.
“Goddammit, what the hell is with all these people. I’m even lowering my head to them! Why the hell are mere Iron rankers talking about fighting magic beasts? You don’t need a healer. As for the physiological level asshole, I’m the one who physiologically can’t handle you.” His torrent of swearing was soft and under his breath, but Shouzou had heard it all loud and clear.
(It seems that his social skills really do need a lot of work.) In spite of the issue of his build and lack of ability, if he would strike up talks with the self-awareness of being a complete beginner, then probability suggests that he should already have gotten at least one “yes.” Though well, even if someone said yes, that party would have fallen apart before they even completed their first quest. Shouzou had foreseen this outcome. Or it might be more accurate to say—
“It’s not going so well, is it.” Shouzou approached Sharlo from the back and placed one hand on his shoulder. Sharlo turned around with a despondent face. “But don’t feel so down. The reason why I suggested you do this was to let you comprehend the reality that in your current state, nobody would want to group with you.”
“So you’ve been just messing with me?!”
“No, that’s not it. Above all else, I wanted to gauge your strength and ability. Your eye for spotting adventurers of the same rank as yourself was spot on. The fact that you still kept on going after experiencing rejection was very praiseworthy.”
“Eh? Ah, I mean, I... guess......?” Despite his demeanor, Sharlo’s embarrassed face showed that he actually liked being praised.
At this point, Yuna came back with a piece of paper in hand. It was the quest that Shouzou had asked for.
“With all that in mind, here is the perfect job for a solo quester, since you failed to make even a single comrade.” Shouzou accepted the quest detail poster from Yuna, then passed it to Sharlo with a gentle smile on his face.
“Did you just insult me offhandedly? But never mind. Rather than that, let me see........................” Sharlo’s eyes had become reduced to being mere dots. “Oi...... are you saying that I have to do this quest......?” Sharlo was visibly quivering. Without even waiting for Shouzou’s answer, he shouted, “ARE YOU ASKING ME OF ALL PEOPLE TO CLEAN DITCHES?!”
Making the prince clean ditches. Normally, if news of this reached the king’s ear, heads would be flying.
“That’s correct. You can do it alone, and it is a very meaningful job,” said Shouzou with an entirely straight face—
★
It was almost lunchtime. As the home tutor, Emalia, was not present, Silvia took her two remaining daughters out for a hike.
They were at a hilly area covered with fresh, green grass roughly 30 minutes of flying away from their house. In fact, this location was closer to the royal capital than it was to Treia.
Silvia was wearing a hat with a wide brim, holding the basket that held what they would all be eating for lunch, and watching the children playing around.
“Let’s go, Purucchi! Today is the day we’ll surpass the speed of sound!”
“U—wa—h—so—fa—st— ♪~”
“Kueh——!”
Puru the blue dragon had its head thrust forward in an effort to streamline its body so as to reduce drag. Kana and Hina were both crouching on its back, hanging on tightly.
When they approached the top of a hill, suddenly Puru switched to gliding, trying to hug the hill’s slanted surface as close as possible.
“Kana, if you go too fast then—” zzzoooOOHHHHmmm “—you’ll get thrown off, silly.” Although she called out to them when they passed by her at extreme velocity, her admonition only served to prompt them to go even faster.
Silvia placed a hand on her cheek, with an “oh my, oh my” troubled look on her face.
Even for a blue dragon, exceeding the speed of sound was an impossible feat. And the faster they went, the harder it would be for the girls to hold on. Kana might be fine, as she was awakening to superhuman physical prowess, but Hina’s physical abilities were no different from that of the average 5-year-old.
As Silvia mentally readied herself to fly to the girls’ aid at any moment—
“What could that be?”
Far off, near the foot of a hill, the figures of many people could be seen walking along the road. No, to be specific, they were marching.
With a huge flag in front, cavalry and foot soldiers that numbered more than a hundred in total were proceeding in orderly ranks. And in the middle of the procession was a luxurious and gorgeous box carriage.
Unfortunately, this carriage that clearly was carrying someone of extremely high status—
“Kueeeh!”
—happened to be right in the path of one of Puru’s charges.
“What is that?!”
“A dragon?!”
“Protect the carriage!”
“Men, take positions!”
