Chapter 3: The Small Resolution of a Girl Who Falls Short

The Duchess Can’t Be Honest. That was the title of the book that the commoner girl had given Alicia.

Though Alicia felt a little called out by Tina because of it, the book was actually quite a good read. Engrossed, she read through the book quickly, and she was actually in the middle of her second read, nearly there to the conclusion.

“Oink... Oink...”

Alicia mostly stayed inside the inn, day in and day out. Sepith had told her to stay inside as much as possible. According to him, it was the Royal Knights’ job to lure Borguie out, and so he wanted her to wait until that happened. And so Alicia did, reading the book again to pass the time, but... Is this really the right thing to do?

I came to this town to bring justice down on the bandit group that killed my relative, and the headmaster approved of my conviction by allowing us to go on this extracurricular assignment, she thought. Yet, here I am, wasting time reading a book I’ve already read. Is this really right?

To be honest, Alicia wanted to sprint out of the inn and track down the bandits herself. But at the same time, it would be rude to get in the way of the Royal Knights, considering the resolution of this mission had such weight over who would become the next Guardian Knight.

Second read through, complete. The protagonist got on my nerves a little because she just wouldn’t say what was truly on her mind, but it all ended happily ever after. The commoner girl was right, this is a masterpiece. Alicia basked in the refreshing feeling of finishing a good book, when—

“Oink... Oink...”

Alicia looked up and saw the obese boy stepping up and down, on and off a small wooden stool. She hadn’t had a proper conversation with him since the day the commoner girl left. He hasn’t initiated any conversation at all either... What was the point of coming to his room if nothing’s going to come of it?

Even though he was right there, she couldn’t do a thing. The more time ticked on, the more vexed Alicia became.

“Oink... Oink...”

“Hey, you. What’s with you, acting so gross like that?”

Still. Those weird motions of his that he changes up every day... Though Alicia had decided to ignore him at first, she was at her wits’ end. She couldn’t take it anymore.

●

I had absolutely no intention of spending all my time in Yoram babysitting Alicia. Since I didn’t have classes to worry about while I was here, this was the perfect opportunity to spend all day working on my weight. It was the best time to work towards my metamorphosis—to transform from a pupa into a magnificent butterfly.

“Oink... Oink...”

That’s right. I will make a super-beautiful transformation while I’m in Yoram, and I will make my triumphant return to Kirsch as a whole new man!

To make that happen, I need to change as much of my fat as I can into muscle while I’m in town! I continued my daily jogs and muscle-building exercises, and even added a new special weight-loss routine to push my body to its limits, all to make that dream a reality.

I couldn’t just huff and puff my way up and down the staircases at the inn, so instead I used a step stool as a substitute. Though this might seem really simple, it’s actually really effective. I made full use of my knowledge of modern science from my previous life when designing this training method.

“Hey, you. What’s with you, acting so gross like that?”

“Oink... Huh?! What?!”

She started a conversation with me? Wow, that’s rare for her. Even though we lived in the same suite, we would start fighting the minute I tried to talk to her. So I started avoiding her as much as I could so that I didn’t provoke her in any way, but...

“I’m asking you why you’re acting so gross!”

“Oink...! I’m exercising with this instead of training on the stairs!”

Alicia had been engrossed in her book earlier, but it seemed that she already finished reading and had nothing else to do. I ignored her exasperated gaze and continued on to my next routine.

“Next up after the stool training is this!” I had left an elastic rubber tube on the floor earlier in preparation. I held one end with each hand and repeatedly stretched it and compressed it.

My arms hurt! But this isn’t all! I started doing squats at the same time. I call this my Rubber Squat Routine! Even so, I couldn’t help but whine in pain. This is way too tough. A single squat is enough to make me want to give up.

Without thinking, I reached towards the fragrant sweets on the table—but I stopped.

“Master Slowe! Since you haven’t been drinking the potion I made for you... For every sweet you eat, you have to drink one cup of the weight-loss potion! Promise me!”

My promise with Charlotte flashed in my head. I’d rather refrain from eating sweets than drink that disgusting potion! There’s no way I can drink that liquid more than once a day...not with that monster wriggling around in it! Not a chance!

“O-Oiiink! Aaah!” I cried out in pain.

“Since you’re doing that, I might as well ask you now... What are you even trying to accomplish?”

“This! Will straighten my spine! And my posture will get better!” I huffed. “Oh, right. There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you, Alicia.” I panted.

Alicia paused. “What?”

“When I went to your suite next door—phew—you had a bunch of new stuff in there again.” I huffed. “You asked the staff here to go out shopping for you again, didn’t you? But where are you getting all this money from? Wait, did you abuse your status and extort money from people at school—”

“E-Extort?! That’s something you would do, not me! This is, well, that! When I came to town, I pawned off the gifts I received from the kids at Kirsch— Uh.”

I was at a loss for words. She’d been selling off presents addressed to her for cash? I froze, shocked that she would stoop so low as toying with the hearts of the admirers who’d given her those gifts. Alicia stammered out all sorts of excuses—that she didn’t have any place to put them, or that they were completely tasteless. Nonsense like that.

Listen to yourself. What are you even talking about? Your room is super spacious. You’re on the top floor of the five-story girls’ dorm where only royalty can live, after all.

“I won’t forgive you if you tell anyone about this!”

Our fellow second-years, many of whom shared classes with Alicia, knew of her true nature like how I did. But the students who didn’t interact with her much didn’t know any better and put Alicia on a pedestal.

