Chapter 2: The Insurmountable Wall Between the Formerly Betrothed

The town of Yoram was several hours away from the main gates of Kirsch by carriage. With Daryth situated in the central-western part of the continent, it was home to several well-traveled towns, and Yoram was among the liveliest of them all. The town had the establishment of Kirsch Mage Institute to thank for its prosperity, beginning to flourish around the time the school was built.

The residential district for the landowners of Yoram lay at the center of town, punctuated by the signature clock tower that people could see from miles and miles around.

“Cutting Swordfish! Get your pickled Cutting Swordfish here! It’s a high-class delicacy that we’ll be selling wholesale to the mage school, so get it before it’s gone!” a merchant shouted.

“If you don’t want to get hurt, get out of my way! I’m in a hurry!” another hissed.

The voices of traveling merchants and porters echoed down the road as they came and went. Dotting the crowd were people wearing top-quality capes—probably nobles, if I had to guess. People pushed and shoved their way through the cobblestone streets.

“Master Slowe, I’ll help you carry some of this! You take half, and I’ll take half!”

“Really? But half is too much... Okay, why don’t you carry these two things for me?” I replied.

“Yes! Please leave it to m—”

“Miss Charlotte! Please don’t waste your time!” Alicia cut her off.

“This the latest single-edge, two-handed sword brought straight from the finest smiths in the capital. Just look at its golden hilt!”

“Quick! You can buy this sage mountain water for only a few kumul silvers! Hurry and get some while you can!”

Soldiers patrolled the area frequently, so Yoram was a safe town. The lord who owned the land the town itself sat on was also a good person, from what I heard. It was just the right size for Kirsch students to come and have fun on the weekends. Even us nobles, who were picky about entertainment, could have fun here without much worry or fear for our safety.

A band must’ve been performing somewhere, as music echoed throughout the streets, adding to the town’s lively atmosphere.

“Miss Charlotte, if you have the time to speak to that guy, you have the time to go buy that ring. Be a dear and do that for me, would you? That one the gentleman with the feathered hat over there is bidding for. I’m busy looking at the other things for sale over here.” Alicia paused. “Hm, as long as it’s less than double the price he’s offering, I want you to buy it.”

“U-Understood, Lady Alicia, but... Is it really okay for you to spend this much money?”

“I sold a lot of gems I didn’t need at the pawn shop back there, so I’m fine.”

The late afternoon sun bathed the entertainment district near the center of the city with a swath of light in orange and red.

Alicia led our little group, disguised in civilian’s clothing. Her outfit made for a poor attempt to blend in with the crowd, though, the red skirt too flashy and glamorous for keeping a low profile. Charlotte followed behind her, wearing a casual dress instead of her usual retainer uniform. I brought up the rear with all our baggage, bumping into people as I tailed behind.

“U-Um, Lady Alicia, shouldn’t we head to the inn soon?” Charlotte asked.

“I have a porter for once. There’s no way I’m letting this opportunity pass me by.”

Of the three of us, “Her Highness” held the reins. Though we could have headed straight to the inn, this spoiled princess strutted around town without a care in the world, wearing the light-pink earring she had just bought. Vendors’ stalls lined the pavement all over town, the merchants manning them all beckoning to Alicia as she passed by, trying to fetch the highest price they could for their trinkets. She was every merchant’s dream customer.

I had a ton of shopping bags hanging from both arms and even a strange package hanging from my neck; heavens only knew what that bag contained. I kept bumping into people. I was sure my head would fall off my shoulders for how many times I had to nod apologetically as I stumbled my way through.

Charlotte hesitated, looking back at me. “Master Slowe, I can help. Please let me take that.”

“Jeez, how many times do I have to repeat myself?!” Alicia exclaimed. “It’s Piggy Slowe’s job to be our errand boy, so stop wasting time with unnecessary tasks!”

The horse carriage had gone on and delivered our luggage directly to the inn. If everything had gone according to plan, we should’ve had nothing on us, but of course Alicia had other plans. I’d been looking forward to just having a nice chat with Charlotte on the way to the inn, but Alicia kept butting in and cutting us off every time we tried to talk.

“B-But...”

“Maids aren’t allowed to talk back!” Alicia snapped. “Come on, hurry up!”

Charlotte groaned. “B-But I’m not a maid...”

Alicia had no qualms about showing her arrogance. Judging by her looks now, the main heroine of Shuya Marionette would definitely grow into an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous woman. People on the street watched me with envy as she ordered me around as if they thought I’d be there to see that glamorous future. Following her orders is actually quite stressful, you know...

“Excuse me, miss, you’re in the way!” A child forced their way across the street, barreling into Alicia and knocking her off her feet.

“Ah!” Alicia exclaimed.

On reflex, I reached out to catch her—still weighed down by baggage—and kept her from hitting the ground. Her body was delicate, and I felt her warmth seep through her clothing.

“Alicia,” I sighed. “Have you forgotten why we’re even here?”

The spoiled little princess flushed a light shade of pink in embarrassment. “H-Hmph! Fine, no more shopping then. A-Anyways, can you let me go...? Let go of me already! Come on! Shoo!”

If this was any indication of how the next few days with her were going to go, I thought I could already feel my stomach churning in dread from stress.

The two girls weaved their way across the crowd towards the clock tower in the center of town, and I hurried along behind them. As we walked, I thought back to the words Tina had given me before I left school.

“Lord Denning! Keep your eye out for two brawny guards! That’s how you’ll know you’ve found my family’s place!”

Before I realized it, we had wandered off the wide main avenue and into a more narrow backstreet. I struggled with the shopping bags in the alleyway until I came upon a grand gate at the end of it. Two muscular men stood before the gate, unmoving and menacing.

“You’re so slow!” Alicia hissed. She and Charlotte had drawn up short of actually approaching the gate.

“It’s because I’m trying not to drop your stuff,” I said with a shrug. “Still, what’s going on? Why’d you stop in the middle of the...”

Then I caught sight of the weapons on these guys and stopped dead in my tracks myself.

They were armed to the teeth, one with a huge claymore and the other with a deadly-looking spear. Those weapons were way too much for simple guard duty—if I had to guess, I’d say they were meant more for monsters than for men. Between that and their intimidating aura, they had to be veteran adventurers. My eyes drifted up to the name etched into the gate in large embossed letters:

Gordoni.

Underneath that was a gold plate, even proudly stating that this inn had served as hosts to the royal family themselves.

I didn’t dare approach the guards yet, but I mustered up the courage to peer past them at what lay beyond the gate. A path cut through the property and led to a well-trimmed garden with a fountain set off from the walking path; beyond that stood two buildings. One was a gigantic brick manor I could only guess was the inn, and beside it, a smaller manor detached from the main building. Though those were the only two buildings, the land was large enough to easily fit ten more shops.

I sucked in a breath and whispered, “You’ve got to be kidding me...”

Tina... All this time I thought you were just a regular commoner, and yet you come from a rich family...

“Yes, yes! My girl has told me all about you, young Master Denning!” a woman said, her voice soft and polite. “I honestly never expected that we would receive your reservations directly from the cardinal himself. This is truly an honor. We prepared two rooms for you on the top floor, so please follow me.”

Our hostess was none other than the inn’s proprietor, Tina’s mother.

People say that one can tell the quality of an inn by its patrons, and by that measure, it didn’t get more high-class than the Gordoni Inn. The reception hall was polished to a shine so bright I could nearly see my own reflection in it. Tasteful, classy furniture lined the halls, fit for the wealthy merchants and greater nobles who likely frequented the place. It wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that the royal family had actually stayed here in the past.

“I heard that you’ve been a big help to my daughter, milord. I cannot thank you enough. Is she doing well there?”

“I think she’s doing just fine. She has a lot of friends, and from what I hear, she has excellent grades in class. She even managed to tap into some earth magic.”

“I never imagined that she’d awaken any magical talent. It does worry me a little, truth be told,” Tina’s mother said, her head bobbing as she nodded repeatedly.

As we walked up the stairs, I observed Tina’s mother. Her daughter clearly inherited her big eyes and good proportions. Of course, one of the most striking things about her was her well-endowed bosom, only further highlighted by the way her clothes hugged her curves. Will Tina look like that when she grows up? I wondered. Wait. Honestly, she’s already big enough as it is.

“Firstly, here is your room, young master.” We stopped at the second to last door on the uppermost floor. She bowed deeply to me as she opened the door to allow me into the room.

“Now then, young master Denning, I hope that you and your retainer enjoy your stay... Speaking of which, are you the young master’s maid?” the woman said, turning to Charlotte.

“Huh...? I’m not a maid. I’m Master Slowe’s retainer!”

Tina’s mother was taken aback, the color slowly draining from her face. “Y-Your retainer is...a girl? Wait, but aren’t all Denning retainers male?!”

Vaulted ceilings stretched high, and the carpet was so deep I nearly sunk down to my ankle. A cushy chair sat next to the fireplace that would have been stoked to a full roar if it were winter. Everything about this room just oozed class and luxury.

“People really seem to misunderstand House Denning in so many ways,” Charlotte said.

“Yeah...” I sighed.

Tina’s mother took the rumors that Denning retainers remained by their master’s side and never even slept on beds at face value. I assured her that they were nothing more than rumors, but when I thought back on my life back home... It wasn’t that far off from the truth. Such retainers actually did exist in House Denning. And many retainers were, in fact, men—just not all of them, like she’d assumed.

Charlotte wasted little time unpacking, checking to make sure that all of our luggage had arrived. We didn’t know how long we’d stay in Yoram, but Charlotte said that she had packed enough for two weeks.

The inn had offered to put us in a room with two beds, but Charlotte had shrunk into herself, worried about troubling the innkeepers. I declined the offer, assuring that there wasn’t an issue. The bed was so big that there wasn’t any problem with both of us sleeping on it. Plus, I could just sleep on the sofa.

“So, why are you here, Alicia?”

“You got a problem with that?” Alicia declared. She’d barged into the bedroom and plopped down onto the edge of the bed, arms crossed.

“It’s not that I have a problem, but your suite is next door,” I said, pointing a thumb over my shoulder at the door to the living room—and the exit it led to.

Alicia stared me down. “Do you really think you can share a room with Charlotte? That’s preposterous!”

“Charlotte’s my retainer. True, sharing the bed might be an issue, but there’s nothing wrong with sharing the same room.”

“Oh, really? ‘Sharing the same room,’ huh? Bold words for someone with that kind of body. You have no shame.”

“Jeez, what’s wrong with you? Are you still bad-mouthing me, calling me a pig? I’ll put this out there, but since you call me a pig nearly every time you open your mouth, I’ve gotten used to it. It doesn’t bother me anymore.”

“It’d be faster to show you than try to get it through your thick skull,” Alicia said at length. She stood up. “All right, stand over there.”

She pushed me, steering me away from where I stood. What does she want with me? I was puzzled. “H-Hey, what are you doing?”

“Just do as I say,” she insisted.

I went along with it and ended up standing in front of a mirror.

“What can you see in the mirror?” Alicia asked.

I squinted. A piglet, I guess? But this was nothing compared to when I was the blackhearted Piggy Duke. Well, I mean, if you split hairs, I was probably still considered obese. But I had lost so much weight in such little time, all things considered. You could even say that I was on the fast path towards becoming a lean muscular guy.

“Now, Miss Charlotte, can you stand next to Piggy Slowe?” Alicia dragged Charlotte, who was still in the middle of checking our belongings, by the hand into the bedroom. The moment Charlotte stood next to me, the scene in the mirror had a lot more flair to it.

“With this, even an idiot like you could understand what the issue is,” Alicia huffed. “That’s what I mean.”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about! What are you getting at?!”

“Um, Lady Alicia, I don’t mind at all... I’m Master Slowe’s retainer, after all, and the bed is plenty big enough for the both of us...”

Alicia’s outrage drowned out Charlotte’s placating. “‘I don’t mind at all’?! Are you half asleep?! Urgh, that’s right, you’ve been like that since we were kids!”

Charlotte squeaked. “S-Sorry!”

“I mean, I guess to be fair to the pig, he is a lot better than he used to be. I heard you can fit into ready-made sized school uniforms now and that you haven’t given up on losing weight... But still! Sharing a room is a big red flag! Look at the two of you in the mirror! No matter how I look at it, you two look like a shameless idiot and an idiot maid you’ve captured!”

“Who are you calling a shameless idiot?!”

“I’m not a maid... And I’m not an idiot...” Charlotte mumbled.

“You’re not allowed to share a bed in the suite next to mine! A no is a no and that’s a big no-no!”

“You’re such a pain.” I sighed. “It’s not a big deal. You’ve slept in the same room as Shuya, so—”

“Huh... Huuuh?! When did I share a bed with Shuya?! That guy is nothing but a servant to me! There’s absolutely no way I’d sleep in the same room as him, let alone share a bed!”

Oops. Alicia and Shuya getting closer didn’t happen until later in the anime. Saying this to her didn’t mean anything. Still, Shuya was ‘nothing but a servant’ to her, huh? The poor guy.

“I’m just joking about Shuya. Don’t get your skirts in a twist.”

“Even if it was a joke, that’s crossing the line!” Alicia snapped.

“My bad... But still, if you’re so against me even sharing a room with Charlotte, where should I sleep, then?”