“Mage squad, start chanting!”
The soldiers quickly got into formation, despite being quite shaken by the abrupt development.
For its part, Puru also noticed that there were a lot of humans in its path, and thus began pulling up to avoid them. However, the soldiers that had identified Puru as a hostile target would not let up.
Behind ranks of soldiers forming a spear wall, a group wearing robes thrust their hands toward Puru.
“Fire!” At the signal from their commander, several fireballs were released simultaneously.
It was a homing type of fire magic. This was a great demonstration of the capability of this magic squad. Based on both speed and power, even one of those fireballs would have been enough to shoot Puru down.
However, although they were released in misunderstanding, Silvia was not about to let even one of those destructive missiles anywhere near her precious daughters.
Several magic formations abruptly appeared in midair. Because they appeared only several tens of centimeters in front of each fireball, the fireballs had no time to change their trajectory and thus all crashed and burned to nothing.
Silvia did not stop there. Belt-shaped magic formations appeared en masse, raining onto the soldiers below. Those that hit the ground began wriggling like snakes, until each and every soldier was completely tied up.
However, at that moment—
“U—wa—h~!”
“Hinacchi?!”
“Kueh?!”
High up in the sky, Puru had yet to notice that all the fireballs were already dealt with, and thus was still repeatedly making sharp turns in midair. And as a result, Hina had gotten thrown off.
“U—wa—h~!”
Silvia watched as her beloved daughter hurtled downward. However—
Bo~ing.
Hina bounced off of the gigantic balloon that Silvia had made in advance. Boing, boing, boing she went as she bounced on the balloon repeatedly.
“What is that, it looks so fun!!!” Kana’s eyes sparkled like stars as she jumped off Puru’s back to join in.
“Ahahaha~! This~! Is~! So~! Fun~! ♪~!”
“Whee—♪!”
The two of them squealed with laughter while jumping up and down on the balloon.
As the soldiers that were restrained with magic formations watched on dumbfoundedly, the door of the carriage banged open.
“Where are the ruffians! I, Lynfil Alsbeit, shall neither run nor hide!” The high-pitched voice was accompanied by the appearance of a young girl in a pure white dress. She flicked her soft-looking blond hair back dashingly.
“Your Royal Highness! It is dangerou—”
“Please get back inside the carri—”
Threading her way through the immobilized soldiers, the girl glared sharply toward the front.
“No, I will draw their attention. In that time, all of yo— hm?” Before her eyes was the sight of two sisters having fun bouncing up and down. “What is that, it looks so fun! I want to do that too!”
“Your Royal Highneessss—?!” As she dashed off at full speed, an old man also appeared from within the carriage and tearfully set off on her heels—
★
Boing, boing went the girls while going up and down. With the addition of one more person, now there were three little girls jumping on the giant balloon while chatting with each other.
“Oh~ so Lyn-chan is this country’s princess?”
“That I am. Though it was but a month ago that I turned 8, I am already a proper lady!”
“You are more of a big sister than Hina-sama~”
While the children continued playing, the adults talked it out with each other. Silvia undid the restraints on the soldiers and reassured them that she meant them no harm. And since that was coming from someone that they had no hope of winning against, the soldiers had no choice but to take her word for it.
Right beside the balloon, Lynfil’s personal royal tutor, the old magician named Gettel, was looking on restlessly. “Oh no, Your Royal Highness, jumping so high is extremely dangerous!”
However, standing next to him was Silvia, who smilingly reassured him with a “Don’t worry, it’s all right.”
“Uwa—! Wh—?!”
“YOUR HIGHNESS!”
Right after Silvia’s words, Lynfil’s small body bounced off particularly hard. However, Puru immediately caught her on its back. Then it circled back over the balloon and dropped her right off. Thus Lynfil went boing once again.
“See? Don’t worry, it’s all right.”
“I thought I was going to have a heart attack!”
After a while, the girls finally had their fill of playing, and it was decided that Lynfil would stay for lunch. A vinyl sheet was spread out at the top of a hill, and out came lunch box after lunch box. The soldiers were told to rest at the foot of the hill.
“How delicious! What is this?! Lady Mother, were you the person who made this?”
“Yes I did. Here, eat more, there’s plenty left.”