“It can’t be helped. Mister Sepith doesn’t want me going out any more than necessary, so I have nothing to do. It’s stress shopping.”

True, Sepith had requested that Alicia stay inside the inn as much as possible. A novice like Alicia digging around wouldn’t yield any real results, so even I could agree his decision was wise.

I shrugged. “Well, I honestly think it’s unlikely that they’ll find the bandits.”

“Why?” Alicia said grumpily.

“The Royal Knights are specialized in protecting people, not playing private detective. That’s not something they’re trained for. They haven’t even made any progress in the past week, have they?”

Why would Cardinal Maldini send these two here? I just couldn’t figure out what he was thinking. They weren’t the right people for the job; people from House Denning were much better equipped to handle something like this.

“If you have complaints about that, then just go back to school already. You aren’t even doing anything to help out here, after all.”

I paused. “You know that if I go back, Charlotte goes with me, right? She’s my retainer.”

Alicia froze. Though she was royalty, she hadn’t brought any retainers to take care of her during her overseas education at Kirsch. Perhaps because of that, she’d made a habit of using Charlotte as her errand girl.

I kept going. “Also, you’re just making excuses when you blame it on stress. You’re just running away from your responsibilities.”

“Watch your tongue. Me? Running away from my responsibilities?”

“Next week, Professor Loco Moco’s giving a test in Practical Magic class; you know, the class you do the worst in. You’re just trying to avoid that test by extending your stay in this town.”

Alicia was at a loss for words. “H-How did you... Y-You’re one to talk though, you—”

“Um, Master Slowe, Lady Alicia, sorry for interrupting you in the middle of your conversation, but...” It was Charlotte’s voice.

I turned to her. “Hm? What is it, Charlotte?”

“You have a guest. Mister Sepith is here. He said that he has something important to discuss.”

Sepith never let his guard or his composure down, his face as impassive as a statue. I knew that he hid a passionate side under that calm facade—the very same facade he kept up even as he outlined his outlandish plan to us.

“We reject,” I spat. “Alicia, don’t waste your time listening to him.”

I had doubts about this whole bandit mission from the start. The Royal Knights lived glamorously in the world of the light up until now; how could they gain information about people who slithered in the shadows? I thought back to my trip to the Black Lobby, that people there clearly had a sixth sense for those who were or weren’t their comrades. Even if they were asked for information on outsiders they despised, there was no way they would hand over that intel to anyone who they so much as suspected was a noble, much less these men who were the epitome of nobility.

But forget about all of that right now. None of that matters anymore. If I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought my ears were malfunctioning. The hell did this guy just say?!

“Shut up,” Alicia barked. “Mister Sepith, may I ask you to explain once more?”

“Alicia! What the hell are you thinking?!”

“Silence.” Alicia’s tone was cold as steel. I felt my heart sink. There was no stopping her now that she’d made up her mind. She was stubborn as a mule and rigid as a tree that grew straight upwards, perfectly vertical with no twists or turns. Shuya had the same problem dealing with Alicia in the anime.

“I hear that the bandits are preparing to relocate to another town,” Sepith said.

“Why?” Alicia asked.

“It seems that someone realized my identity after the incident with that monster a few days ago.”

“That wasn’t your fault.”

The more well-informed residents in town already knew that a Royal Knight was visiting; after the incident, word would have spread even further. From the bandits’ perspective, it was too risky to stay in a town when a knight of justice was around. They probably realized it was only a matter of time before they got caught.

“No, it’s my responsibility. I could have handled that situation better. If they evade capture in this town, these bandits will inevitably cause mayhem elsewhere in this country. We wanted to hunt down every last one of them with just our power alone, but they eluded our every effort, no matter what we did. I spoke with Sir Oliver on the matter, and we came up with a plan.”

The plan Sepith had proposed stoked the dark flames of the grudge in Alicia’s heart, appealing to the devil on her shoulder.

“There is a stage play that’s popular with the commoners right now. Sir Oliver, who has gone undercover, would spread rumors that you were here to watch it, attracting them to one of the performances there. In other words, Your Highness, we want you to become bait to draw them out.”

Sepith’s plan made a lot of sense, and it aligned with Alicia’s wishes. But for a Royal Knight, of all people, to propose such an outrageous plan! When we first arrived, Sepith swore that he would protect Alicia while he was in this town. Now, he wants her to be bait?! What’s with this change of heart?

“Mister Sepith, would rumors and hearsay really be enough to make them come out of hiding after all this time?” Alicia asked.

“Borguie holds a deep grudge against the Cirquistan royal family, as I’m sure you’re well aware. Many of their trusted underlings were murdered by the Cirquistan army after he murdered your relative, after all. They will definitely take the opportunity to try and capture you.”

Alicia nodded slightly as she listened along to Sepith lay out the plan in that detached, emotionless voice of his.

This is bad. Alicia already trusts Sepith. I can’t just let things proceed like this.

“So the Royal Knights are going to make foreign royalty bait?” I spat.

“Sir Oliver and I will be there to protect her. These are mere bandits; they are nothing compared to us.”

“Two Royal Knights as my guards? That is an incredible honor,” Alicia said.

I felt a headache coming on. Alicia was eager to go along with this plan. I bet she was almost surprised she hadn’t come up with such a genius plan herself. But what did Alicia do when she happened to see the empire-backing Borguie during the middle of battle in the anime? She didn’t hesitate to separate from Shuya and even ended up getting herself captured, albeit temporarily.