“Oh,” Alicia muttered in realization. Clearly she hadn’t thought this through. “Oh yeah, you can take my room, Piggy Slowe.”

I frowned. “Your room? Not a chance. It looks like a little girl’s room with all those plushies. Plus, the bed has a canopy. It’s not to my taste at all.”

From the glimpse I’d gotten of her room earlier, it was way better suited for a small girl like Alicia than for someone like me. An orc sleeping in a pink room in a canopy bed... I shivered at the image. What a nightmare that’d be.

Well, my room was pretty big, so there wouldn’t be any issue living with one more occupant. On top of that, Alicia hated my guts, so it wouldn’t be long before she got sick of me and returned to her own room.

“Hey,” Alicia began, “I just realized this, but what’s that cute little kitty on the bed doing here?”

Charlotte had been sneaking back into the living room from the bedroom before she froze at Alicia’s words and followed the line of sight where Alicia pointed.

“Wha—! Why is Al here?! I left him back at school!”

The black cat meowed in response to Charlotte’s voice, whipping its tail back and forth.

But that wasn’t a cat, it was the Great Spirit of Wind. They were Charlotte’s guardian, though the poor beast had long since lost all their ferocity. I was the only one in this country who knew the cat’s true identity.

Wait a minute. Did Alicia really just call that cat ‘cute’? That cat with such a sour-looking face? Wow, she has terrible taste. I guess I forgot to tell the Great Spirit that we were going to Yoram. I see... Maybe that’s why they’re glaring at me. They sure do know how to hold a grudge.

“Miss Charlotte, you know this cat?”

Charlotte giggled. “Yep, this cat is actually mine.”

“I-I see... So he’s your pet?” Alicia paused. “H-Hmm... He’s quite c-cute, I suppose... M-Miss Charlotte, may I pet him?”

While the two played with the cat, I took all of Alicia’s spoils from her shopping spree today and headed off to put them all in her room.

Since her suite was the one next to mine, it was only a short walk down the corridor; it didn’t take long before I was nudging the door open with a click. I left the baggage in the corner of the spacious living room before straightening, pausing to take in the room at large. The room itself wasn’t too different from mine in terms of layout, but the bedroom was a little too cutesy for me... The workers at Gordoni had probably researched the Cirquistan princess’s tastes and tried to make it as accommodating for her as possible. I could clearly see the trouble they’d gone to.

“But I haven’t finished unpacking our luggage! Please head to the baths on your own, Lady Alicia!” Charlotte exclaimed.

“No, you’re coming with me, Miss Charlotte! I have a bone to pick with you about the proper decency of a lady!”

“I’m fine! I know all about the proper decency of a lady!” Charlotte protested. “P-Please let go of me!”

When I returned to my room, I spotted Alicia trying to drag a struggling Charlotte from my room. Best to let sleeping dogs lie, as they say, and so I held my tongue and watched my retainer get dragged away and disappear down the stairs.

I stared for a moment. “I guess I’ll go wash up before dinner too.”

“Oiiink!!!” I groaned in satisfaction.

The bath was so relaxing that I couldn’t help the snort that escaped me. Though the bathing room was a tad smaller than the ones at school, the inn’s bath was way more comfortable and relaxing. At school, the baths were always noisy, and you could forget about having any privacy. I always had someone’s eyes on me, even there. Above all, I hated letting others see this chubby body of mine.

I slowly sank into the bath until I was fully submerged below the steaming water, letting my thoughts flow to the front of my mind. Tomorrow morning, the Royal Knights would come to this inn for the audience. Which ones will be coming? I wondered. I was curious, I had to admit. I decided I’d have to peek in on their conversation with Alicia.

Other than that...I was a little worried about the relationship between Alicia and Charlotte. Earlier, Charlotte seemed to be walking on eggshells around Alicia and trying to be considerate of her, but Alicia didn’t seem to care. It reminded me of the dream I had, and that reminded me that she was no different now from how she was back then... Even when we were kids, she’d never approved of Charlotte. But I think it’ll work out somehow. Those two are good at communicating with others, unlike me...

I heard a muffled voice from above the water call out to me. “Oi, milord, you all right? You’re turning bright red!”

Oops, I nearly drowned myself in the bathtub. I sat up quickly, nodding over at the man in acknowledgment. Guess I better get going before I start getting dizzy. Besides, Charlotte and Alicia are probably getting out right about now too. I sighed inwardly. Ugh, Alicia made me follow her around during her shopping today, so I’m exhausted in a different way than usual...

“What a gross sound... The young lord sounded like an orc in heat...” the man who’d called out muttered.

“Yeah, you’d think we were in a dungeon or something, hearing that kind of noise,” another replied.

Wait a minute. Will I really be able to get any sleep tonight...? There was only one bed in our room. I’d have to share a bed with Charlotte.

I mean, it’s only the first day since we came to town. I-Isn’t it way too early for something like this to happen? But Charlotte didn’t seem to mind me there at all. She said that she didn’t have any issue with sharing a bed with me, even though Alicia got mad at her for saying so. That’s how little Charlotte minded. Me, on the other hand? My heart is racing, oink...

It turned out I’d worried for nothing. A thick-skinned intruder ruined the moment my naive little heart had anticipated, her snores loud in the otherwise quiet room. Damn, she’s so loud!

Alicia’s sleeping face was deceptively innocent and a stark contrast to her usual haughty scowl. Especially considering she’d wedged herself between me and Charlotte, claiming the middle of the giant bed as if she owned the place. I’d thought, maybe somewhat stupidly, that if I waited long enough she’d give up and head back to her room. I never expected her to actually sleep in here.

On Alicia’s other side, my angel lay facing my way, making it easy for me to see her looking innocent and adorable in deep sleep. Her snow-white skin, her soft cheeks, her pajamas ruffled in a state which I couldn’t bear to look at directly—

“Oink... Oiiink...” To translate that from orc-speak to human-speak, my snorts basically said, “I can’t sleep.”

Thanks to Alicia, I’d calmed down some, but now my head swam with the realization that I was sharing a bed with not one but two girls. My nickname was the “human orc,” remember? Could an orc like me actually sleep in the same room as two human maidens?

Oink! Oiiink!

I screamed internally, trying to both contain and release my pent-up nerves. Phew, that calmed me down a bit. My thoughts were still in shambles, but I pretended hard that I was calm and closed my eyes. For some reason, my eyes had been glued to the snow-white nape of Alicia’s neck, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away even if I tried. The fragrance of milk and perfume blending together wafted my way.

No, stop! I won’t give in to such worldly desires. I rolled over to put my back to the other two.

“O-Oink!”

...Annnd promptly fell onto the floor with a loud thud. Nobody woke up; I felt a jab of sadness. At least on the bright side, the cool floor felt nice against my way-too-warm body. At this rate, it’s probably easier for me to sleep on the floor than on the bed. For the sake of my sanity. With that particular worry behind me, my eyelids grew heavy.

I’ll just have to tell Tina the floors were just as comfortable to sleep on as the beds.

●

A girl with outstanding grace—but slightly less outstanding proportions underneath her nightgown—moved forward to stare at the boy who had fallen onto the ground.

The boy had groaned earlier before suddenly falling off the bed and passing out there. He mumbled in his sleep, snorting like an orc.

“Oink...Charlotte...I can’t eat that...”

Even if he had lost a bit of weight, nobody in their right mind would’ve ever guessed that he belonged to one of the most prestigious noble houses in the country, what with how pathetic he looked.

Exasperated, Alicia sighed for the umpteenth time. At this point, she’d lost count of how many times she’d caught herself sighing at him. He’d catch a cold at this rate, which wasn’t ideal, so she took pity on him and dropped a bedsheet over him. It fluttered in the air as it fell, and Slowe snorted in his sleep. Is he trying to thank me or something with that snort? Alicia wondered. At any rate, it wasn’t like she could make heads or tails of the sounds he made.

Alicia closed her eyes, overcome with memories from ages ago.

Her country, Cirquista, sometimes called the Country of the Water Dragon, was a major nation in the southern half of the continent. As a princess of such a major power, she had, once upon a time, been betrothed to Slowe, third son of one of the most powerful noble families in the Country of Knights.

Alicia had heard that House Denning’s Prodigy of Wind had many potential suitresses. An honorable princess from a small country; the daughter of a hero; a talented mage from Minerva, the Country of Sorcery; and even offers for a hand in marriage from non-human creatures. Or so she’d heard, anyway, and the list went on and on.

Though she didn’t know how or why, out of all those offers, Alicia was chosen to be his fiancée.

“Oink...Oink...Charlotte... Bugs...are definitely no good...”

She had been proud of the arrangement, thinking that it had been fitting for her. The prodigy of House Denning was so famous that his name was known far and wide throughout the entire continent, and on some days, Alicia fantasized. In those fantasies, he was her Prince Charming who came to free her from her suffocating life, tied down by things like duty and lineage in her home country. Well...it wasn’t just some days. More like every single day.

But those halcyon days ended all too soon. People said that the Prodigy of Wind cracked and that his personality twisted and warped into something hideous. After that, Alicia’s visits to the Denning lands came further and further apart until they stopped entirely. In the end, this engagement, which began without her knowledge or consent, also ended without her knowledge or consent.

Isn’t that way too unfair? she’d thought at the time. How come I never got any say in the matter?

Determined to discover the truth with her own eyes, even though she was very late to the party, Alicia traveled all this way to enroll in Kirsch and find out what became of her former fiancé. She was crushed to find the person she knew was no more, replaced instead by a new species of orc that left only problems in his wake.

...Or at least, that’s what he was for a long time.

“Oink...Charlotte... Don’t...point your wand...at me...”

Lately, he was different. He’d changed. The moment he’d saved her from the mercenary when he’d picked up on the wordless message she’d tried so hard to convey... She felt as if the boy she’d once known came back, and that made her happy.

“Charlotte...I don’t need...potion...”

She retraced the tangled threads of her memories, one by one. Nobody could see inside her heart, and that was all the more reason why she couldn’t help but continue to journey down memory lane.

Alicia finally drifted off to sleep, the last of the three of them. And if she slept more soundly than usual because the presence of the boy who smiled at her in those long-gone memories was so close by...well, that was her secret, and she wouldn’t tell.

●

“Master Slowe. Master Slowe.” Someone was shaking me.

Ugh, who is it? It’s still early in the morning. I planned on sleeping in as much as I could today, you know. “Mmm?” I let out a muffled groan.

“Please wake up, it’s already afternoon! And why are you on the floor?!”

“Huh? Charlotte...” I mumbled. Peering past Charlotte, I found I didn’t recognize the ceiling above us.

Where am I? I’m not in my room, and this doesn’t look like the campus. Huh? What? Why don’t I know where I am, oink? Also, why am I sleeping on the ground? I looked around. There was a bedsheet on top of me. “Oh... That’s right, we’re in Yoram.”

“Yes. Here you go.” Charlotte handed over a damp cloth to me, and I scrubbed my face hard with it. Though I was still half asleep, it helped clear my mind a little. “Master Slowe, would you like some herbal tea? It’s very nice.”

“Yes, please, oink.” On reflex, I accepted the cup she held out to me. I took a sip and a pleasant warmth spread through me from head to toe. The tea was refreshing, a mild and delicate flavor I wasn’t expecting. This is probably from the first pick of the season, huh? I heaved a contented sigh.

Spotting the disheveled sheets on the bed, my memories of last night resurfaced. “Wait, where’s Alicia?” I only just realized that the noisy girl from yesterday was missing.

“She returned to her room just now. I think we overslept. It’s probably because this bed is so soft,” Charlotte said.

“True, it is very soft.” I nodded.

“How would you know? You slept on the floor, remember?”

“Oh, yeah... Anyway, Charlotte, when were the Royal Knights coming to greet Alicia again?”

“Um... I heard footsteps in the corridor just now, so I think they just arrived. That’s why I woke you up in a rush.”

“Wait, they’re already here?!” I hurriedly did my morning rituals and got dressed. I was curious, wondering if I’d see the Royal Knights from the anime with my own two eyes as I walked out into the corridor.

The door to the suite next to mine stood slightly ajar.

I crept up to the door and peered into the room. There, in front of Alicia, two men in plain clothing knelt on the carpet with their heads bowed. I could hear them talking.

You wouldn’t have been able to tell from their clothing that they were Royal Knights, but their aura gave them away as being more than mere commoners. If I had to put it into words, they exuded the charisma of people who held power. They probably chose to forego their signature white capes so as to keep a low profile, but it was obvious to anyone with an eye for combat that these were extraordinary people.

“It is nice to meet you, Your Highness. I hail from an earl house, and—” The Royal Knight’s speech drifted through the cracked door.

So that’s one of the knights participating in the Guardian trial in this town, huh? They must stand out even amongst other knights in the Order. I leaned in just a bit more to listen closer, but behind me, Charlotte was frozen stiff for some reason. Why is she so tense and nervous? I wondered. Still, I expected more people.

There were two Royal Knights there, kneeling before Alicia. I recognized Oliver, since I’d already met him once before, during the incident with No Face. He was the one who had led the group of Royal Knights in answering Headmaster Morozov’s request for aid.