“How exquisite, how truly exquisite! Very well, I have made up my mind. I shall appoint you as Head Chef of the royal palace. Worry not, I merely have to ask this of my father, the king, then he would not refuse. His Majesty loves me very much.”
“Though it is an enormous honor, I currently have no intention of working outside of my home. Sorry, all right, sweetie?”
“Hmm, so you don’t want to. I see, that’s a pity...... Then how about court mage? With your prowess, no one could say no to you assuming command over all our mage forces. I can guarantee you a salary several times that of Head Chef.”
“Oh sweetie, it’s not a matter of money. I am a housewife. That means I already have a job, a job which involves taking care of my family.”
“Hmm, so you don’t want this either. I see, that’s a pity...... A really, really big pity...... sniff......”
“We would be quite troubled too if we don’t have our Mama around.” Kana patted Lynfil’s head in consolation, but then Lynfil grabbed that hand with all her strength.
“In spite of your young age, I see that the two of you are already capable of making a blue dragon do your bidding. How would you like to be—”
“You really are persistent, aren’t you?”
“I will pay you a lot of money.”
“Mama, may I?!”
“You may not.”
Both girls’ heads drooped in disappointment.
Then it was Hina’s turn to pat both their heads in consolation.
Lynfil took a big bite out of an onigiri—om, nom, nom, gulp—then pulled herself back together. “So what were you all doing out here anyway?”
“Time attack~!” responded Hina.
“Along with hiking, we were also trying to see how fast Puru could go,” elaborated Kana.
“I see, so you were determining this blue dragon’s flying capabilities. It is usually not their flying capabilities that large dragons are famous for...... no wait, if we could incorporate such a large creature as air support, it could make a big difference in the naval war that might be coming against the empire...... hm, hmm, I see...... hm, hm......”
“Lyn-sama is saying difficult things~”
“I’m not sure what you’re getting at either, but Puru is our friend, all right?”
“Interesting. So even though this dragon cannot speak, you would yet call it a friend. How broad-minded you are...... In that case, then. That’s, um, building friendships with other people, uh, regardless of any difference in status...... Would you happen to, um, be that kind of...... person?” Lynfil shot quick, furtive glances toward Kana and Hina.
“Lyn-sama is saying difficult things again~”
“I’m not sure what you’re getting at, but Lyn-chan, aren’t we already friends?”
“Do you speak true?!”
“I mean, we’re talking together, and we’ve even eaten a meal together too!” Kana’s standard for being a friend was extremely low. Let alone being in the same class, just being in the same school was already enough for her to consider someone a friend. Even an absolute stranger would turn into a friend after just one conversation. Back when they lived in Japan, even the courier “big brother” was a full-fledged friend.
“F-Finally, even I have someone that I can call a friend...... uuu, sniff......” Lynfil quivered with emotion.
“Our Royal Highness, Our Royal Highness looks so happy......” The old magician Gettel also got infected with the quivers. He began to tear up even.
“Gettel, make preparations for a banquet. Gather all the local nobles, for I will announce to them my new friends. We will make it a celebration that lasts three days and three nights!”
“Your wish is my command!”
“I don’t quite get it, but I think we don’t need that. Yep.”
“Why is that?!”
“Oh, but if you’re a princess, does that mean you live in a castle? I want to try going there.”
“Not a problem! Come whenever you want. If you want, then we can go right now—ah, I’m sorry, I have something to do after this......” Lynfil visibly deflated.
“Which reminds me, where are you heading, Lyn-chan?” asked Kana.
“Hm? Ahh, I am in the middle of heading toward Treia.”
“Treia...... ohh, isn’t that the town close to our house? Our Papa works there! And Onee-chan also.”
“What fortuity! So you all are residents of Treia!”
“Oh, no, that’s not it. Our house is on top of a hill a little ways off from the town.”
“Your house is... outside... of the town? Though I suppose that with Lady Mother’s magical prowess, it is true that you have no need to be afraid of magic beasts.” The seemingly odd statement came to make sense the more Lynfil thought about it.
“So, why do you want to go to Treia anyway?”
“Good question. Now, this is actually a secret, but I shan’t hide anything from my friends. I am going to see how Ani-ue is doing.”