“The Royal Knights couldn’t achieve their mission on their own and now their solution is to use foreign royalty as bait? Seriously? There’s no way you could do that,” I argued.

“What exactly have you done in this town to hunt down the bandits, rookie?” Sepith said to me. “The Knight Commander probably regrets putting your name forward right now.”

“That’s...” I gritted my teeth.

“I came to this town with a strong conviction. You have no right to criticize me when you only came here to play around.”

I stared. His eyes were identical to those of the Sepith in the anime; they burned with hungry ambition.

“Seriously, ugh! What were you thinking, agreeing to go along with this plan?!” After Sepith left, I immediately rounded on Alicia. She’d only known him for a few days. She shouldn’t have trusted him just because he was a Royal Knight.

“Master Slowe, what’s wrong?!” Right at that moment, Charlotte came into the room.

I gave her a rundown of the situation, and the color drained from her face. I hadn’t wanted to tell Charlotte about such an unsettling matter, but maybe she could help convince Alicia to put an end to this madness.

“Listen up, Alicia. They’re just hasty for results because they’ve spent so much time trying to find the bandits and still have nothing to show for it.”

“That’s right, Lady Alicia. It’s dangerous! These are very dangerous people we’re dealing with!” Charlotte pleaded.

“While I’m glad that you are concerned about me, not one, but two Royal Knights will be there to guard me. Is there anywhere in this world you’d think I’d be safer? There’s no way that the famed Royal Knights would be caught off guard by mere bandits.”

“They are strong, I’ll give them that, but...” I trailed off in frustration. Are they trustworthy though? That’s a different matter. Sepith started acting on his traitorous intent after he had obtained the position of Guardian Knight and the honor that came with it. Though that was a long way off from now, I still doubted how trustworthy he was as a person. At the very least, he definitely wasn’t fit to be Alicia’s protector.

No matter what happens, he would succeed at this mission. Sepith is going to decimate the bandits. That much is fated. Alicia doesn’t need to intervene with Sepith’s story and jump into the face of danger.

I paused, catching myself mid-thought. No, wait. Was this how it really happened, and this story just wasn’t shown in the anime? Was Sepith using Alicia as bait to get rid of the bandits how he gained a huge lead in the path to becoming Guardian Knight? I shook off that thought and continued.

“Alicia,” I pleaded. “They’re just using you for their own gain. You were their insurance for the worst-case scenario.”

Even if this is fate... I still can’t believe that Alicia agreed to make herself bait. She’s the same as she was in the anime. This girl... This girl doesn’t value her life at all.

Alicia paused. “What do you mean?”

From the get-go, I’d thought it was weird they had gone through the trouble of requesting an audience with Alicia. Now I was realizing why, and that Alicia still hadn’t come to that realization. “They prepared for the worst. If they didn’t find the bandits, they would use you as bait. That’s why the Royal Knights requested an audience with you. Greeting you was an excuse to get you to come here,” I argued.

Alicia paused for a long while. “That’s just speculation on your part.”

“Yeah, it’s just my speculation,” I admitted. “But you’re not thinking straight, agreeing to be bait! I’m saying this for your sake!”

The bandits were dangerous, especially their leader, Borguie. Even with two Royal Knights protecting her, these bandits weren’t people Alicia could face head-on. I could understand why she could believe she was safe. They were the cream of the crop from the Country of Knights, after all. But one of them was the Traitor Knight, and even if he didn’t pose a threat right now, he would betray this country in the future.

If only Shuya was around at a time like this... I thought, vexed. Though Shuya couldn’t hold a candle to Sepith’s abilities, there wasn’t anyone more suitable than him when it came to protecting Alicia. After all, he was the protagonist, the main heroine’s partner. He had a brilliant track record going for him there.

“‘For my sake,’ you say?”

“Yes, for your sake.”

Something about my words must have set her off. Alicia glared at me, her eyes burning with anger. I flinched on reflex at the force behind them.

“No matter what happens to me, it has absolutely nothing to do with you, Piggy Slowe!” Alicia yelled.

“‘Nothing to do with me’?! What are you talking about?! Listen up, I—”

—came here to protect you in Shuya’s stead.

In the end, I just couldn’t bring myself to say it.

“Stop messing with me! Why would you say that to me?! You, the one who threw me away! You ignored me all that time at school, and yet, you...!!!”

“Huh?” I said in a stupor.

She was shaking with anger. Yet, even while shaking, a single teardrop trickled down her cheek. It took me a moment to comprehend that it even was a teardrop.

“You’ve even ignored me the whole time we’ve been here! What is wrong with you, saying that now?!”

I’d heard this tone of hers somewhere before. For some reason, I was reminded of the angry girl who had her back turned to me in that dream I had.

In the past, I threw away everything that weighed me down because I thought that was what it took to keep my promise with the Great Spirit of Wind. My path to Duke Denning. My bond with my knights. The trust of my lands’ people. Even my engagement with the princess of our allied country. I threw it all away without hesitation. Because of that, when I first heard that Alicia enrolled in Kirsch, I was shocked. At the same time, I felt guilt towards her.

“You’re just a damned, good-for-nothing pig! What was going through that tiny skull of yours when you said you were worried about me, huh?! You took everything from me; I don’t want to hear those words from you!!!” If looks could kill, she would have killed me with the glare she leveled at me.