“I know of you, Sir Oliver, the famed Flower Knight. You were the charming knight who accompanied Her Majesty the Queen when she journeyed abroad. A member of the royal family of the country you visited offered you their hand in marriage, did they not? You stand out even among your peers in the Order,” Alicia said.

“That’s all in the past... I am ashamed of myself that you’ve heard such an embarrassing story,” Oliver replied, a small bashful smile upon his lips.

“But you turned that proposal down, didn’t you? It’s a shame. You could have become royalty,” Alicia commented.

“I have sworn my eternal loyalty to the royal family. That is all the reason I need to live. I need no other.”

“...You chose loyalty over love, I see. I should have expected nothing less from a knight in the Country of Knights, unlike a certain someone.”

“Master Slowe, Master Slowe,” Charlotte whispered to me at length. “Those are the great White Capes, huh?”

Charlotte seemed to be worked up at seeing the Royal Knights in person, but my eyes were fixed on one man—the man kneeling next to Oliver. I squinted.

“O lovely princess from the Country of the Water Dragon, my name is Sepith Pendragon.” My, my, what a silky voice he had, and a handsome face to match. His light ashen blue hair was slicked back in a neat style.

Something had been bugging me about him for a while. I felt like I recognized him from somewhere, but for the life of me, I couldn’t remember where. His good looks were memorable enough that I definitely wouldn’t have forgotten about him if I saw him somewhere, but...

“To think that a beautiful princess like you would choose to study at our prestigious Kirsch Mage Institute... I am envious of your fellow students.” The Royal Knight made theatrical gestures as he spoke, his gaze never once straying from Alicia.

Oh... It was him. Though his name and face didn’t ring any bells right off the bat, hearing his suave and honeyed words made me realize who he was. I didn’t just recognize the sight of that Royal Knight. I knew of him. Not just knew of him in passing either. This was the Traitor Knight, Sepith.

In Shuya Marionette, he had abused his position as Guardian Knight and kidnapped the crown princess, Her Highness Carina. He was the terrible prick who tried to hand Princess Carina over to the Empire! He was one of the most memorable antagonists of the anime. What in the world was he doing here?!

“Master Slowe, that Royal Knight over there is very dashing,” Charlotte whispered feverishly.

Sepith was the epitome of tall, lean, and handsome; he had a distinctly high nose bridge, and his lips were at just the right spot on his face. He had eyes like a hawk, and one look was enough to leave a fully grown man quaking in his boots.

It was clear that if he walked the streets in town, many women would exclaim in delight and do what they could for a second glimpse of him. Even Charlotte was captivated just by the sight of him, but... I couldn’t help but grit my teeth, immediately set on edge by this guy.

This man was a traitor, fated to betray Daryth and side with the Dustour Empire.

“Your Highness, it was I who humbly requested this audience with you today,” Sepith said.

“You did? Um...” Alicia fumbled for words.

“Please call me Sepith, Your Highness. I am still but an inexperienced novice among the Royal Knights. I have few opportunities to meet the royalty of other countries like this, but I am confident that I will be the one who becomes the Guardian Knight.” Sepith lifted his head from where he knelt to take Alicia’s hand in his and pressed a kiss to it. His movements were so smooth that Alicia didn’t even have the time to decline. “Even in my dreams, I could not have imagined that I would ever lay eyes on such a beautiful flower as you.”

Oh dear, Alicia’s gone all red.

“Wooow, I’ve never seen Alicia lose her cool like that before,” Charlotte whispered behind me. “He’s so different from the noble students at school!”

“Royal Knights are the face of this country, and they often meet important people from other countries. They are way more refined in their conduct compared to the common noble.”

“That just makes him seem even more dashing.”

“Hmm... I don’t know about that.”

Charlotte was over the moon getting to see the Royal Knights up close, and she started shaking my shoulder hard as she gushed about it. I continued glaring at Sepith even as she rocked me back and forth with the force of her excitement.

Sepith was currently a Royal Knight, and not yet Princess Carina’s personal Guardian Knight. Was he a friend or a foe? Was he already planning on siding with the empire? I didn’t have enough information to tell whether he’d already planned on betraying Daryth.

“So, have you found the people responsible?” Alicia said, composing herself and falling back into her haughty attitude. Even in front of the Royal Knights, she was her usual proud self. The two Royal Knights tensed slightly in response to her question. Charlotte started shaking my shoulders harder at that, proving that I wasn’t just hearing things.

“Sepith, I shall take it from here.” Oliver was the first one to speak up between the two of them. My impression of Oliver was that he was a very serious and uptight man, and I could understand why Professor Loco Moco found him hard to deal with.

“Your Highness, the bandit group in this town seems to have decided to play it safe, and they have concealed themselves in the shadows. Doubtless being pursued in Cirquista was strenuous for them.”

“Well, of course it was. Our military is as powerful as it is relentless. I almost want to compliment them for escaping our clutches. Their luck is about to run out, though, what with two Royal Knights in town to sniff them out.” Alicia looked pleased and prideful.

“A single Royal Knight fights with the force of an entire army. A mere group of bandits cannot even hope to put up a fight against us. As a fellow ally in the Great Southern Alliance, and as Cirquista’s friend, we will destroy your enemy, Your Highness,” Sepith declared. “We shall not fail you.”

The two knights certainly carried themselves with confidence, and I could see that they had no doubt they would find the bandits with no trouble. I, on the other hand, very much had doubts about that. Sure, the Royal Knights were unmatched in their ability to protect someone, but these were knights who lived in the light, while the bandits lived in the shadows. These two factions belonged to completely different worlds. Could these Knights really find the bandits who slithered around the shadows of the underworld?

“May I deal the last blow to the head of the bandit group? The one called Borguie? I came to this town for that reason and that reason alone,” Alicia said.

“Yes, of course. You may do as you please, Your Highness,” Sepith replied.

The heavy atmosphere lifted a bit at that. However...

Both of the Royal Knights had been facing Alicia this entire time, but one of them—Sepith Pendragon—suddenly stood up and whirled around. His eyes met mine. I had been spying on the audience from outside the door the whole time, and now I’d definitely been caught.

“And, would that boy over there be the notorious Slowe Denning himself? The mage trainee who dared to barge his way into the honorable and esteemed Guardian Selection?”

“Sepith, he’s the warrior of House Denning who caught that mercenary,” Oliver said, warning clear in his tone.

Sepith sized me up, almost as if he was calculating my worth.

No point in hiding now. I stepped into the room and faced the two Knights who now both were on their feet. Tension hung thick over the room once more. Sepith, for one, didn’t hide his hostility towards me at all.

“Sir Oliver, how are you able to keep up such a neutral demeanor?” Sepith said as he frowned. “We have shed blood, sweat, and tears to claw our way to get here, yet this rookie is going to cut in midway through the Guardian Selection.”

“He joined at the behest of the Knight Commander. It is not for us to question his judgment. What is clear, however, is that the mercenary’s capture was just that significant to the Commander. I asked Loco Moco to recount the incident to me directly at the school, and by Loco Moco’s account, this young man stands toe-to-toe with any of us Royal Knights,” Oliver said.

“Loco Moco Highland is a shameless man who chose to retire from his position as a Royal Knight,” Sepith spat. “Is there any merit in taking such a man at his word?”

“That’s enough, Sepith. That man is currently Princess Alicia’s professor as well.”

Alicia spoke up. “I don’t mind. That man is, well...” Behind the two knights, Alicia looked fed up. Even though No Face had taken her hostage and put her life in danger, it was Alicia who started saying that even she was a better teacher than Loco Moco.

“It is unheard of for a member of House Denning to enter the Guardian Selection, let alone a direct descendant.” Sepith turned to me. “You aren’t off the hook either, rookie. Why did you accept the request? Surely you are aware of the relationship between the Order and House Denning, and their secret non-interference agreement between Duke Denning and the Knight Commander.” Though his tone was civil, his expression was anything but. Man, if looks could kill...

This guy’s so troublesome... I thought. Running his mouth off and acting oh-so high and mighty, but what are you really thinking? Do you already intend to betray Daryth? I know the future, you know! But they’d offered me a chance to make my case, and I planned to make full use of it.

“First, I would like to make this clear: I don’t have the slightest intention of becoming a Royal Knight, much less the Guardian Knight. I couldn’t decline the cardinal’s request because his will is second only to those of the royal family. If you have a problem with that, I suggest that you bring it up directly with the cardinal, the Knight Commander you work under, and not me.”

Since I knew the future, I was wary of Sepith. He didn’t like me before, so his impression after meeting me in person now is probably a bratty kid or something. Oh well, I don’t really want to get along with him either. Besides, to be honest, these two Royal Knights and I are on equal footing here.

Amongst the aristocracy of Daryth, my family was a noble house that reigned at the very top. Every direct descendant of House Denning was treated as an adult once they reached the age of fifteen. Even though I was the infamous human orc, I still counted as a full-fledged adult as far as House Denning and the rest of Daryth were concerned, so I had leverage where other kids my age did not.

I continued. “Second, I am the Fallen Wind. I don’t stand a chance of winning the Guardian Selection, certainly not when the competition is active duty Royal Knights. Or... Sepith Pendragon, was it? Are you really so threatened by me that you think you can’t win against me?”

“You impudent little...” Sepith muttered.

“Sepith.” Oliver cut sharply into the conversation. “The Knight Commander probably wishes to give us a sense of urgency, letting the student who neutralized the mercenary so marvelously join us. The bandit group seems like a much easier opponent than that mercenary, but we still haven’t found any leads to them... I understand you’re anxious over one of the spaces for entering the dungeon being taken, but don’t take it out on him.”

“Sir Oliver, that news is—” Sepith began, but Oliver stopped him with a gesture of his hand.

“It’s fine. It’s common knowledge already, even among the curious commoners.” Oliver smiled wryly.

“May I ask what you mean by ‘entering the dungeon’?” I asked.

“You haven’t heard of it, hmm?” Oliver turned to address Alicia. “Rumors of the list of final contenders are popular on the streets as well. Have you heard such rumors, Your Highness?”

Alicia shook her head.

However, there probably wasn’t any point thinking about the contents of the trial to become the Guardian Knight, or who would win. Not for me, at least. I knew the future, and in that future, it was this Sepith Pendragon who fought his way and claimed glory in the Guardian Selection.

“I see that the information hasn’t reached the mage school. There’s a man who the princess has taken a liking to, and they are not a Royal Knight. They are a normal civilian... A commoner, and nothing more. They say that man is currently the top candidate,” Oliver explained.

Who could that be? I could hardly believe that a commoner of all people would be the top candidate for the Guardian Knight, but this was coming from Oliver, someone participating in the trial himself. It must’ve been the truth.

However, Sepith Pendragon became the Guardian Knight in the anime. If that’s the case, what in the world happened in the Guardian Selection? I wondered. It was beyond me. Now that I thought about it, there were a lot of things that I didn’t know, even though I had knowledge from the anime. It was quite interesting.

“Well then, Your Highness. Now that our meeting is over, I shall take my leave. The next time we meet will be when I drag Borguie, the head of the bandits, to your feet.”

“Mister Oliver? What do you mean?” Alicia was puzzled.

“As you know, my face is known among the citizens, and I am the famous Flower Knight, to boot. My presence at your side could draw unwanted attention, and people might start speculating on your identity. In the worst-case scenario, the bandits might realize that you are Cirquistan royalty.” Oliver turned to Sepith. “Sepith, you are a relatively new face in the Order, and not many civilians would recognize you on sight.”

Oliver continued, facing Alicia again. “Please do not worry, Your Highness. I vouch for Sepith’s abilities. He is a fearsome knight. As for you, young Denning, I ask that you lend us your insight which helped you catch the mercenary.”

“Understood, Sir Oliver,” Sepith replied. “Rookie, try not to get in our way.”

And thus I received two very different kinds of welcomes from the two Royal Knights.

“You’re taking too long, Master Slowe! Lady Alicia is peeved!”

Just before he left, Oliver suggested that we all have a meal together to familiarize ourselves with each other. He probably sensed the tension between Sepith and me. Sepith nodded, begrudgingly agreeing to his suggestion. But how in the world could I entertain the thought of us playing nice with each other? I knew the future, so I knew such a thing was impossible.

But all things considered, I needed to at least be acquainted with him, even if our relationship was civil, at best.

“Master Slowe!”

“Oink...” I reluctantly stood up from my chair to join the others.

Sepith brought us to a restaurant located in the middle of a residential street. The wooden shop front was a little shabby-looking, and other than the waitstaff, we were the only ones there.

“You’ve brought such adorable young ladies with you. You should’ve taken them to a much nicer place than mine, Sepith. A nice, fancy restaurant, not a place where a single kumul silver lets you eat your fill. Ladies decide a man’s worth based on the quality of the shops he brings them to, you know...” The woman paused. “Oh, but I haven’t seen young ladies like these anywhere in this town.”

It was a little early for dinner, but Sepith must’ve contacted the restaurant about our arrival beforehand. Based on how he chatted amicably with the lady shopkeeper at the counter, I could hazard a guess that they were pretty familiar with each other.

“I heard that Mister Sepith started coming here often once he arrived here in town,” Charlotte said.

“Oh, really?” Alicia muttered. “For a Royal Knight, his habits are surprisingly similar to those of a commoner.”