““Ani-ue?”” Both sisters tilted their heads in concert.
“Indeed. This is also a secret, but right now, Ani-ue is working as an adventurer.”
“Your ‘Ani-ue’ means your older brother, right? Doesn’t that mean he’s the prince? Why is he working as an adventurer?”
Lynfil’s eyes sparkled with an “I’m glad you asked!” light. “After training in solitude to better himself for the past few years, Ani-ue has finally reached the next stage of his training. Of his own free will, he is placing himself within the general populace, all so that he can see the citizens’ way of life with his own eyes. And the profession that he chose to do that through was ‘adventurer,’” explained Lynfil passionately and at length. “Adventurers are people who stand face to face with any number of problems, men and women of valor who at times even subjugate magic beasts. They are closer to the general populace than the army, and are the heroes of the common man. Ani-ue is an esteemed individual who will eventually take the reins of this country after our Father King. Toward that end, he is hiding his identity and doing his best to meet the people where they are.”
Kana held out a plastic bottle toward Lynfil, whose shoulders were heaving with heavy breathing.
She took a gulp. “So cold! So sweet!” She smacked her lips, then downed the rest of the bottle in one go. Afterward, she stared closely at the bottle. “Hmm, transparent like glass, yet so soft and light. What a curious container this is.” After a brief pause to marvel at the bottle, she came to a start and then resumed talking about her brother. “Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to meet Ani-ue these past few years. That is why I am heading for this far off land, all so that I can secretly steal a peek at his gallant figure and burn it into these eyes of mine.”
“Secretly......?” Kana turned her eyes toward the hundred or so soldiers currently resting a ways off. They were super duper conspicuous.
“So, all right, Lyn-chan’s big brother sounds pretty cool!” managed Kana.
“Indeed he is. There are some deeply jealous people who say bad things about him, but I still remember how he always looked after me when I was young. He was kind and strong and just a wonderful person all in all!”
“Ohh, as expected of a real prince.”
“Does he ride a white horse~?”
In contrast to the increasingly excited sisters, their mother Silvia tilted her head at Lynfil’s words. (That... sounds different from what Shouzou-san told me......) What she had heard from Shouzou was that he had taken it upon himself to straighten out the good-for-nothing prince.
Silvia did not suspect Lynfil of lying at all. However, she could not deny the possibility that this 8-year-old girl was merely glorifying faint memories from several years ago.
“Lyn-chan, I want to meet a real prince!”
“Hina-sama too~!”
“Of course you do, of course you do. I also want to introduce my friends to Ani-ue. But you must remember, Ani-ue is hiding his identity. So we must do it very secretly, while pretending to be strangers, all right?”
“We just have to make sure he isn’t revealed as a prince, right? No problem, no problem.”
“No problem~!”
The two of them had every intention of going.
“Mama, can we go?”
“Okaa-sama, can we go~?”
“Hmmm......” Silvia had one hand on her cheek while thinking. What would happen the instant the princess with an overly glorified mental image met the prince in the state that she had heard described? None of the possibilities that came to mind boded well.
“What say you, Lady Mother?”
With a quick sideways glance, Silvia caught the old man Gettel—the person who was in charge of the princess’s education—looking at her pleadingly. He surely knew of the prince’s current state, and was thinking of preventing the princess from meeting him. In fact, surely he must have already tried to stop her from making this journey in the first place. Yet in spite of that, here she was, on her way toward Treia. No matter what any random stranger said, surely Lynfil would still drag her soldiers along while going to see her brother.
No, actually, there are some things that only a random stranger—an unrelated third party—could do.
“Very well. If it is not too much trouble for you.” Silvia’s smiling reply prompted Gettel to sigh in relief.
“We did it♪!”
“We did it♪~”
However, while watching her daughters hop around in excitement, Silvia did not forget to pound home one last nail. “And you two, you must not get in the way of His Royal Highness’s work, all right?”
“We knew that already, Mama,” said Kana while practically skipping. “And let’s also go tease Yuna-nee while we’re at it!”
“Stop it.” Silvia found herself already feeling the first twinge of unease—
★
Guu, rang the sound of a stomach.
The sun had already passed its zenith, and yet was still beating down without mercy. The rivulets of sweat showed no sign of abating.