I was frozen to the spot on which I stood, completely at a loss for words. I was the one who threw Alicia away selfishly; I couldn’t even come up with a reply to that.

For a while after that, she continued to yell at me. In the end, huffing and puffing, she spat, “Fatty! You damned, fat pig!” and slammed the door after her as she stormed out into the corridor.

I was the one completely at fault when it came to our engagement. After all, I didn’t choose Alicia; I chose Charlotte. I was just reaping the seeds I had sown, and I owed it to her to face and accept all of her anger directly. There really is an insurmountable wall between the two of us, huh? Once again, I found myself confronted with this truth.

“Master Slowe,” Charlotte spoke up after a stretch of silence. “I will chase after Lady Alicia, but...”

“Please do, Charlotte. Be there for her.”

Charlotte seemed like she had more to say, though, and didn’t move. “And um, if they go ahead with Mister Sepith’s plan, what should I do?”

“The theater will definitely become a battlefield. I won’t let you go.”

“Huh?!”

“The bandit group is armed and dangerous. They’ll have no qualms about murdering someone with political power, let alone kids like you or me. They’re way nastier than the mercenary who snuck into the school. That’s why I want you to stay here and stay out of it, Charlotte.”

Of course I’d tell Charlotte to stay behind. Even if Sepith were unparalleled against the bandit group gathered there in the theater, Charlotte’s safety was more important than anything else to me. There was no way I’d let her go.

However, she looked straight into my eyes with a determined gaze. I have a bad feeling about this...

“I cannot do that,” Charlotte declared.

I didn’t expect those words from her at all. I stared back at her in a dumbfounded stupor.

“I am your personal retainer, Master Slowe. I definitely don’t want to hide in the inn by myself! If you’re going, Master Slowe, I’m going with you!”

“Wha—” Charlotte didn’t even give me the chance to reply before she left me there dumbfounded and chased after Alicia, disappearing from my sight.

Why... Why are you doing this to me too? I was left there standing alone with my mind blank. Charlotte, who can’t even use magic properly, coming along to the theater? I never could’ve imagined her reacting that way, knowing how timid she was in the past. Charlotte hated fighting, and she didn’t belong on the battlefield. That’s why I became the blackhearted Piggy Duke in the first place, and yet—

“How did it come to this...?” I muttered weakly to myself.

“Charlotte’s stubborn at times like this, meow.” Before I realized it, the Great Spirit of Wind, Charlotte’s elusive guardian, appeared at my feet.

“Great Spirit of Wind, you go stick by those two,” I said.

“What are you going to do, meow?”

I... I hesitated. If Alicia’s mind is set, then there’s no way I’m going to change that. There’s no stopping the main heroine when she gets like this.

“I’ll go scout out the theater. I’ll make sure to check every nook and cranny so that I can adapt and react, no matter what happens. I might be back quite late. I’m counting on you to take care of them in the meantime, Great Spirit.”

●

Though Sepith had left the inn once already, he stepped onto Gordoni’s grounds once again. He’d forgotten to tell Alicia something of import, so he’d gone through the trouble of coming back to the inn.

The rest of the Order would be arriving at this town in a few days. If the Order made a public appearance here, the bandits would make an escape. That was why he needed to capture the bandits before that happened, no matter what.

Sepith walked through the gate and entered the large reception hall, calling for the innkeeper. Alicia and the rookie’s suites were on the top floor. Because of the inn’s security, he had to go through the innkeeper every time he wished to even so much as arrange a meeting with either of them.

“I wish to visit Princess Alicia’s room. Does she happen to be there?”

“No, she is currently away.”

“She isn’t in her room? I thought I requested the inn to not let her leave the grounds except in an emergency.”

The innkeeper paused. “Well... Please, head this way. I shall take you to the side manor.”

“The side manor? I see. I suppose it’s true that that’s still on the grounds.”

Sepith followed the innkeeper to the side manor next door. Despite being near the center of town, this inn is on such a large piece of land, Sepith observed. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how much that had cost.

Just before he stepped into the side manor, he felt a pair of eyes on him. A black cat, which probably made the garden its home, stared straight at Sepith. Similarly, he sensed the innkeeper peeking furtively at him from time to time with curious eyes. She’s definitely caught on to my real identity. Sepith bit his lip hard. I’m really not fit for missions like this.

“Does my identity intrigue you that much? No, you don’t have to deny it; I can tell. Your assumption is most likely correct.” The Order is coming here in a few days anyways. There’s no point trying to hide it anymore.

“And that may be...?” she prompted.

“I am a Royal Knight. Due to extenuating circumstances, I am currently protecting the princess of Cirquista.”

“My, my! You really are the real deal!”

The Order was going around the trial grounds scattered around the country and selecting the final contestants. Yoram was their last stop. Sepith had long since realized that the Flower Knight Oliver was in charge of overseeing him and deciding his worth.

Sepith still hadn’t made any progress on the trial the Knight Commander had given him. He needed to convince the princess to cooperate and destroy Borguie and his group before the rest of the Order arrived. Though it meant putting her in danger, Sepith didn’t have the luxury of worrying about whether the ends justified the means if he wanted to become the Guardian Knight.

Is this really the right thing to do, though? Is it really right for me to put her in danger for my ideals, even though she is an outsider in all of this?