Perhaps that was the reason why Sepith, who’d been nothing but uptight, seemed to relax the moment he entered the shop. Honestly, seeing his face soften even the smallest bit took me by surprise. The Traitor Knight always came across as tense and strained in the anime.

“Apologies for keeping you waiting while we talked. They’re preparing our food right now, but it will take some time. We’ll have to wait for a bit,” Sepith said.

“I don’t mind,” Alicia replied. “I have to say, Mister Sepith, from the looks of it, you come to this restaurant quite often.”

“I do. I have come here every single day since I started staying in this town. To be honest, the Gordoni Inn where you’re staying is so lavish that it makes me feel uncomfortable.”

“Wow, you’re staying at the Gordoni? I had my suspicions when an extravagant beauty like you came in. Even the chubby boy over there seems to have had a fine upbringing. So you were nobles after all...” The woman trailed off. “Sorry, my restaurant probably doesn’t meet your standards at all.”

“No, not at all,” Alicia assured. “It’s true that I don’t visit places like this very often, but I feel very relaxed here.”

Both the lady at the counter and Sepith looked relieved to hear her say that. What was he truly thinking, though? I wondered. Sepith hailed from a marquess house, a relatively high ranking in the aristocracy that fell above the rank of earl and below that of a duke. He had become a Royal Knight at some point, dashing down the highway of success and glory, but in the end he betrayed his country.

And I knew why. I knew about how deep the darkness in him ran, and I knew the tragic future that awaited him. I knew very well that he hated Daryth with every fiber of his being.

“Sorry for the wait. Here you go.” The woman placed our meals onto the stone table before us. “I hope this is to my lord’s and ladies’ liking, even just a little...”

The meals were simple cuisines, consisting of grilled chicken and barley rice with a side of vegetable soup. Alicia stared at the food, her eyes wide as saucers. This was commoners’ food, and it was completely different from the food in Kirsch, where every dish was made painstakingly artistic.

The homely cooking made me feel all warm inside. Charlotte even asked for seconds.

“I wonder if she’d be shocked to find out that her regular is actually a Royal Knight,” Alicia murmured across the table.

“Your Highness,” Sepith said at length. “This is the only place in town I feel at home in. Please don’t joke like that.”

Alicia chuckled. “I’ll keep it to myself, then.”

Sepith’s every action was calculated and impeccable, not even letting something as undignified as eating keep him from letting his composure drop. Looking at him really convinced me that I could never become a Royal Knight; it seemed way too tiring to have to be so mindful of yourself every waking hour of the day. Probably when you were sleeping too.

“Forgive me for changing the topic, Your Highness, but I’d like to make a request of you,” Sepith said.

“What is it?”

“Please refrain from going out alone. If you wish to do any shopping, you can send out the staff at Gordoni to do it in your stead.”

Alicia was silent for a moment. “Are you ordering me to stay and wait obediently in the inn? Sepith, the reason I accepted your audience was—”

“I understand how you feel,” Sepith said, cutting Alicia off. “But please leave the bandits to us. I wish to avoid putting you in danger at all costs, Your Highness. I will bring that Borguie before you; this I swear on the honor of my House.”

“If you’re willing to go that far,” Alicia said slowly after a moment’s pause, “then I understand. I will do as you ask.”

During this exchange, a dark emotion flashed in Sepith’s eyes briefly. I didn’t miss it. So the marquess house of Pendragon was truly the root of his problem, after all.

If I remembered correctly, the hate Sepith had for Daryth stemmed from his fury at his father, the marquess Pendragon. See, Sepith was born a bastard child to a noble father and a commoner mother, and Sepith resented his father and blamed him for his mixed heritage.

Alicia stared at Sepith as well, but probably for different reasons than me. Despite being a Royal Knight, this man had an undeniably dangerous allure about him.

In the anime, Sepith had already betrayed Daryth by the time his character was introduced, so it was strange seeing this man as an actual Royal Knight and not a disgraced one.

“So then, rookie. The Knight Commander has high expectations of you,” Sepith said, turning to me. “How do you intend to find the bandits hiding out in this town?”

“Finding them? I told you this morning that I wasn’t planning on doing anything.”

“If you catch them here, you would be one step closer to becoming the Guardian Knight for the princess. It is the highest honor a noble can earn,” Sepith argued.

“I have no intentions of intruding on your mission,” I said with a shrug. “You Royal Knights are way more qualified to handle this mission, besides the fact that it’s already yours. I only accepted the cardinal’s request so that I didn’t make a bad impression on him or the royal family.”

Sepith’s skeptical gaze still lingered on me. He probably didn’t believe a word that came out of my mouth.

“Mister Sepith, you can believe me when I tell you this guy isn’t lying,” Alicia said. “He really did join me out of curiosity or something. I think he came so that he could sleep and stuff his face all day at the inn.”

“Sleep and stuff my face... Just cut me with your words, why don’t you?” I groaned.

“Am I wrong?” Alicia challenged.

I sighed inwardly. She had no clue about why I came along. I didn’t intend to make her feel like she owed me one or anything, but I did kind of come to Yoram for her sake. I mean, I’m just here in Shuya’s stead, basically. Nothing more, nothing less.

On top of that, I hadn’t counted on a wild card like Sepith showing up, so I wanted to make sure that he didn’t get too chummy with Alicia. I had to keep an eye on him from now on.

“I mean, you’re not wrong, but you could be nicer about it!”

In the anime, Sepith sided with the Dustour Empire so that he could tear down the wall between nobles and commoners. Honestly, I didn’t think that was such a bad thing. For a bastard child like Sepith, being brought up in Daryth’s rigid social structure was probably pretty painful. As a pure-blood noble, nothing I could say would change his opinion and prevent him from betraying the princess and Daryth.

I hated him not for his ends, but for the means he used to get there. This asshole kidnapped the princess and tried to sell her off to Dustour. That was why I didn’t want him to get close to Alicia. Hmm... Ugh, what I wouldn’t give to do something, anything, about Sepith right here, right now.

Sepith turned to Charlotte. “Charlotte, right? As his retainer, do his words ring true to you?” he asked.

“Huh? Me? Um... Yes. I think Master Slowe honestly doesn’t want to become the Guardian Knight,” Charlotte replied meekly.

A beam of light from the window shone gently down on Charlotte as she munched on vegetables blissfully. Alicia, Charlotte, and—though I detested him for that fact—Sepith were all beautiful, a feast for the eyes. It was almost as if I were at a dinner party held by the royal family.

Sepith suddenly paused in the middle of his meal, turning his attention on Charlotte once more. “May I ask you something, miss?” he asked at length.

“Um... Me?”

“This might be a little blunt, but... Are you really a retainer of House Denning?”

Charlotte froze. “Huh?”

“You are very different from the Denning retainers I know, so I couldn’t help but ask. I apologize if that was insensitive of me,” Sepith said. “I just simply cannot wrap my head around the idea of a retainer of House Denning showing vulnerability in public. I can’t say I’d ever expected to see one munching so happily on vegetables like you are.”

“Mister Sepith, Miss Charlotte is genuinely Piggy Slowe’s personal retainer,” Alicia said.

Sepith paused. “From what I have heard, Duke Denning handpicks the personal retainers for his direct descendents himself, but...”

“Miss Charlotte is a special case. This guy,” she said, gesturing broadly at me, “made the decision without his father’s knowledge or permission.”

Charlotte had caught Sepith’s interest. Tsk, she didn’t need to point that out, I thought, annoyed.

“Rookie, why did you pick her as your personal retainer?”

“You know, I was curious about that too. I’ve asked you about it before, but it never felt like you ever gave me a straight answer,” Alicia said.

“Uh, um, well...” Charlotte shrunk into herself, looking troubled by the sudden attention on her.

House Denning brushed off my decision as the whims of a child, and that was how I explained it to Charlotte too. To my trusted companions, though, I confided that Charlotte was special to me, like I did to Silva in that dream I had. What do I say to get them off Charlotte’s back?

Before I could say anything, Sepith shook his head. “No, Your Highness, let us refrain. Clearly we have caused her unnecessary distress.”

“Huh? Aren’t you curious, Mister Sepith?” Alicia asked.

“It seems that there is a long story behind this. Surely they both have their reasons that we’re not privy to, and I think it best we leave it at that.”

Seizing the opportunity to lighten the mood, I turned to Sepith. “The more important question is, who’s footing the bill here? I don’t have any money, just so you know.”

●

Slowe Denning and Alicia Bulla Dia Cirquista were formerly engaged, but it was a well-known fact that their relationship had collapsed beyond repair long ago.

“Piggy Slowe, let me make this clear. Don’t think that I forgave you just because of the incident with the mercenary. I still hate your guts!”

“...You’ve said that several dozen times already since we got here,” he complained.

Alicia had lost track of how many times they’d had this exchange, but it was important to her to drill this point home.

She would emphasize this over and over again until it stuck. Though they used to be engaged, they were nothing more than classmates at the same mage school. Even if both of them were born to prestigious families, Alicia was born to one of the most esteemed royal families in the world. She existed on an entirely different level from Slowe.

Even if they lived under the same roof, he was still beneath her in standing, so it was rare for Alicia to take the initiative to start a conversation with the boy.

“Master Slowe, please tell me when you practice magic! Pinky promise!” Charlotte pleaded.

“Okay, Charlotte. I will. You know, you don’t have to help out with chores here like you did in the school— Aaand she’s off. Ha ha, Charlotte’s so impatient.”

Despite all the reasons not to even give the boy a second thought, however, Alicia had been watching his every move like a hawk. What did he just eat? What was he talking about with his retainer? She watched it all intently. Maybe a little too intently, as the atmosphere in the room became tense and awkward.

The boy’s personal retainer had asked the inn staff whether there was anything she could do to help out, maybe to help ease some of that tension in the air. Tina’s mom had gushed and told her she’d love to have such a lovely girl help out. Apparently, Charlotte ended up at the reception desk, greeting everyone who came through the door with a beaming smile.

Once she was gone, it was finally just the two of them—Alicia and her former fiancé. Alicia finally had an opportunity to talk with him about everything that had happened up until now, but...

“Making a mini earth golem with clay for your homework, huh?” the boy muttered.

“The professor told me that I was improving really quickly, but what do you think, Lord Denning?” asked Tina eagerly.

“You’re doing very well for a mage who’s only been using magic for a few weeks. You aren’t just able to give the golem a specific shape, you’re even able to make it move! That’s amazing.”

Two small earth golems, each no bigger than a fist, marched across the carpet that lined the inn’s floor. One of the golems started performing little gymnastic moves with a shocking amount of grace.

“Wow, your mini golem can even do a right-about-face!” the girl exclaimed.

“I can even make it do an Arabian flip! Or complex martial arts, even!”

Piggy Slowe and a commoner girl—who was apparently the innkeeper’s only child—were using magic to create earth golems and making them move. Alicia had been surprised to learn that not only could this commoner use magic, but that the girl was a first-year student at Kirsch.

The girl had said that she took advantage of the long weekend this week to come back home.

“Oh yeah, the textbook said that one can tell how skilled a mage is from the material they use to make their golem. Is the difficulty level that different depending on the material?”

“It’s completely different. You can generally tell an earth mage’s skill by how hard of a material they’re able to manipulate. I think that’s why you started practicing with a soft material in class, Tina. But the requirement to be considered a fully-fledged earth mage is being able to make a golem from bronze.”

“B-Bronze? I see... Looks like I’ll need a lot of raw materials to practice with. I’m practicing with clay at the moment, but in the future...”

“Earth mages surprisingly end up tight on money because of the costs of the materials they use, or so they say.”

“By the way, what’s the hardest material you can manipulate, Lord Denning?”

“Me? In my case, when I was young—”

There was a table with drinks between Alicia and the two people absorbed in their conversation on magic. A textbook lay open on the ground beside them as they practiced, the two of them so close that their shoulders almost touched. The sight of the dopey grin on the pathetic pig irritated Alicia even further.

Why the heck is a commoner following him around like a puppy? Alicia thought. Ah, ow! Alicia had been sitting on the sofa when a mini earth golem ran into her foot and toppled over, its arms and legs flailing wildly after it fell.

“Ah, I-I’m so sorry, Lady Cirquista! Sorry about my mini golem disturbing you in the middle of your reading!” Tina hastily apologized.

The pair had been practicing a spell that was part of the earth-focused Study of the Six Greater Magics class. Tina’s assignment was to make a mini earth golem with arms and legs out of clay and then to make it walk. Though simple enough on paper, it required very precise and meticulous control of magic. Alicia knew that it was one of the first big obstacles for an earth mage.

Alicia ran a hand through her long, fair hair and said in an indifferent tone, “Well, do your best.” Alicia looked down once again to her book and said nothing further.

“Wow, I was able to make it jump thanks to your advice, Miss Charlotte! I should’ve expected nothing less! I’d heard that you were good at magic, but you’re good at teaching it too!” Staring at her mini golem hopping like a bunny, Tina grinned in delight.

Charlotte looked pleased with herself for having helped guide Tina through the process. Beside them, Slowe looked less than convinced, watching with a dubious expression and clearly holding his tongue.

“I might not look it, but I’ve been a mage for over ten years. I studied a lot back at House Denning too, so I won’t lose to a student of Kirsch if we’re just talking about theory! Doing maid work isn’t all that I do!”