“Dammit, I... am... the... prince, aren’t I......” After having eaten only a small-portioned lunch, the torrent of cursing gradually decreased in intensity along with the passage of time.
Sharlo Alsbeit, also known as Sharlo Aashu, was wearing waterproof gloves, long boots, and a mask that covered his face from the nose down while applying himself to the task of “ditch cleaning.”
One of the large avenues running through Treia, specifically the one that stretched from the Central Plaza to the South Gate, was lined on both sides with narrow ditches. They measured roughly 50 cm in width and 70 cm in depth.
The job consisted of removing the stone lids that covered the ditches five at a time, and then shoveling out the dirty sludge at the bottom. The scooped out sludge and trash was then packed into wooden barrels that were supposed to be lined up along the side of the road.
Every once in a while, a cart would come along to take away the barrels packed with sludge and leave behind empty barrels. Then rinse and repeat.
While slotting in frequent breaks, Sharlo was nevertheless clearing out the ditches in silence. His waist hurt. His arms and legs felt like lead. The mud that had turned to sludge stank terribly, so much so that it stung his nose even through his mask.
The stares of passersby hurt. It felt like everyone looking on was scornfully laughing at him.
[Damn that looks tough—]
[How can he even keep that up in this awful heat?]
[More like, isn’t he, like, way too round? Lol.]
He was already imagining such voices.
“Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!” He brandished the specially shaped shovel, angrily transferring more sludge into the barrels. If someone showed up pointing and laughing at him, then he was going to throw a whole shovel of sludge into that person’s face without hesitation.
But the truth of it was that there were actually a lot of people who were looking at him with concern. Among those who noticed him, many were thinking “How tough is that in this awful heat?”, “Thank you for your hard work,” or other thoughts similarly colored with gratitude while passing by.
However, Sharlo did not have the presence of mind to notice those supportive gazes. “Dammit, dammit......” His stamina had already run out ages ago, and his arm refused to rise any more. He looked forward, and saw the South Gate blurredly in the distance. “It’s... still that far......?”
Of course, this was not a distance that could be completed by one person in one day. He only had 200 meters more to go to meet his quota for the day, but even that he was not sure he could complete by nightfall. The thought caused his eagerness to shrivel up, and he stopped his hand.
No, to be correct, he never had any eagerness in the first place. What he had been using as fuel to keep himself going was the anger toward the unreasonableness that had befallen himself.
“I want to go home......” He wanted desperately to be back in his room at the top of his tower, rolling around doing nothing aside from stuffing his face with an endless supply of food. Just how much longer would it be until he could go back to that dream-like life?
“If only that guy had never shown up......!” Just remembering that large man with a bearded face caused the back of Sharlo’s head to grow hot.
“Dammit, dammitdammitdammit! Dammit!” The anger that welled up motivated his shovel to resume moving again.
But at that moment, a voice suddenly addressed him from behind. “You’re pretty fired up, aren’t you?”
“You......” When Sharlo stopped swinging his shovel and waited, a bearded giant of a man walked over to stand next to him. In his hand was an attaché case.
“What do you want?”
“I was in the middle of my rounds and was near, so I thought to come over and see how you’re doing.”
“Hmph. No doubt you only came to laugh at me......” He himself was aware that his pace was slow. The people carrying the barrels had told him so several times already. Sharlo decided to ignore Shouzou, and turned to get back to work.
Right next to him, Shouzou stared at him fixedly. Then after a while, he asked, “Have you learned swordsmanship or any other form of martial arts before?”
“Hah? What are you asking out of the blue?” Partly due to being tired, he inadvertently stopped his hand and responded.
“It was a simple question. Have you?”
“Well, I mean......” Right now he was an abandoned case, but back when he was young he had received a well-rounded education for the sake of becoming the next king. Swordsmanship had been among them. He had received instruction from the famous martial master, Marquis Jilk Goldas.
“As I had thought. Though your stamina may have decreased, there are still glimpses of the movements here and there. Sometimes, it might benefit you to reflect on and remember the past,” said Shouzou. “Anyway, I’ll be off.”