“It is a dream come true to talk to a great Royal Knight on active duty like this. Ever since my daughter enrolled in Kirsch, we’ve had grander and grander guests than before! Yes, indeed! Take the princess of Cirquista and the young master from House Denning, for example! And now, even a great Royal Knight, at that!”

Sepith hesitated. “Your daughter attends that mage school?”

“Yes, my girl always said that she wanted to become a mage, ever since she was young,” the innkeeper said with a nod. “I never imagined in my wildest dreams that she would actually pass the entrance exams, though, considering how I made her help out the family business every single day.”

“She must have worked very, very hard. Still, I’m sure it worries you. It is rather difficult for commoners to live comfortably at that school.”

Sepith’s expression darkened slightly. A commoner. Kirsch Mage Institute. Sepith was reminded of that day that turned his life completely on its head. That one winter night he spent in Kirsch. Even now, he would have nightmares about that fateful day.

“I was worried about her at first, you’re right. I often hear about how hard it is for commoner students to keep up with the curriculum. But recently, my girl was actually able to use earth magic once she started going to school.” The innkeeper sighed.

Sepith stopped in his tracks without thinking when he heard that the innkeeper’s daughter was one of the few talented commoners who awakened their magical abilities.

“Kirsch was originally founded with the purpose of teaching nobles about society. It can’t be helped that they’re a little rough around the edges when it comes to supporting commoners...” Sepith trailed off. “Still, manifesting magic as a first-year? You have my sympathies. You must be very worried about your daughter.”

He had stilled, thinking about the hardships her daughter must be going through like he did, albeit maybe to a lesser extent than a bastard like himself. There was the very real possibility that she was on the receiving end of some nasty things from the narrow-minded nobility, who thought that magic belonged to nobles and nobles alone.

“Worried? No, no, not at all. Judging from what she writes in the letters she sends me every week, my daughter seems to be enjoying her school life at Kirsch. She wrote that every day was a fresh, new experience, and that it was really fun. My daughter is quite lionhearted, indeed.” The innkeeper nodded repeatedly.

“Having fun? Apologies for my bluntness, but... Is there no possibility that she’s telling you white lies to relieve your worries?”

“White lies? Well, to be honest, I thought the same thing at first too. But when she came back a few days ago during her holiday, well... Gathering from all the things I heard from her—” She cut off. “Oh, deary me, there’s a kitty over there. I believe that is Charlotte’s cat, I think?”

The innkeeper paused to sit down on the edge of the flower bed and play with the cat as she talked about her pleasant exchanges with her daughter through letters.

But Sepith was barely listening, his face tense. She’d unintentionally stirred the darkness in his heart that lingered from that day. That day he still had dreams about. That’s right. That had also started with a letter, one addressed to me.

On that frosty, snowy night, I tasted bitter despair when I saw that letter from the marquess house. I...I’d convinced myself that even if it meant leaving my beloved mother’s side, as long as I became a noble, I could bring happiness to my homeland. I could endure any hardship as long as that was true, and that was why I became a noble.

And yet, that promise was torn into pieces with just one single letter. Even though Marquess Pendragon—his father—had promised him, he’d betrayed Sepith.

Sepith’s hatred towards the marquess house then evolved into deep loathing towards nobles who treated commoners unfairly, and in the end, he started questioning this country’s entire society.

“Oh, dear. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have spent all this time playing with a cat. This kitty is really smart, indeed.” The innkeeper stood up. “Here, the princess is this way.”

My face is probably unseemly right now, Sepith thought ruefully. I’m glad she wasn’t looking my way.

Now then, I have to meet with Princess Alicia. I need to carry myself like a proper Royal Knight. Even when he had flashbacks of his worst memory, Sepith was able to keep his calm now, unlike before. Did that change because I am over it already, thinking that the past is in the past?

No. No. It’s because I don’t have any more hope or expectations for this country. Even when I grow old and wizened, I don’t think there will ever come a day when I think back fondly on the time I spent in Daryth. Not even the memories of my days as a Royal Knight. Once, I fantasized that I would grow to love this country one day if I led my life as an honorable Royal Knight. And yet...

Mom, Headmaster... Even becoming a Royal Knight wasn’t enough to make me love this country.

Sepith followed the manager into one of the private rooms in a section of the manor used as a bar during the evenings, on the second floor of the side manor. He felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips at the sight of the two young girls in a room with an interior that appealed to “high society” patrons.

But that smile was short-lived; Sepith furrowed his eyebrows as the stench of alcohol lingering in the air hit him.

At first, it was only supposed to be one glass.

“L-Lady Alicia, that one has high alcohol content!” Charlotte protested.

“Just a little bit... If I just have a little, it’s fine.”

Alicia first sipped delicately at the drink poured into her glass. Then, for some reason, Alicia tilted the glass of red wine right up and downed the drink in one go.

“Miss Charlotte, this is delicious!”

“Huh? Really? Then I might have a little bit too,” Charlotte said hesitantly. She poured herself her own glass and gave it a tentative sip. “Oh, it really is mild and easy to drink.”

It had all gone downhill from there.

“That damned piiig!” Alicia slurred. “Worried about me, he says? Ha, big words for someone who hasn’t tried to talk to me at all! That damned piiig! You’re way too late to the party, the hell you want with me now?! That nincompoop!”

This had all started some time in the afternoon. They whittled away the hours engrossed in their conversation, sipping from their wine glasses from time to time.

“Miss Charlotte, did you know this? A while ago, that guy... When that commoner was on her way back to school, she k-k-k—she kissed him! After that, he just wouldn’t wipe that disgusting grin off his face the whole time!”