“Miss Charlotte, you’re so cool!”

“Heh heh heh...”

Slowe had brought Charlotte over to join their little magic lesson, apparently belatedly remembering his promise to tell Charlotte when they started.

“You’re quite talented, Tina, so I think you can definitely make it jump even higher! Let’s push you all the way to your limits! It’s really important to know your limits first when it comes to studying magic!”

“Wow, Charlotte’s making sense for once...” Slowe muttered.

“Master Slowe, that’s so mean! I always make sense!”

“Well, I mean... I have no idea where you learned some of the ridiculous stuff you talk about when it comes to magic.”

Alicia pretended that she was engrossed in her book and eavesdropped on their conversation. She was a dual-element mage of water and earth, so she couldn’t deny that she was interested. She leaned a little more towards water magic, but that didn’t change the fact that she had to practice earth magic too. But something bugged her.

“I’ll try! I’ll push myself to the limit!” Tina declared.

“Good luck, Tina! I’m rooting for you!”

Namely, the commoner girl’s attitude towards Slowe. Before Charlotte joined them, that commoner girl had been near hanging off of his shoulder, occasionally giving him affectionate touches. Alicia couldn’t understand how that problem student of Kirsch could garner such admiration from anyone, much less from a girl.

Hmph. He’s so full of himself, getting carried away and showing off because a commoner girl is fawning over him... Ugh.

“Go forth, mini golem! Do a big jump! Flyyy!” Tina yelled.

While Alicia had been deep in her thoughts and simmering in irritation, the mini golem leaped from where it stood on the carpet. It cleared the height of the table and soared past it—

—clear over to the sofa and straight into Alicia’s face.

“Ow! What in the world...?!” Alicia yelped.

Like a puppet with its strings cut, the mini golem fell onto Alicia’s lap and went still. Alicia stared down at the earth golem and connected the dots. The commoner girl dared to...!

The temperature of the room plunged, becoming positively frosty. Tina froze, realizing the gravity of her error in hitting the actual princess Alicia. Slowe hurriedly spoke up in Tina’s defense. “A-Alicia... Don’t be angry... T-Tina didn’t mean to do that, it was just an accident.”

Alicia held her tongue for a long moment while she collected herself. “I-Indeed. I know that. Sh-She just has to be more careful next time,” she said through gritted teeth.

They say that bad things always come in threes. Of course something would happen while Slowe was in the bathroom for the hundredth time that day.

“B-Blowing up a cute little mini golem?! Really, Miss Charlotte?! Members of House Denning even use something like a mini golem as a weapon?!”

“That’s right, Tina. Don’t tell anyone else about this, okay?”

Alicia sat cross-legged on the sofa with her book, pointedly ignoring the group and their earth magic shenanigans. They were really getting on her nerves.

“You know all sorts of things, Miss Charlotte. I should’ve expected nothing less from a retainer who trained at House Denning. You’re so cool.”

Charlotte giggled, sounding proud of herself. “Though I may not look like it, I am Master Slowe’s retainer. He’s a direct descendant of House Denning, after all.”

“Wow, if you shine any brighter you might blind me! Still, House Denning is amazing. Your way of thinking about magic is completely different from mine. Using a cute little mini golem like this for combat never even crossed my mind.”

Charlotte telling Tina about House Denning using mini golems in combat was the catalyst for the events that followed.

Charlotte and Tina had slowly but surely gotten friendly with each other at Kirsch. Though Charlotte was treated as a failure of a mage in House Denning, she was still an official retainer with over ten years of experience as a mage. She really enjoyed teaching Tina, a beginner at magic, so she was more talkative than usual as she shared myriad tricks and tips with her.

“Tina, while it is important for a mage to know their own limits, it’s also important to challenge yourself by trying new things.”

“That’s a really wise way of putting it... Okay, I’ll try!”

Charlotte had said that one day, Tina might have to use her magic to fight monsters as a mage. Tina, a huge glutton for knowledge, decided to try blowing up her mini golem. She did as Charlotte instructed and made a new mini golem, this time out of wet mud instead of dried clay. It never even occurred to them that this might dirty the room. After placing the mini golem on the table, the two took cover in the bedroom, their heads peeking out from behind the door.

“Ahem,” Tina cleared her throat. “Mini golem... Explooode!!!”

After Tina cast her spell, the mini golem on the table blew apart, mud flying in all directions. Tina and Charlotte watched from a distance, their hearts racing.

“Yay!” Tina cheered. “Success! What d’you think, Miss Charlotte?! I did it!”

“Amazing, Tina! Amazing! You really did it!”

It was a huge success. Indeed, such an explosion would serve as an excellent diversion even when facing monsters. However, in their excitement, Charlotte and Tina had completely forgotten about the third person in the room.

“Y-You two! Come out here right now!”

The two froze, only realizing their blunder when they laid eyes on Alicia covered from head to toe with mud. Alicia quaked with anger. They hadn’t gotten mud on just her beautiful face; her clothes were sullied too.

“U-Um... Lady Cirquista... I-It wasn’t on purpose,” Tina stammered.

“You commoner! You hit my foot with your golem, then you hit my face, and now you’ve covered me in mud! Are you trying to pick a fight with me?!”

Tina squeaked. “I’m so sorry! Th-That wasn’t my intention at all!” She bowed her head in apology over and over again. Tina looked like a cowering small critter being stared down by a mammoth.

“And you, Miss Charlotte!” Alicia rounded on Charlotte, who was still hiding in the bedroom.

“Huh?! Me?!”

“Yes, you! This is mostly your fault! What were you thinking, teaching a commoner such a dangerous spell?! Didn’t they teach you not to spill anything you learned at House Denning to anyone?!”

Charlotte froze too. They did say something like that to her, now that she thought about it. She’d completely forgotten that the ways of House Denning were a sworn secret.

“O-Oh no! I-I’m so sorry!”

“Not only that, but you said you were ‘good at’ and ‘knowledgeable about’ magic! But you’re terrible at magic! You would hog his time to have him teach you magic, time he should’ve been spending with me... But even after all that, you haven’t improved, not one little bit! I couldn’t believe how unthinkably bad at magic you were!”

“Y-You didn’t have to go that far...” Charlotte protested.

“Are you saying that I’m wrong?!”

“I-I mean, you’re right...but, Lady Alicia,” Charlotte said, hesitating. “Sh-Shall I clean your face off for you?”

Alicia was still covered in mud. Her unruly sight didn’t befit a princess at all.

“I’m fine! I’m a water mage, unlike you two. This is just a tiny bit of dirt; I can get rid of it easily with magic!”

With a wave of her wand, Alicia summoned a fist-sized sphere of clear water that shimmered and slowly expanded as it hovered in the air.

“Wow, that’s the Aqua Ball spell, right, Lady Cirquista?!”

“I’m trying to concentrate here, commoner. Be quiet, would you? I’ll demonstrate why magic doesn’t exist just for the sake of explosions.”

Tina’s eyes sparkled at the spell she couldn’t dream of mimicking with earth magic. Water magic was the most glamorous out of the Six Greater Magics, and out of them all, it was the element girls most desired. Tina poked the orb excitedly, showering Alicia with effusive praise. Alicia basked in the commoner’s straightforward admiration.

“But isn’t it getting a little too big?” Tina asked.

“I’m covered in mud all over because of your mini golem, so I need an Aqua Ball around this size to clean myself up. Take a good look; I’m going to summon an Aqua Hand now. I’ll show you why water magic is the most convenient out of all the elements.”

An arm made of water stretched out from the water orb. It began to gently wipe Alicia’s muddy cheek—or it would have if it didn’t ignore Alicia’s commands completely. Instead, it wriggled all over the place like a boneless tentacle. Alicia frowned in displeasure and waved her wand once, twice, and then a third time. With each wave, the color drained further from her face.

“Huh? Hey!” Alicia yelled. “Wh-Wha... This isn’t good! Commoner, get out of the way!”

“Huh? Why? It’s such a pretty—”

The orb of water suddenly exploded with a loud pop, unleashing a jet of water over the room.

The three girls could only stand there, dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events. Tina was a tragic sight, having stood closest to the orb when it went off and taken the brunt of the jet. Alicia was now covered in mud and completely drenched. Water seeped down her hair and dripped onto the ground.

Alicia knew clear as day what went wrong. She’d wanted to show off to the commoner, and she’d overestimated her ability to control an Aqua Ball of that size.

“I’m back—”

Slowe snorted, exclaiming in surprise. “Wh-What the heck?! Why are you all drenched in water?! Wait, how did you manage to soak the room like this?!” He paused. “Never mind, I got it... This was your doing, wasn’t it, Alicia?!”

Slowe looked over the drenched, miserable-looking ladies, but quickly averted his gaze when it landed on Tina. He couldn’t look at her straight.

“Ah, welcome back, Lord Denning...” Tina said, quickly followed by a sneeze.

“I won’t bother asking what happened here, so hurry up and get changed so you can go to the baths! I-I mean, you’re all such messes that I can’t even look at you! Tina, you especially! You’ve gotten the worst of it!”

“Huh? Me?” Tina looked down at herself and yelped.

All three girls took a good look at themselves and blushed hard. Their clothes were so drenched, their underwear was showing through the sheer, wet fabric. Even the prideful Alicia had to admit that her earlier spell was a failure. What a disaster.

Steam rose from the hot baths, where the three girls soaked.

“L-Lady Cirquista...” Tina stammered tentatively. “P-People say that failure is the mother of success for magic, and um, I-I failed a lot at first too...”

“E-Exactly,” Charlotte chimed in. “I’m not able to get most spells to go off at all, so Lady Alicia is amazing in my book! The water explosion was really cool. You could scare off a monster and make it run for the hills with an explosion like that!”

For all her big talk, Alicia had completely embarrassed herself with that failed water spell. But instead of getting angry with Alicia at all for the incident, the two girls tried to console her. Alicia’s pride as royalty was torn into shreds. She let herself sink into the water up to her shoulders and closed her eyes, feeling pretty pathetic.

“I’m sorry to you too, Tina. Now that I think about it, Lady Alicia was right. Explosion spells like that aren’t commonly used, so I think you should refrain from using them. Master Slowe often tells me I’m very weird when magic is involved, so...”

“O-Okay, I’ll make sure to not use it at school.”

“Yeah... Also, it would be great if you didn’t tell Master Slowe that I taught you how to explode the golem. When it comes to magic, he’s super strict...” Charlotte smiled weakly.

“Of course. On a slightly different topic, um, have you and Lady Cirquista known each other since you were young?”

“Huh? Us?” Charlotte asked. “Yeah, Lady Alicia is Master Slowe’s fiancée, so...”

“Hold up. Former fiancée, Miss Charlotte, former!!!” Alicia cut in. “That’s very important, so don’t forget to make that distinction!” Alicia couldn’t help but shout angrily in response to such nonsense. Him and me? Still engaged? The thought alone infuriated her.

Charlotte went still as a statue. “S-Sorry, that’s right. That was in the past.”

“Oh, that makes sense. Lord Denning’s retainer and his former fiancée, huh? That’s why you two seem so conscious of each other.”

“Huh?” The two chorused in unison without intending to.

“Once Miss Charlotte came into the room earlier, Lady Cirquista never flipped another page of her book.”

“Is that so, Lady Alicia?”

Alicia said nothing. In an attempt to hide her blush, she sank further into the bath, up to her cheeks. She’s an observant one... That commoner notices even the smallest details, Alicia thought. Not only that, she seemed like the type to tread into people’s personal space with no hesitation, judging from her interaction with him when they’d been working with the golem. Tina wasn’t reserved around that boy even though he was from a powerful noble family and even acted casually around Alicia, who was royalty. There were few people like her in Kirsch. Tina was almost as oblivious as Shuya.

Still, to think that she would actually point out the tension between Charlotte and me... You’d think the child of an innkeeper would have the sense to avoid talking about such sensitive matters! Was this commoner obtuse? Or was there more going on in her head?

“In other words, um... Does that mean that you still like Master Slowe, Lady Alicia?” Charlotte dropped the bombshell.

“Huuuh?! How in the world did you come to that conclusion?!”

“Huh? Am I wrong?”

“You’re so wrong! Completely off the mark!” Alicia denied with fervor.

“Oh, I was mistaken...” Charlotte whispered. There wasn’t a speck of ill intent on her face.

Unlike Charlotte, Tina sensed the incoming danger and sped through the rest of her bath—which someone in Charlotte’s position would normally do—and gave Alicia a wide berth, preparing to beat a hasty retreat if need be.

Alicia looked at Charlotte, who looked back at her with a puzzled expression. Alicia felt a sense of déjà vu. Ah, that’s right. This is why I hated this girl when I was young. She is pure to her core, has no malice, is airheaded and oblivious, and—

“Miss Charlotte, let me make myself clear. Ever since you were young, you’ve been like this! For example—” Grumbling, Alicia went off on Charlotte. She held nothing back, saying things like, “You never think before you speak,” and “Why are you so oblivious?!” Alicia let Charlotte have it, and Charlotte shrunk into herself and mumbled many and varied apologies.

Charlotte seemed to have forgotten all about the things about their childhood that Alicia pointed out. The moment Alicia paused in her tirade, Charlotte slipped so easily back into relaxation mode. It was almost startling, and it made Alicia realize that she was the only one still fixated on the past. The moment she realized that, all tension left her body and her words trailed off.