“......What was that all about, seriously.” After being told something completely incomprehensible, Sharlo felt irritation tickling his chest. Then he roughly thrust his shovel, scraped the bottom of the ditch with it, then flexed his arm muscles to bring it up. But unfortunately, his arm couldn’t quite pull it up.
“......I see. Because I try to get so much in one go, it requires so much strength.” He withdrew his shovel, then tried to scrape off only a bit off the surface of the sludge. “Though even this little still requires quite some strength......”
Abruptly, Shouzou’s parting words came up again in his mind.
—Sometimes, it might benefit you to reflect on and remember the past.
Then followed the voice of Goldas from his childhood. It was from one of their swordsmanship lessons.
—Your Royal Highness, the sword is not something that you swing with your arm alone. Lower your waist, steady your center of gravity, then use your entire body. Like so.
While ruminating on the words from back then, Sharlo lowered his waist, tucked in his elbows, then tried to shovel while moving his arms as little as possible. “Oh hey, this is much easier.”
Then he began experimenting with finding a better way to efficiently scoop sludge while using the least amount of strength. Again and again, in trial and error. As he did so, he gradually came to grasp the knack for it.
“......That’s well and good, but still doesn’t change the fact that this is back-breaking work.” He glared ahead in annoyance. There was still a lot left in his quota for the day.
(Is there no other method to get this done more efficiently and easily? Is there anything from what I had learned in the past that could be a hint? In the past...... the past......?!) He came to a start and abandoned his train of thought.
“Screw this! I’m tired. I deserve another break.” Sharlo threw his shovel away, then heavily lowered his butt onto the side of the road.
Shifting his mask away, he sucked in a whole lungful of air. Then the smell caused him to grimace.
“That bastard, saying unnecessary things......” Shouzou’s words seemed plastered over his mind and just won’t leave.
—Sometimes, it might benefit you to reflect on and remember the past.
What good would it do him to remember the past? Just now it might have been slightly helpful, but ultimately what’s the meaning in becoming better at cleaning ditches? Also, recalling the past did not mean that only things useful to him would come to mind. No, to the contrary—
Day in and day out, he had no time to play, and he was spending every waking moment on training and learning, with meals and sleep being the only brief moments of respite. Swordsmanship. Martial arts. Bow. Magic. After moving his body, then would come time to face a desk, where knowledge supposedly necessary for being a king was then pounded into his head. It was tough. He wanted to run away. He even thought that he didn’t want to be the king, not if it meant having to continue enduring this suffering. But if that was all there was to it, then perhaps he might have been able to barely hang on.
(The reason why I couldn’t endure it anymore was—) What showed up in his eyes was a faint, troubled smile. What flowed into his ears were voices colored with dejection and disappointment.
[You... can’t exactly be called talented, I’m afraid......]
[I won’t say that you are a slow learner per se, but if this is all you can manage......]
[How many days are you going to need for such basic level magic......]
He himself thought that he was actually doing quite well. But apparently that was far from enough to satisfy the expectations of those around him. No matter how hard he worked, his efforts were never acknowledged. He did not have even a single memory of being praised.
—Ani-ue is amazing.
Abruptly, a childish voice brushed by his ear.
(Which reminds me, it was only Lynfil alone who praised me to the sky for some unknown reason......) Even the most basic sword dance and the easiest magic must have looked like a marvel in the eyes of that significantly younger sister of his.
However, what was truly marvelous was that sister herself.
[Your Royal Highness is truly talented!]
[You have managed to not only recite this highly difficult poem verbatim, you have also grasped the intent of the writer himself!]
[You have mastered Fireball in only half a day?!]
The princess who had only been following her brother around attempted to copy whatever she saw, and the results shocked everyone. Surely she was what people actually call a “genius.”
Sharlo felt like everything that he had built up thus far was being denied and stripped of value. The biggest factor that clinched his decision to lock himself up in a room was, without any doubt, the existence of his younger sister.
(She... can surely fly however high she wants. That’s why someone like me should not succeed the throne......) Had it already been three years since they last met?
During that time, his weight had more than doubled, and his hair and skin had both lost their luster. If she saw him right now, surely even his younger sister would not be able to recognize him. Or so he thought, when—
“Ani...ue......?” He thought it another auditory hallucination. But that small voice stuck to the inside of his ear and refused to leave.