“Huh?!” Charlotte gasped, taken aback. “K-Kiss?! I haven’t heard about that at all!!!”

“Oh, you don’t know? Well, I guess I’ll tell you, then.”

“Please tell me everything, down to every last detail.”

The two girls leaned towards each other and whispered on and on.

After Alicia had her fill of complaining about that boy, they moved on to talk about their current situations. Alicia confided in Charlotte about her woes at school, and Charlotte complained about how House Denning treated her.

Alicia had asked why she had so few friends despite being royalty, and Charlotte had replied with a perfect answer. “To them, Lady Alicia, you are a person out of their league—too great and far beyond their reach.”

When Charlotte had complained how meager her pay was compared to the personal retainers of Master Slowe’s siblings, Alicia had fired back with an indisputable, “Isn’t that because you’re a disaster at magic?”

Charlotte teared up at that.

“I... I want to keep talking to you, Miss Charlotte. Even at school,” Alicia slurred, a hiccup escaping her. “After all, you’re one of his victims too... Aren’t you sick and tired of being near that kind of guy and being ordered around by him?” Alicia groaned and hiccuped again. “I mean, you’re practically his maid at this point!”

“Um, like I said, I am a retainer, not a maid. But I mean, I honestly have nowhere else to go... Ah, that doesn’t mean I dislike my life right now, though! It’s not like that!”

Sometimes, the two laughed together. Other times, they consoled each other. The two were absorbed in talking with each other, almost as if to bridge the chasm that’d yawned between them for a long time. The empty bottles piled up on the table one after another, a representation of the seemingly endless conversation between the two of them.

And just like that, time passed. Before they knew it, it was nearly sunset. By then, the initial awkwardness when they first came to Yoram had eased up quite a bit. Deep down, they probably wanted to be friends with each other, and at the end of the day, they’d succeeded in that regard.

“You have nowhere else to go? Then, come to my place! Ow... Then, we can have fun complaining about him behind his back together— Ow, my head hurts.”

Alicia was plastered before she’d even realized, the bright red flush on her cheeks giving away how drunk she was. Usually, she only drank enough to taste, but she downed many glasses today to forget her woes, and she just couldn’t stop herself at this point. Beside her, there was a graceful girl with silver hair and an undeniable allure trying desperately to get the princess to stop before she ended up in even more of a messy state.

By the time Sepith came looking for them, the sun had sunk completely below the horizon, leaving the world outside the windows bathed in darkness.

“There you are, Your Highness. What are you doing in a place like this...?” He paused, seemingly taking in Alicia’s disheveled state. “Not to mention, I think perhaps you’ve had several drinks too many.”

Alicia ignored Sepith, opting instead to guzzle down another glass of wine.

“You’re a mess. What in the world happened?” Sepith asked.

“That is well, ugh!” Alicia groaned. “It’s his fault! Right, Miss Charlotte?”

And so the two of them recounted the whole story to him.

I made the right decision, asking Tina’s mom to prepare a private room for us. This way other people can’t eavesdrop on us, Charlotte thought as she recounted the day’s events to Sepith.

Sepith seemed to get the gist of how and why Alicia had gotten so wasted. He turned to her and said, “I have no right to say this, but I think he’s just worried about you, as your friend. There’s still a risk, even if the possibility of the worst-case scenario happening is minuscule.”

“I am a mage! And I have two great knights with me! You two are a hundred times more reliable than him! Also, ‘friend,’ you say?! I’ve never, ever thought of him as my friend! Ain’t that riiight, Miss Charlotte?” Alica chugged down another glass without the slightest bit of hesitation.

Raising her empty glass, Alicia turned to Charlotte. “One more, Miss Charlotte.” Charlotte obliged her, pouring more wine into Alicia’s glass with practiced ease.

Whenever Alicia spoke, she asked for Charlotte to back her up. “You are very familiar with Princess Alicia,” Sepith said to Charlotte as he watched the two of them interact.

“Miss Charlotte is such a wonderful person! That pig doesn’t deserve her!” Alicia downed her glass yet again. “Gimme another, Miss Charlotte!”

“Yes, Lady Alicia.” Charlotte poured, then turned to Sepith. “Um, Sir Sepith, I hope this doesn’t change your opinion of Lady Alicia for the worse.”

“For the worse?! Why is this happening to me?! Miss Charlotte, come on, one more! Oh, yeah, it’s just as I thought, you are—” Alicia hiccuped. “You are such a considerate person, unlike the master you serve.” Alicia hiccuped again. “Ooh, pretty butterflies... Hey, you guys can see them too, right?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Sepith said with a nod. “I can see the cute butterflies too.”

“H-How about you, Miss Charlotte?”

“I see them, Lady Alicia.”

Alicia hiccuped. “I see. I’m...glad.” After saying that, Alicia passed out onto the table and started snoring. Once you get used to her, she’s surprisingly easy to deal with, Charlotte noted. She’d been taking care of Alicia since they came to Yoram nearly a week ago. Charlotte was used to it now.

“The princess seems to trust you a lot, even though I’ve heard she’s quite the handful,” Sepith said. “From what I have seen so far, though... Were you two already acquainted?”

“Um, well...actually...” Charlotte explained their past briefly: about how they were both very young when they met, about how much had changed because of Slowe’s transformation, and about how she didn’t interact much with Alicia anymore because of it. They’d started talking to each other again recently, though, and Charlotte found herself talking to Alicia the way she used to.