Seeing Alicia had suddenly gone quiet, Charlotte tilted her head, puzzled. “Um, Lady Alicia?”

Oh yeah... Alicia thought back on the past. When Slowe first changed for the worse, I was so sure that Charlotte would know why. But no matter how many times I interrogated her about it, Charlotte insisted that she didn’t know the reason behind his sudden change, despite being his personal retainer.

After that, Alicia had thought this way for a long time: If I’d been in her position, where I could always be at his side...I would’ve figured out the reason behind his change in a heartbeat.

I always looked down at Charlotte, thought that she was useless as a retainer—that she wasn’t much different from a simple maid.

“In other words, I don’t have any feelings left for him,” Alicia finished. “This is really important, so I want you to make sure you don’t get the wrong idea, Miss Charlotte.”

“Y-Yes, you’re right... I’m sorry, Master Slowe caused you lots of trouble...”

In the end, Alicia thought, nobody knows why he became the Fallen Prodigy of Wind.

The engagement between House Denning and the Cirquistan royal family dissolved long ago. I can’t change what happened. Just how long am I going to let myself be shackled by the illusions of the past? Alicia felt a jab of self-deprecation in her heart.

I’ve always been chained down by the past.

With that thought, Alicia’s anger towards Charlotte suddenly calmed, and she sighed. “It doesn’t matter anymore... Miss Charlotte, I will teach you magic properly and thoroughly sometime. You can’t walk with your head held high as a retainer of House Denning if you don’t improve your skills at magic.”

“Wait, really? That would be a huge help! I actually have quite a hard time being confident...” Charlotte muttered with a tinge of sadness.

“You’re so lucky, Miss Charlotte,” Tina sighed with longing.

“That includes you too, commoner. I’ll show you at school that mistakes like the one earlier happen only once in a blue moon when I’m my usual self.”

Hearing Alicia’s declaration, the two girls beamed immediately. Seeing that, somewhere in Alicia’s heart, she felt a spark of warmth gently spread. It was a strange feeling.

Later that night, a girl with silver hair slept soundly, breathing deeply in and out.

Her face is pretty even when she’s sleeping, Alicia thought. She stealthily leaned towards Charlotte to observe her up close. This girl is really, really cute. Each and every part of her is like a piece of beautiful artwork, each stroke painted with care. Alicia nearly let a sigh escape her.

If Alicia remembered right, Charlotte was of common birth, and yet, she was this pretty. If she hadn’t been affiliated with House Denning with all its warriors, and was born and raised in a more normal household, rumors of her looks would’ve spread through the entire country.

The pig snorted in his sleep. “Stop it... Great Spirit... I will...” He was sleeping on a sofa in the living room, his sleepy mumbling drifting into the bedroom she and Charlotte were sharing. Huh, he snorts in his sleep too. That was a new discovery for Alicia.

She heaved a deep sigh. What Charlotte had said to her in the baths just wouldn’t leave her head, and it was keeping her awake. Do I still like him, you ask? Alicia thought indignantly. Charlotte was very insensitive, just like her master.

No. I don’t like him anymore. There’s no way I do, Alicia thought. She was stuck in this train of thought for a while.

“Oink... Oink... Yeah... I promise...”

Alicia sighed. “I’m here thinking my head off, but he’s probably sleeping without a care in the world...” she mumbled.

Being members of a duke house and of foreign royalty respectively, he and Alicia were special even in Kirsch, where nobles of high status were plentiful. If anything of interest happened regarding either of them, it would be the hottest topic on the rumor mill by daybreak. She never had the opportunity to talk to him one-on-one, not with all the eyes on them as there were.

However, whenever Alicia stuck her hand into her pocket... Whenever she felt the cold surface of the engagement ring, she decided she’d try her best to talk to him, but in the end, she never did muster up the courage to do it.

Even when our eyes met— No, every time our eyes met—

He was always looking somewhere far away...and not at me.

But especially because of all that, this was an important opportunity for me. I’d decided that I wanted to have a good talk with him if I was able to get him alone in Yoram. There are tons of things I’d like to talk about with him, and I’m not exaggerating when I say “tons.” I truly have that much to say.

“...I will be by...side forever... Oink...”

“I strengthened my resolve and my conviction, and yet... That mini golem girl...” Alicia trailed off and sighed.

That commoner girl got in the way. The girl seemed quite eager at that, as if she was provoking Alicia by purposefully showing off how much closer she was to Slowe than Alicia was.

First it was the crybaby Charlotte, his personal retainer, who got in Alicia’s way. This time, it was that first-year commoner mage.

What’s with all these commoners?! I’m not just any noble, you know! I’ve got a prestigious royal heritage! Even crying children would stop in the face of such great royalty! Alicia whined internally, her thoughts running wild. Hmph, I won’t waste my time on commoners. She resolved to hold herself to that, and slowly, she surrendered herself to sleep.

Yet again, she seemed to sleep deeper than usual. It was definitely a strange feeling.

●

It always felt good to wake up early in the morning. It was like I was getting a head start on my day. There weren’t many people around on the streets in the morning, so I could watch the scenery go by as I ran on, undisturbed.

“Oink... Oink... Oink...”

I went for jogs every morning back at Kirsch, and I kept up with it here in Yoram. I enjoyed the peaceful view of the sunlit morning streets, listening to my heavy footfalls echo out into the silence. Even the main street was empty; it felt like running on a track reserved just for me.

I sprinted up the pavement as it wound its way up a hill. Yeah, I’ve gotten way more fit. I turned onto the backstreet and spotted the large men standing in their usual position guarding the gates to the inn.

Today a cute girl had joined them, looking out of place standing next to the burly guards.

“I’m back, Charlotte.”

“I wanted to wake up before you so that I could be the one to wake you up. I thought I would finally get to achieve that today, but I wasn’t able to wake up early enough again. What ungodly hour do you wake up at every morning, Master Slowe?”

“It’s a secret, oink.”

Charlotte paused. “You don’t have to keep it a secret, oink.” She mimicked me as she said it, grinning sheepishly.

She’s way too darn cute!!!

“Speaking of which, Lady Alicia praised you this morning. She said she hadn’t realized how early you woke up every morning. It surprised her.”

“Well, I guessed as much. She’s definitely not a morning person. Usually, she’s still sleeping even after I come back from my morning jog.”

There was a well-maintained flower bed in the middle of the path that led from the gate to the inn. There in the flowerbed lay the Great Spirit of Wind disguised as a black cat, sunbathing leisurely beneath the blossoms. As if they noticed us watching them, the cat cracked open one eye and swished their tail around. Then, they closed their eyes once again and returned to their lazing.

“Oh, it’s that dem—I mean, it’s your cat. I haven’t seen him around lately, but that’s where he was hiding, huh?”

“I saw you calling my kitty ‘demon cat’ to his face once,” Charlotte scolded. “Don’t bully the kitty. That’s awful.”

“...Oink.”

It’s the opposite, really. I’m the one getting bullied. That cat is actually way scarier than a demon; they’re the Great Spirit of Wind, a boss even among spirits, which we humans can’t normally see. Somehow, even after all this time, Charlotte hasn’t realized that her beloved pet is an ancient being.

“So, why are you tagging along with me and Mister Sepith on our investigation?” Alicia said with displeasure.

Alicia was sitting down on a chair in front of the mirror on her dressing table and putting on makeup. Her voice was so clear and sharp that even the hustle and bustle outside the open window didn’t drown it out.

An investigation, huh? Apparently, their plan was to use Alicia as bait to see if the bandit group they were after had realized that Cirquistan royalty was in town. But doing that is practically admitting that the Royal Knights weren’t able to find the bandits on their own merits and need Alicia’s help.

If the situation happened the same as it did in the anime, Sepith was practically guaranteed to pass this stage of the Guardian Selection, no sweat. So how did he find the bandits then? That much was never mentioned in the anime. Something seems fishy about this.

“Sepith said he didn’t mind, so it’s fine. I kinda want to know how much intel the Royal Knights have. We’re technically rivals.”

“Rivals, you say?” Alicia said, barking out a laugh. “Big words for someone who has no interest whatsoever in becoming the Guardian Knight.”

“You’re one to talk,” I retorted. “Why’d you bother with makeup? You’re just going to walk around town.”

Alicia seemed to be torn about which accessories to wear. She was obviously ecstatic about the sudden outing with the handsome Royal Knight.

“My partner isn’t anything like you, Piggy Slowe. Of course I’d make sure to dress well for the occasion.”

“You call me a pig so much that I’m beginning to suspect you’re a parrot. I’ve lost quite a bit of weight, honestly, because I started doing my weight-loss routine again. I’ve been drinking Charlotte’s weight-loss potion every day too.”

“I can’t believe you’re able to drink something like that,” Alicia said, eyeing me and looking vaguely disgusted. “That weight-loss potion is essentially made of a monster’s body fluids, right?”

“It’s less of a problem once you get used to it,” I said with a shrug. “Plus, Charlotte paid quite a handsome sum for the ingredients and made that potion by hand, so of course I’d drink it. I’ve really thinned down lately, though. My neck, for example. I used to have so many double chins, but it’s slimmed way down now.”

I stood in front of the big mirror in my room, staring at my reflection. I was no longer a pig, having successfully thinned down to a point where I could confidently call myself chubby. It was a beautiful transformation, shedding my human-orc image. If I kept this up, it wouldn’t be too long before my uniform size went down one more size.

“Are you still not done? Hurry up already.” I complained. Though I didn’t see what it was, I sure felt it when Alicia pelted me with something she’d had in arm’s reach. “Ow, hey! Why are you so quick to throw stuff at me?! Didn’t you learn in Cirquista to take care of your stuff?”

“It’s because you’re so insensitive!”

“Insensitive?”

Alicia paused. “I’m going to get changed now! Out with you!”

The azure sky was clear; not a cloud in sight. The blinding sun shone upon Yoram, casting strong shadows upon the ground.

We walked around town under the pretense of an “investigation.” I’d invited Tina to join us if she was free, but she’d declined, saying that she had chores to do. She also mentioned something about it being unfair to a certain someone if she got too close to me.

Tina was due to take the last carriage back to Kirsch later this evening, around the time when we’d be returning to the inn. Tomorrow she’d return to her normal school life back at Kirsch; I, on the other hand, would remain in Yoram with Alicia and Charlotte for the time being.

“You cherish your family deeply, Your Highness,” Sepith commented.

“Not at all,” Alicia said at length. “I never actually met that relative before they passed away. I’m only here in this town out of my duty as royalty. Nothing more.”

“You are very honest. And brave.”

“Is that so?”

“You granted us the audience as we requested and you could have returned to Kirsch any time you wished once that was concluded. Yet, you still remain here in Yoram, where those filthy bandits are hiding. I think ‘bravery’ is the only appropriate word to describe it.”

Alicia paused. “When you put it that way, it does sound a little scary.”

If anyone else saw this man talking with Alicia so amicably, they’d never know that he had ill will towards Daryth. I knew better. Though he walked the glorious path of a Royal Knight, I knew full well that Sepith hid dark emotions he kept buried deep inside about the fact that he was an illegitimate child born to Marquess Pendragon and a commoner woman. His blood was tainted with that of a commoner’s, and he’d never felt like he belonged in the aristocratic society, where a pure lineage was valued above all else. It was for that reason this man would defect to Dustour in the future, if the future followed the same timeline as the anime.

“You were willing to accept my request for an audience even though it was impertinent of me to make one, and for that, you have my gratitude. Though I have pledged my undying loyalty to the royal family of Daryth, just for this moment, I will act as your own Royal Knight. No matter what happens, Your Highness, I will protect you.”

“I’m counting on you.”

Alicia was blissfully ignorant to how dangerous the man beside her actually was, acting as if she and Sepith were out for a pleasant date instead of working undercover. No one would suspect that this was an investigation if they saw Alicia walking on air like that; they’d probably just assume it was a date, which was the intention, but...still. I wish that Oliver would hurry up and decimate the bandit group, wherever it is that he’s hiding. Hopefully somewhere Alicia wouldn’t notice he’d done it.

In the anime, despite telling the headmaster otherwise, Alicia tried to enact justice on Borguie and his fellows the moment she laid eyes on them, even if it meant sacrificing herself to do it, because of how much she loved her family. The best-case scenario would be for Oliver to take care of Borguie and his cohorts somewhere out of our sight before Alicia had the chance to put herself in danger.

“Master Slowe.”

“Hey!” I yelped.

“I take my eyes off you one moment, and you buy two skewers. I told you you could only buy one, remember?”

“But...”

I sighed and let my shoulders slump. Charlotte had snatched the kebab skewer I’d hidden while we were walking. Sepith and Alicia seemed to be having fun talking amongst themselves, while I got to enjoy some time together with my beautiful angel, Charlotte.

I guess I should’ve thanked Sepith for that. Since he was entertaining Alicia, I could relax and enjoy this not-a-date with Charlotte under the nice blue sky.

“Hm?” I looked up and locked eyes with Alicia, who had turned around to watch us. Was she making sure that we were still following them?

“Master Slowe, you might have forgotten about it, but the duke is coming to visit Kirsch very soon. You’ll need to be prim and proper when he arrives.”