He slowly lifted his face in fear, and found a girl looking at him dumbfoundedly. She wore the clothing of an average village girl, and had her hood pulled forward as if to make her face less conspicuous. However, despite several years of growth, her face still bore great resemblance to what it had been three years ago.
There was no way he could mistake her. She was Lynfil, his younger sister.
Why? How? Why today, of all days? And why her, the person that he did not want seeing his current state the most? Why was she here? As his mind whirled in chaotic confusion—
“Is this person ‘Ani-ue’-sama~?”
“He doesn’t really fit the image of a prince, does he.”
On either side of his younger sister stood girls that he did not know. One appeared older than Lynfil, and had short hair that gave off a boyish impression. The other seemed about the same age as the younger sister in his own memories.
Sharlo’s disordered thoughts fell into place quickly, and he covered the bottom half of his face with his mask. He grabbed his shovel, stood upright, then said, “You must have the wrong person. I’m just an ordinary adventurer.”
His slightly cold response prompted Lynfil to look into his eyes, then shift her gaze toward the shovel, then gaze at the unlidded side ditch, then back to his face and eyes once again.
“Oh, I’d forgotten! Your good self is a fresh, new adventurer who proactively took on this long-suffering, dirty job not worth the pay of ditch cleaning that no one else wanted to take, an esteemed person who is contributing to the beautification of this town by protecting its sanitary condition!”
“That’s laying it on a bit thick, don’t you think......?”
Paying absolutely no mind to Sharlo’s retort, Lynfil widened her eyes all the way and shouted, “How admirable! To take the initiative to do the dirty work that no one else wants to do...... as expected of Ani-ue!”
“I said it just now, but I’m not your Ani-ue—”
“Ohhh, that’s right. But allow me to say it again. As expected of Ani-ue.” Lynfil’s eyes were sparkling like stars.
Unable to bear those eyes any longer, Sharlo turned his back.
“And to even change the shape of your body for this...... you really do make sure to go the extra mile for everything. As expected of An—”
“Stop it already!” Being bathed in the gazes of the passersby was too painful. If there was a hole in the ground, then he would jump into it. The side ditch was too narrow and wouldn’t suffice.
“A-Anyway, you’re in the way of my work. Children should go home already.” Sharlo brandished his shovel, and assumed the stance for shoveling.
“I-I apologize. I had no intention of getting in your way...... Then we will take our leave now.” But despite saying that, Lynfil fidgeted a brief while, until she finally managed to say out loud, “Lastly, just one more thing I want to say............ I am very happy that we were able to meet again.” Then she turned toward the direction of the Central Plaza and ran off down the road.
“Ah, Lyn-chan, wait for me!”
“You will become lost~”
The two other girls also ran off.
A beautiful lady that he had not noticed till that moment also bowed to him, then set off in pursuit of the three. Maybe she was the guardian or parent of those children.
(What was that just now? What... just happened......?) The country’s princess was walking around on the streets with not a guard behind her, accompanied only by an unfamiliar woman and her children? Even for an undercover inspection, that was far too strange.
(Don’t tell me, did that guy arrange this too?) The large man’s disagreeable smile floated up in his mind, causing him to become incensed once again (But still, is she going to be all right? This town’s public order is on the good side, but even so......) It bothered him, but he hesitated to follow his sister’s back with his eyes. So naturally, his eyes only fell on the remaining quota, which only served to drain away his motivation again. But even so, he wordlessly resumed working, all while remaining mindful of his movements and consciously trying to scoop the sludge with less strength.
“Quite a lot of unnecessary motion is gone, I see. Glad to see you’re getting accustomed to it.”
The voice from his back caused his hands to freeze again. Sarcasm flew out of his mouth unbidden, directed toward the large man standing beside him. “What point is there in getting better at something like this, huh?”
“The point in getting better at cleaning ditches is that you are better at cleaning ditches. But that’s not all, of course. What you found useful here, you will find useful in most other physical labor jobs. In the first place, your base is in swordsmanship and martial arts, so just by remembering the basics, you could become an asset in high-paying quests like bodyguarding and magic beast hunting.” Taking advantage of Sharlo’s dumbfoundedness, Shouzou continued with a smile. “So, how was it? Sometimes it really is beneficial to reflect on and remember the past, isn’t it?”