Perhaps because of her own few glasses of wine accompanying Alicia in her drinking spree, Charlotte was more talkative than usual.

“How surprising. You’ve been his personal retainer from such a young age?”

Charlotte gently set down her glass. She was used to people’s surprise at the discovery that she was a retainer of House Denning; she’d never once thought she was deserving of the title.

But Charlotte was lost for words when she heard the whisper that spilled forth—almost unwittingly—from Sepith’s mouth.

“But I think what’s most surprising is the fact that...that you are a commoner, like me.”

“Huh? But you’re a Royal Knight, Sir Sepith. Unlike me, you’re a noble. Someone from a marquess house, no less,” Charlotte said.

“House Pendragon took me under its wing because of my talent with magic. In truth, I’m a bastard. Half of my blood is that of a commoner.”

Charlotte was stunned. “A bastard? If I remember right, that’s...”

“A child born of adultery between a noble and a commoner... Normally, a noble would never formally recognize an illegitimate child.”

Charlotte had heard rumors about bastard children. It wasn’t something one admitted to in public; to most nobles, such children were little more than scandals to keep under wraps at all costs. Though it shocked Charlotte to learn that Sepith was one such child, it shocked Sepith even more to learn that Charlotte was a commoner.

●

The light from the ceiling lamp flickered like a mirage on a hot summer day.

A commoner assigned as a personal retainer to a direct descendant of House Denning? He had never heard of that ever happening before. House Denning was one of the most powerful noble houses in the country, and it was the oldest, its history stretching back to ages long since past. How in the world did a commoner end up among the ranks of their personal retainers? One who didn’t have even the faintest bit of noble blood running through their veins, as he did?

Sepith’s interest now lay in this Denning retainer. I want to know more about this girl.

“I was taken in by the marquess house, much like House Denning did for you. It appears that we have much in common. To celebrate our fateful meeting, Charlotte, I’ll tell you a little bit more about myself. Just until the princess wakes.”

The beautiful Royal Knight began his epic tale, starting from the very beginning. House Pendragon had taken custody of him, having heard of his talent for magic, and they had given him the training necessary to become a noble. He’d studied night and day, then went on to become a Royal Knight.

At this point, Charlotte was so focused on his story that Sepith was willing to bet she couldn’t even hear the clamor from the bar flowing in from outside their room.

“Sir Sepith, you were talented in magic, but you didn’t just stop there... You must’ve worked incredibly hard to get to where you are today.”

“I couldn’t bear the thought of being a mere toy of fate, unable to forge my own path. That’s why I decided to change myself, to become stronger. Perhaps it was my conviction that made the spirits acknowledge me, and I managed to unlock my ability to use magic. It was the spirits that allowed me to become a triple-element master.”

“A triple-element master...” Charlotte repeated, awestruck. “Sir Sepith, you are immensely talented. Wow.”

“What caliber of mage are you, Charlotte? You must be awe-inspiring to be the personal retainer of an elemental master. I’m sure that I didn’t hold a candle to you when I was your age.”

However, Charlotte shook her head ruefully at that, sharing her own sad tale: about how she could use only a single element of magic and how her skill at light magic was half-fledged at best, about how House Denning had deemed her a failure of a mage and how she wasn’t even allowed to carry a wand with her.

“I can’t believe that,” Sepith said at length. “I wouldn’t imagine, even in my wildest dreams, that someone like you would be a retainer of House Denning. Ah, please forgive my rudeness,” he added quickly. “I just can’t shake off the preconceived notion that a retainer of House Denning must be fearsome. The Order and House Denning are like oil and water, so I know a lot about them since they are our enemy. I never thought that I’d find a maiden like you among the ranks of our enemy.”

“I see... It’s just as I thought,” Charlotte said. “That must be why Master Slowe told me to stay away from the theater, to stay in the inn where it’s safe.” Charlotte smiled ruefully once again and continued. “Even though Master Slowe is my master and I his retainer, our relationship isn’t at all like what the rumors say. Normally, a Denning retainer acts as their master’s shield, like the Royal Knights are the shields of the royal family. However, Master Slowe and I... We’re the complete opposite. It’s all because I still fall short as a retainer...”

“Does he know of your concerns?”

She did not reply.

“I suppose I should’ve guessed what your answer would be. I understand. It must be difficult for you to say outright that you don’t have a clear identity,” Sepith said. “I was like that in the past. A commoner, or a noble... I didn’t know which one I should become.”

“Um...” Charlotte hesitated. “How were you able to work so hard, Sir Sepith?”

“Me?” How was I able to work that hard, I wonder? Despite the hellish days I’ve endured, I became a noble, then I became a Royal Knight, and now I’m aiming for the position of Guardian Knight. What’s fueled me all this time was probably—

“I...” Sepith paused, choosing his words carefully. “I had a dream.”

“A dream?”

“There is a large, invisible wall between commoners and nobles. You must have seen a similar wall between the students at Kirsch, have you not? At the core of that is the twisted flaw of this country. Though it has become laxer now compared to before, when a bastard child uses magic like the nobles, they—” Sepith cut off. “I shouldn’t be saying this to a lady like you. Please forget I said anything. It seems I’ve had one drink too many.”