Oh. That’s right, I’d forgotten all about that.

My mother told me in the most recent letter she sent me that my father would be heading to the school from the front lines. Few men in all of Daryth were as stubborn and strict as my father, the head of House Denning. Many people feared him, and rightfully so. If I made anything less than the best impression on him, he could end my wonderful life at Kirsch in a heartbeat.

“So...I’m taking that third skewer you’ve got in your other hand! You can’t deceive me!” Charlotte snatched away the last skewer I’d hidden from her and promptly shoved it into her mouth.

I was in heaven. Absolutely over the moon. If only this moment could last forever... Is it okay for me to hold her hand? Would I be going too far? Would Charlotte dislike that? Though I thought about it, I definitely didn’t have the courage to do something like that. I imagined fantasy after fantasy, but I could never act on any of them. In the end, I was nothing but a timid little piglet to my very core.

“Charlotte.”

“What is it?” My retainer cutely tilted her head in question.

In this big wide world, I was the only one who knew her true identity. Would the day ever come when I could tell my beloved Charlotte that I’d known her secret all along? We could only truly stand as equals, could only truly understand each other if I told you the truth—this secret that the blackhearted Piggy Duke took to his grave.

I said nothing for a long moment. Then, slowly, I said, “Are you hiding anything from me, by any chance?”

“What’s with that question all of a sudden? I... I totally d-don’t have any secrets hidden from you, Master Slowe! Totally! Cross my heart and hope to die! I swear!”

Well, well. What a suspicious reaction. You’re very obvious, Charlotte. Nobody else would suspect that this girl was a princess judging just by that reaction. Still, Charlotte couldn’t lie to save her life.

“Let me ask you the same question. Are you hiding anything from me, Master Slowe?”

There was a long stretch of silence. “Oink...” There were way too many secrets on my end. Where did I start? From our first meeting? My powers?

I even had secrets about the first time I met Charlotte. She thought it had been by chance, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It wasn’t luck that helped me find the slave auction hidden meticulously deep in the woods on Denning lands.

The truth was, I’d been called there by spirits, many of which had come to me that day begging me to do something about the raging Great Spirit, and I raced into the forest with two knights by my side.

“At this rate, Alicia and Sepith will leave us behind. L-Let’s hurry and catch up to them, Charlotte!”

It was there that I found you. I learned that the girl the same age as me was the princess of the destroyed Huzak.

“Wow... I feel like you’re keeping lots of secrets from me, Master Slowe.”

That’s right, Charlotte, I know your true identity. But now that I have turned over a new leaf... I want to stop hiding things from you and tell you that I know as soon as possible. But please, give me a little more time to muster up the courage to do it.

“Well, then,” Charlotte began. “Let’s just say that that goes for the both of us, so we’re even!” She beamed at me so adorably.

I fought the urge to shout about Charlotte’s cuteness from the rooftops.

A beautiful girl and a handsome young man walked together in front of me. Whenever Sepith passed by the local girls, they turned around and sighed without fail, watching his back as he grew farther and farther away from them. None of the girls could take their eyes off of him. They could probably tell that Sepith came from a noble upbringing. Though I hated to admit it, I didn’t hold a candle to him in the looks department.

“Lady Alicia seems to be having lots of fun.”

“Jeez...”

On the surface, the pair were doing little more than eating sweets and shopping around town. But Sepith kept his guard up as he walked beside Alicia, constantly on the lookout for danger. He was ready to draw his cane sword at a moment’s notice. I should have expected nothing less from a Royal Knight.

But where I may have lost to him in the looks department, I was more than a match for him in vigilance. I glanced over into the interiors of shops, constantly checking for any suspicious people in the crowd.

So far I hadn’t found anything out of the ordinary, but— Oh. Altanger, the Great Spirit of Wind and Charlotte’s self-proclaimed guardian, slowly followed us on the rooftops of the shops that lined the street, yawning.

Alicia suddenly turned around, and our eyes met. “Hm?”

Her expression twisted with displeasure, and she whirled back around to continue talking with Sepith. She kept doing that, turning around to look at the two of us from time to time. What in the world is she thinking?

“Lady Alicia really likes you, Master Slowe.”

“Huh? Her? Me? What? How?”

“Um, well... This is just my opinion, so please don’t laugh at me if I explain.”

I nodded. “I won’t laugh. What do you mean?”

“Lady Alicia is probably confused at the moment because of how quickly the distance between you two closed.”

“Confused? Why would she be confused?”

“You two almost never spoke, not until recently, anyway. But then that incident with the mercenary happened, and only a few days later you ended up sharing a bed with her! You see? Your distance has shrunk at lightning speed, hasn’t it?!”

“Hm, well... I guess that’s true enough. But I don’t think she likes me at all. She’s always sighing when she looks at me.”

Alicia ended up with Shuya in the anime, and at the moment, she was absorbed in her conversation with Sepith. I could understand her hating me, but I could barely fathom her tolerating me as she did now, let alone liking me in any way, shape, or form. There was no way. She absolutely despised me in the anime.

“But if you say so, Charlotte, then I believe you.”

“Ah, that too! Master Slowe, you object to what Lady Alicia says, but when I say anything, you accept it without question. Of course Lady Alicia would sulk about that.”

Of course I’d listen to you, Charlotte. That much is obvious. You’re different from everyone else to me. You, and only you. Once again, it occurred to me just how special Charlotte was to me, when—

A deafening roar rent the air.

I could hear panicked screaming coming from afar, and the sound of stampeding footsteps became louder and louder, like they were headed in our direction.

“Your Highness, please stand back,” I heard Sepith say to Alicia.

On reflex, I also moved to stand in front of Charlotte. These footsteps... Yes, this is definitely—

“Charlotte, get behind me. There’s a monster coming.”

“A monster?! In the middle of town?! We aren’t in a dungeon though!” Charlotte cried.

“Lately, people have been using tamed docile monsters to drive horse carriages and stuff like that. They’re much stronger than cows and horses, so they’re pretty useful.” I paused. “Look, I’m right on the mark.”

Something in the distance grew larger and larger until at last it was close enough that I could get a good look at it. A great, horned, four-legged beast several times larger than a cow charged towards us with reckless abandon. It snorted loudly as it bucked and thrashed about, perhaps agitated by the soldier clinging for dear life onto its back.

“Now then, I suppose I’ll stop it here,” I muttered.

“G-Good luck, Master Slowe!”

However, someone stopped me in my tracks. “Rookie, let me handle this.”

“Why?” I asked after a long pause.

“There’s a soldier holding onto its back. If he falls off that thing and hits the ground headfirst, he could lose his life,” Sepith clarified.

Huh, so I wasn’t the only one who noticed him. Sepith did too.

“Rookie, you can use water magic too, right? Unfortunately, I have a limited aptitude for water magic, and I can’t use healing spells. Thus, I’d like to leave that soldier to you.”

I thought about it. “Got it.”

“Mister Sepith, that monster is quite big... Are you sure you’ll be okay facing it alone?” Alicia asked.

“Though I may not deal with them very much as a Royal Knight, I’ve also studied most methods of dealing with monsters. On top of that... I’d like to show off a little in front of my underclassmen from my alma mater while I have the chance.” Sepith answered Alicia’s worried tone with a smile so cool and brilliant that I felt a tinge of ire rise.

Sepith placed a hand on the cane sword at his hip, and with one fluid motion, he moved into a fighting stance.

“Get awaaay!” The soldier clinging to the monster shouted something, but Sepith Pendragon had no intention of backing down.

“Ice Edge.” Sepith’s quiet chant was drowned out by the screams of the crowds, who were bracing for disaster.

The monster loomed ever closer. Spotting the unmoving Sepith, the monster lowered its head and charged directly at Sepith. Just then, the scabbard at his hip glowed with a blinding light, and—

“O light, release that which binds my sword.”

The next moment, I was blinded by a flash of white light. A short moment later, the world returned to normal, and I peeled my eyes open just in time to see the great beast fall to the ground with a thud. Without moving so much as a single strand of his light ashen blue hair, Sepith sheathed his sword once again.

Alicia and Charlotte stood gaping on the sidelines, stupefied. I guess I would be too, if I didn’t know better. To them, the beast was on a rampage one second and down the next. I found the sight of their mystified faces a little amusing. I was tempted to immediately go over and explain to Charlotte what Sepith had done, but something else took priority.

“Hey, are you okay?” I squatted down quickly and looked over to the soldier.

“My back...”

I’d successfully cushioned his fall with wind magic the moment the soldier was thrown off the monster’s back. Yeah, he’s going to have some bruises, but he should probably recover soon. Just in case, though, I guess I’ll cast a healing spell on him.

Still, that was really reckless, jumping onto the monster’s back and trying to stop it like that. I thought he’d be younger, considering the stunt he pulled, but he must’ve been in his thirties, if the big scar on his face was any indication. I continued casting my spell on the man who deserved the title of “tough guy,” and his face slowly relaxed as I eased his pain.

“Oh wow, it’s a mage!”

“What in the world did that man do?!”

Everyone in the crowd had lost their minds over Sepith’s feat, and cheers rose up to fever pitch. After the soldier recovered, I walked back over to the man in question.

Sepith Pendragon’s magical skills... He’d tripped the monster by freezing the ground beneath it with a water spell. Then, he’d used a light spell to buff his strength and enchant the point of his sword, finally delivering a single blow to the monster’s head. What’s more, he’d done all this within the blink of an eye. The townsfolk probably had no idea what had happened, blinded by the bright light of Sepith’s spell as they were.

The Royal Knight lived up to his title; the students at Kirsch were nothing compared to this sort of skill. How many decades would it take for Lord Pauper, who dreamed of being a Royal Knight, to reach that level?

“So you really were able to use even water magic, huh, rookie?” Sepith said, sounding impressed. He watched the soldier I’d healed with my water spell from a distance. The guy was apparently a high-ranking soldier; now that he’d recovered, he’d taken to barking orders to the younger soldiers to keep the townsfolk away from the monster that lay unconscious in the middle of the street.

“Sepith,” I said slowly. “Why didn’t you kill it?”

I had no clue why he would let a dangerous and aggravated monster live when it posed such a threat to the townsfolk. It didn’t take long for me to connect the dots, though; I’d no sooner asked the question when a young boy tottered out of the crowd and past the circle of soldiers, tearfully embracing the unconscious monster. “I-It’s alive! My dear Cerberooo! Th-Thank you so muuuch!”

“It’s unusual for a Royal Knight to be so considerate to a commoner,” I murmured. “Should you really have done that? You might have just blown your cover, in which case, the bandits will be even more on guard. You have no chance of becoming the Guardian Knight now.”

“You’re right, rookie. I can’t deny any of that... That was quite unlike me,” Sepith said, his lips turning up into a frail, delicate smile. Behind him, I noticed a dusting of pink spreading on Alicia’s cheeks where she’d stood trying to blend in with the crowd and seem inconspicuous.

This incident showed me a sliver of Sepith’s kindness, and I watched the soldiers of this town saluting to him. I couldn’t do anything but stand there rooted to the spot. I didn’t expect that at all. What I saw was completely different from the Traitor Knight I remembered.

Hey, Sepith... You were supposed to be the asshole who betrayed this country, weren’t you...?

●

“Well then, Lord Denning, I’ll be heading back to school first!” The always-cheerful girl with black hair slung her bag over her shoulder and straightened. She’d spent most of her precious holiday weekend helping out at the inn, but Tina seemed in good spirits regardless.

“I don’t know what your extracurricular assignment is with Lady Cirquista, but please do your best!” Tina turned to Alicia. “Also, I am very sorry about yesterday!”

Alicia seemed to have conflicted feelings towards Tina, but for some reason she came all the way to the gate to see Tina off. If I had to guess, I’d say it was probably because she was bored.

“That wasn’t anything to make a fuss about... I don’t mind at all.”

“Th-Then, um, I have a request, Lady Cirquista! I-Is it okay if I think of you as my friend, like I do with Lord Denning?!”

“Hey, personal space! Ugh, why are you so friendly all the time?!”

Tina completely ignored all general social conventions and got up close and personal with Alicia, laying into her with her best kicked-puppy expression. The fickle, holier-than-thou princess was taken slightly aback by Tina’s enthusiasm and finally conceded, nodding slightly.

“Hallelujah!” Tina cheered. “Then, um...L-Lady Alicia! Please accept this as a token of our friendship! When you all headed into town today, I searched around for something I thought you could use right about now!”

Tina pressed something into Alicia’s hands. I could almost see Tina’s imaginary tail swishing back and forth in delight. She really is just like a puppy... Even Alicia—of all people!—couldn’t help but surrender to Tina’s pure and genuine approach. I guess that’s her natural friendliness at work. Or maybe, that’s her secret technique to worm her way into people’s hearts, polished by her experiences while helping out in the inn.

“Oh, that reminds me. Please tell Miss Charlotte to not push herself too hard. The pay here may be good, but they’ll squeeze every bit of work out of her in exchange.”

After we all returned to the inn, Charlotte was immediately swamped with chores. Charlotte claimed she was extra motivated to do the work because of how handsomely she was being paid. She’d spent most of her allowance— Oops, Charlotte would be mad at me if I called it that. Ahem. She’d spent a lot of her salary on that weight-loss potion, so she wanted to supplement her income.