“You... did you already know......”
“Right before I asked for custody of you, I dug up all the information I could on you.”
“Does that mean my sister also...... you even brought Lynfil over here?”
Shouzou raised a hand to his chin. “No, her appearance was as much a surprise for me as it was for you. That was a complete coincidence.”
Immediately after exiting the public office located on the side of the Central Plaza, he had bumped into someone completely unexpected. For some reason, together with his wife and daughters, there stood the princess.
“I talked with her for a bit. She talked about you very joyfully and boastfully.”
“She just overvalues me, despite being the true genius herself. What is there about me to boast of......” His sinking emotions caused him to also lower his eyes.
“Indeed, I also agree that her valuation of you might be a bit too high.”
Hearing it said so clearly sounded like it was not him that was being belittled, but his sister. Anger spiked through his mind. He reflexively glared up at Shouzou, only to find an unexpectedly gentle face greeting him.
“You see, valuation from other people is always affected by personal opinion. Your younger sister’s feelings of reverence for her brother are too strong, which is what leads to her higher-than-reality valuation of you. In contrast—” Here, Shouzou’s eyes turned serious. “Be it the king or Jilk or any of your instructors, their overly high expectations of you had caused them to constantly undervalue you.”
“Eh......?”
Shouzou slowly nodded for him to see. “You heard me. Undervalue. You may not have natural born talent like your younger sister has. However, every single person, no matter who they may be, possesses something that can allow them to transcend ordinary human limits. This holds true for you as well.”
Sharlo had gotten lost, and Shouzou did not hold back in poking at the exact reason for it.
“You are a very forward-facing man. And I mean that in a bad way. So badly you do not want to recall your painful past that you fixate your eyes only on your front, as a venue of escape. You are doing that even now. Is it not true that your mind is only occupied by the quota you have left, and that doing so is making you depressed?”
“That... that’s......”
“What you need is to stop sometimes, and to look back with courage. Look.”
What Shouzou pointed at was the unlidded part of the side ditch that Sharlo was currently working on. Half of it was still packed with sludge, and half was already cleared. However, even the cleared part was already slightly invaded by more sludge. Add that onto the fact that he hadn’t exactly made it sparkling clean in the first place, so at a glance even that part looked dirty. But even so—
“You felt with your bones how much effort it took to clear even that amount of sludge. But tell me, is what you have achieved only this little bit?” Shouzou’s finger shifted to point behind Sharlo.
As if guided by the finger, Sharlo turned around. Far off in the distance, he saw the Central Plaza. The sun was setting, and many people were walking to and fro. And stretching beside the road was the side ditch, covered with stone lids. Far beyond what had occupied his mind today, his quota for the day, the ditch continued all the way off.
“The ditch from the Central Plaza to all the way here has been cleaned by you and you alone. With the lids placed back, most people probably don’t even notice it. But it is hard, undeniable evidence of what you have achieved today, yesterday, and all the days going back.”
Sharlo could not say anything. His vision blurred with tears.
“From this moment on, stop letting yourself be thrown around by other people’s valuation of you. You yourself set an objective standard, then you value yourself once each day. Just by doing that, you will change greatly. No, let me rephrase myself. By doing so, you will regain your true self.”
It was nothing difficult. In fact, it would be a very easy thing to do.
“At the end of each day, take only a few minutes before you go to bed. Do a quick comparison of the ‘you’ from yesterday, and the ‘you’ from today.”
“And... that’s it......?”
“Indeed. Just by doing that—” Shouzou turned his eyes toward the far off Central Plaza. “—you can become a man that that girl can boast about in truth.”
Within Sharlo’s blurred vision, only a single girl’s figure was clear. There, standing beside the side ditch at the position where he had started today, stood the girl who had continued to look at the back of her beloved brother all the way through the years, without end.
(Ahh, so that’s how it is. What I truly could not bear was—) The pure feelings of expectation from this young girl. He had thought it far beyond him, and had given up trying to meet that expectation.
Sharlo tightened his grip on his shovel. The only thing left after that was to immerse himself in shoveling sludge.
—For the sake of surpassing who he had been yesterday.