“Then, Lord Denning, I’ll see you at school! Oh, and...” Tina paused.

After the girls had gone off to the baths together, the awkwardness between them seemed to ease up just a little bit. It was a good turn of events.

“This is my thanks to you, Lord Denning!” Tina continued.

Up to this point, the two guards at the gate had been watching over Tina with kind eyes even though their expressions hadn’t changed a bit. However, they both suddenly exclaimed in surprise at the same time, “M-My Lady, what are you—?!”

They weren’t the only ones shocked; I was too. The moment I realized what the soft touch on my cheek meant, I flushed bright red, and I could almost feel the steam coming off my face. I squawked out in a strangled voice, “T-Tina! Oiiink!”

“I realized this yesterday, but it seems that I was more captivated by you than I thought I was!” Tina said impishly. She wore a devilish smile, as if she had successfully played a prank that she’d planned for a while.

“Please come back to school soon! It’s not fair for you upperclassmen to be the only ones who get to laze around on an extracurricular assignment! I’ll be waiting for you at school!” Tina paused. “Oh wow, it’s late! I need to hurry!”

Energetic as always, Tina ran off, leaving me warmed from head to toe. I cupped my cheek and stood stock-still, snorting. I could only watch her retreating back in a daze.

“That commoner has some nerve...” After Tina left, I could’ve sworn I heard someone mumble a curse. If sound alone could kill, that voice would have managed it twice over. But surely it was a trick of the wind.

...Right?

●

Tina had returned to Kirsch, and Charlotte was still helping out at the reception desk even though it was already well into the evening. As for Alicia and I, we ended up in my suite, sitting as far apart as we could with her on the chair and myself on the sofa as we usually did. I lost track of how long we sat there in silence—

Actually, that wasn’t entirely correct.

“Oink. Oink!” I still hadn’t moved my hand from my cheek; the soft sensation from earlier still lingered there. Apparently, she’d kissed me as a token of gratitude for helping her out so much with practicing magic back at school. Still, I couldn’t wipe the stupid grin from my face. Would any girl in this world kiss a dirty orc? No, never. That means I’m being treated as a human, and not an orc! That kiss proved my weight-loss routine is a huge success! I couldn’t help but snicker to myself, snorting.

“First you spend the whole afternoon smiling all smugly to yourself while we were walking around town, then that commoner k-k...kisses you, and now you’re grinning on and on over such a small thing! How long do you plan on sitting there and relishing in it?! It’s gross!”

She’s more irritated than usual. I cocked an eyebrow at her. It’d be a pain in the neck if we ended up arguing unnecessarily. Guess I’ll just let it go in one ear and out the other. After being in Yoram for a few days, I’ve started figuring out how to deal with Alicia.

“Sorry, oink.”

Alicia sighed. “Unlike a certain someone, that gentleman is calm and collected like a mature man of his position should be, and he’s able to be considerate of others and not just himself. Sometimes, he even has this somber expression on his face when he’s deep in thought. It’d be rude to even compare him to you, whose empty head can think of nothing better to say than your stupid snorting.”

“Somber, huh? Oink,” I snickered again.

“Knock it off with that gross laugh of yours.”

I didn’t deign to reply to that. She’s even calling him a “gentleman” now, huh? Alicia seems to hold him in high regard. I don’t even need to ask her who she’s referring to; it’s definitely Sepith. Well, to me, his somber face looks like him revealing his dark side instead.

Alicia seemed to be really impressed by Sepith’s compassionate actions towards that commoner today. Honestly, I sort of understood where she was coming from. His actions certainly caused me to think twice about him too. Now, it was hard for me to connect the Traitor Knight from the anime to the Sepith I saw before me. Even so, he was still destined to betray his country in the future...

“Alicia.”

“What?”

“Don’t put too much faith in him.”

“Mister Sepith is a Royal Knight, and he gave me his word that he would protect me. I can trust him more than anyone else in this town. He’s a hundred times more trustworthy than you, in any case.”

I sighed. “Listen up, Alicia. A man who’d only spent a couple of years in the Order was chosen for the Guardian Selection. Think about it. That has to mean that guy has the favor of the cardinal, and you know there’s no end to the shady rumors about that guy. There’s no way of knowing what that Sepith guy is actually thinking.”

The cardinal had gained the favor of many nobles by masterfully maneuvering around them, and the current queen of Daryth trusted him completely. He was in charge of Princess Carina’s education, and at the end of the day, the decision of which Royal Knights would participate in the Guardian Selection fell to him. A person with great political influence like him always had endless shady rumors swirling around them.

Sepith was still a relatively new face in the Order; the cardinal had to have been the one to put his name forward.

“You’re being way too harsh on Mister Sepith. Why is that?”

I paused, choosing my next words carefully. “My family is well acquainted with the marquess house. I know a few things about that guy.”

I couldn’t just tell her that Sepith would betray the royal family of Daryth in the future.

Alicia had a good impression of Sepith, which made sense. On the surface, that guy was the epitome of the perfect Royal Knight. Even the viewers of the anime liked his character a lot too. After all, he was a man who strove to see his ideals realized, and he was kind to the underprivileged. Though he was an enemy, he knew he wasn’t completely in the right, betraying Daryth. Even if it was for what was, in his mind, the “greater good.” With his dying breath, this pitiful, handsome man apologized to the headmaster, the one who’d recommended him to the Order in the first place.

“Oh, I get it. You’re jealous.”

“Huh? Why would I be jealous of Sepith, of all people?”

“Well, he’s on a completely different level from you. He’s a Royal Knight, you’re the Fallen Wind. When he walks the streets, people cheer in delight. You, on the other hand? Getting that commoner girl’s attention is the best you can do. Hmph. Some people might’ve put you on a pedestal after you caught that mercenary, but you shouldn’t let it go to your head.”

“Even if he’s a Royal Knight, he’s still a bitter bastard,” I blurted out.

The air tensed.

I... I ended up running my mouth because I knew his future and what he would do...

“I can’t believe you. You didn’t have to call him a bastard,” Alicia spat.

“Ah, no, I mean—” I stammered.

Everyone had triggers which, if you valued your life, you’d avoid at all cost. For someone as honest and righteous as Alicia, who hated injustice, the word “bastard” was that trigger.

See, Daryth was a country built on traditions passed down from generation to generation. The aristocracy held much of the power, operating based on a clearly defined hierarchy. There was no greater shame in Daryth than being called a bastard, the illegitimate child born not to a nobleman’s wife, but of an adulterous affair with a commoner. Cirquista had royalty and an aristocracy similar to that of Daryth, but they weren’t as rigid about upholding the status quo. In Cirquista, you definitely didn’t call someone a degrading term like “bastard” in polite company.

“Wait, did you actually know about that?” I asked at length.

“He told me about it today. Still...”

“Alicia, wait. I wasn’t being literal when I called him a bastard, all I meant was to not trust him too—”

“He was able to get into the Guardian Selection despite being a bastard! That’s how amazing he is!”

Me and my big mouth. I had to admit, I screwed up big time. I was so biased, so sure of Sepith’s betrayal, that I resorted to calling him the worst possible insult. No matter what I said to Alicia now, it would fall on deaf ears. I decided it’d be best to give her some time to cool off and quickly made myself scarce, walking out into the chilly corridor.

I walked through the dark alone.

“She’s really invested in Sepith, huh?” I sighed. “She’s such a handful...”

In the end, Alicia was still pissed at me for the rest of the afternoon and well into the night. She kicked me out of my suite; she was so mad at me. I mean, I could have spent the night in her suite and all, but...

I was in the mood for a walk, for a chance to enjoy the evening chill, that was all. I rarely got the chance to go outside by myself, so I decided on a whim to spend a bit of time gathering information on the bandit group.

Relying on my anime knowledge, I walked on. I headed away from the labyrinth of downtown, passing a more upscale residential district, and ended up in an enormous, desolate graveyard. Before I knew it, I got lost amidst the maze of headstones.

I pulled my hood all the way down to hide my face. I probably looked suspicious enough to be pulled aside for a few questions if any soldiers saw me.

I scanned the horizon, pausing when my eyes landed on a dilapidated-looking building. “There it is.” A run-down bar sat on the small hill that overlooked the graveyard, lights illuminating the dingy windows even at this hour.

It didn’t take me long to make my way up to the bar. The front door creaked as I pushed it open. The lights were dusty, and the smell of mildew hung heavy in the air. All of the drunkards in the bar turned to look my way as I weaved through the tables towards the counter. This bar was a nondescript establishment where people of certain...affiliations gathered and exchanged information.

I plopped down on one of the barstools and lowered my hood. I took out one kumul silver from my pocket.

“This ain’t a place where brats like you belong. Come back when you’re older and wiser,” said the barkeep.

“Punish the traitors and make them pay with their blood,” I recited. Well, then. Let’s see if the code words from the anime will work here.

The owner of the bar cocked an eyebrow at me, staring hard. Around us, the bar slowly picked back up with hustle and bustle among the stench of stale air.

The bar owner was silent for a long while. “You’ve led a complicated life for someone your age, haven’t you, kid? You drinking anything?”

“Something light.”

Just then, a person dressed in all black appeared as if from the shadows, placing a glass of awful-smelling alcohol in front of me.

“You’re a noble, right? A son of nobility knowing his way around the underground... These sure are some awful times we live in,” the person muttered.

“Oh, shut up,” I muttered right back.

The bar I’d come to was called the Black Lobby, the social watering hole of the underground. Information was shared based on equivalent exchange. Nothing was free here, and if you wanted information you’d have to bring something of equal value to the table.

Since I didn’t have anything to offer, I had to settle for eavesdropping.

All right, the spirits don’t seem like they’re interested in anyone around here, so I’m assuming there aren’t any mages in this bar at the moment. If there was a very skilled mage in here, there would be the risk of them noticing me using magic to amplify sounds. Once I’d made sure the coast was clear, I used a spell to listen in on the hushed conversations going on around me.

“That sword was definitely...”

“A second...Royal Knight, huh? But...why?...in this town...why...”

They were probably talking about Sepith. He’d really made a scene, so I guess it’s only natural that people would gossip. He showed off his cane sword so ostentatiously, of course any onlookers would have realized.

“Lately...weird people...come to town. Those guys...this country...”

“...hidden so well...soldiers haven’t noticed, but...can’t deceive...probably...from Cirquista...”

They must be referring to the bandit group. So they are in this town after all. And it seemed that Sepith’s presence had tipped off Borguie and his cohorts. Tch, like as not, they’re going to be even more careful because of this.

I sipped my drink from time to time to keep from looking suspicious. I used that as cover to cast my eyes over the interior of the shop, scrutinizing the shadows. From what I could hear, no one had any concrete information on the whereabouts of the bandits.

“That aside, y’all...apparently, they’re making solid progress on the Guardian Selection for the next queen. I hear that they’ve decided on one of the final participants.”

“...I’ve heard rumors...commoner swordsman...”

“You mean that rumor...adventurer...saved...swordsman who inspired that play...princess has taken a huge liking to...the top contender for Guardian Knight, their name was—”

A commoner swordsman saved royalty? That was an intriguing topic. Though I wasn’t proud of it, I was way behind on rumors circulating in the public because I holed up in Kirsch for the past year. But I was here to gather intel about the bandits and not anything else, so I stopped listening further.

If the bandits were truly hiding out in Yoram like the rumors suggested, I’d really have to stick by Alicia, for her own good. With the Great Spirit of Wind meowing and sleeping all day while keeping an eye out from the inn’s gardens, I’m the only one who can deal with an emergency.

During the next few days that passed, my life in Yoram was completely different from my orderly life back at Kirsch.

“Master Slowe, wake up! It’s morning!”

“Oink...” I mumbled.

Sepith would probably find the bandits he and Oliver were searching for and ride the achievement all the way up to the position of the Guardian Knight like he did in the anime. His victory was all but set in stone. There was still the dilemma of whether it was okay for me to let Sepith become the Guardian Knight like this, but I knew the reason behind Sepith’s betrayal. In theory, I could even possibly prevent it.

If I went through all the proper channels and worked with House Pendragon and the Order, we could probably stop him from getting his hands on the princess. It’d be a pain in the neck, but better that than the alternative. Betray anyone all you like, but I won’t let you touch Princess Carina.

All I had to do was take over Shuya’s position until Alicia gave up this fool’s errand and headed back to school. I could meddle with Sepith’s affairs some other time. And so I let myself relax. I started doing my morning jogs again, and I looked around with Charlotte for good drinks to use as a chaser for my new weight-loss potion.

“Lady Alicia, it is nearly time for Sir Sepith to come for his report. You’ll make a really bad impression on him if you’re late!”

Alicia snored loudly in response.

“Ah, hey, Master Slowe! You haven’t been drinking the weight-loss potion! Please drink the amount you promised!”

“Nooo!” I whined. “The Greasy Earthworm is looking at meee!!!”

“Don’t forget that I spent half of my monthly salary to buy it! I worked hard to make this, okay? Here, drink up!”

“‘Worked hard’?! Charlotte, you just chucked this Earthworm into something fizzy, that’s all you did! Nooo!!!”

Things started kicking into high gear nearly a week into my stay in Yoram.