Sepith had realized that he’d let his passion get the better of him as he spoke. This commoner retainer of House Denning had piqued his interest, and the most exquisite wine was in stock here. His eyes fell on the now-empty wine bottle on the table and he decided that was probably why he had gotten carried away.

Sepith changed the topic. “I have heard the name Slowe Denning, the Fallen Prodigy of Wind, many times. There were many rumors about him, about how he was a person who had the world in their lap and then threw it all away. Some even said that his heart had cracked and shattered. His Knights of the Twin Wings who served at the Prodigy of Wind’s side... Those glorious days when House Denning was said to rule the entire nation in every sense of the word... All of that collapsed when he became the Fallen Wind, and now he’s the biggest taboo of House Denning.”

●

Charlotte latched onto Sepith Pendragon’s every word. For someone to go from a commoner to a noble, then to a Royal Knight, and then even possibly go on to become the Guardian Knight... To Charlotte, his life was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

If I could rival the abilities of a Royal Knight as a light mage, then House Denning would probably consider me a fully-fledged retainer. In reality, though? I’m a no-good mage who can’t even control their own spells. A low achiever, she thought miserably.

“Charlotte, why are you—”

“Huh?” Charlotte snapped out of her thoughts. “Ah, could you repeat that?” Oh no. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t hear a word of what Sepith had said.

“I asked why you’re going to the theater. It might be strange to hear this from me since I proposed this plan to begin with, but the theater will likely become a battlefield. We will protect the princess, and failing that, she can use magic to defend herself. Magic is strength. I have to agree with your master; I think that you should—”

“No, that’s... I can’t do that. I...I still haven’t repaid him for...for everything,” Charlotte said, looking up from her lap.

“Repaid...?”

“Watching Master Slowe recently, I remembered what was most important to me,” Charlotte began. “When I was young, I’d always wished to be by his side. And I took it for granted that we were together.”

When Charlotte was a child, her homeland, Huzak, was wiped from the map. Now it was a land long dead, where only monsters dared to roam.

On that day, at that moment, everything was over. Gone. So why am I still here right now? Right now, I’m leading as normal a life as I can, relishing in the little, everyday joys.

Did I get back up all by myself after all that pain?

“Sir Sepith, I’m actually an orphan.”

No. No, it wasn’t just by my own strength. I was weak and always cried, thinking that the misfortune of the whole world weighed on my shoulders. I cried and cried, enough that I was called a crybaby wherever I went. And all that time, someone always stayed by my side and watched over me. After the loss of her home, her family, everything that she knew—the Prodigy of Wind and his Knights of the Twin Wings were the only family she had left.

“This is the first time I’ve told anyone outside of House Denning. I have no family. I’m all alone in this world. If I died, I think that there are very, very few people who would truly mourn my passing.”

But now...now, I’ve overcome that weakness from my past.

●

Sepith Pendragon froze, unable to help but stare at Charlotte. The words that she just said seemed completely out of place coming from a seemingly happy maiden like her.

“If you’ve never told anyone about this...why are you telling me?” he asked.

Charlotte hesitated, biting her lip. “Even now it makes me want to cry when I think back on it. Why did that have to happen to me? But whenever I think back on my past, on all that pain and suffering, I also remember the young boy who stood by me through all of my sorrow.”

Sepith couldn’t even begin to imagine that. After all, he hadn’t been all alone; his mother had been by his side and had showered him with love and affection.

“It’s only natural that you think I don’t act like a retainer of House Denning. But...I’m standing here today... I have the chance to talk to Lady Alicia and a super amazing Royal Knight like you... All of this is thanks to him. I didn’t become a retainer on my own. It was all because he shouldered all the responsibility himself. He was the only one who ever showed me nothing but kindness.”

Sepith was certain his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. Those were tears welling up in Charlotte’s eyes; she truly wasn’t lying. Sepith had long become accustomed to life in the palace, where every single day was spent knee-deep in lies and deceit. Her words were the truth, and he could tell.

The Traitor Knight stared at the girl, mesmerized. He felt enthralled as if this girl came from a different world—someone who hailed straight from the heavens above. The noise of the rowdy customers in the bar faded, and he heard her voice loud and clear.

“Every day, Master Slowe loses a little bit more weight. I think it’s amazing that he’s able to change so quickly. That’s why I decided that I will try to realize the dream that I had once thrown away. I thought that I might be able to change too, just like Master Slow had changed. I’m really, really grateful that you shared your story with me today, Sir Sepith. Now I know for certain that my path is right. I still want to try my best, even though I don’t have the talent for magic like you do.”

Why? You’re a commoner, right? You suffered a lot, right? You became the personal retainer of a direct descendant of House Denning by overcoming their hellish training. That’s more than enough. You don’t have to face more danger. Even your master doesn’t want that for you.

But Sepith couldn’t speak. I...I don’t have the right to say such a thing.

“So...what is that dream of yours, Sir Sepith?”

“My dream is—” Sepith cut himself off.

His first thought was taking revenge on the marquess house. He’d planned to become the Guardian Knight and bring honor to the name of the marquess house, and then crush that gilded reputation by betraying this country for the empire. He could think of no more fitting an end for the marquess house that had betrayed him.

As a child gifted with magical talent, he’d sworn to become a noble and bring honor to the marquess house’s name. In exchange, the noble house was supposed to use its power and means to save his mother from the otherwise incurable disease that afflicted her.

But the House broke that promise. And so that’s why I will tear them apart. It was this desire for vengeance that he’d thought of when asked about his dream.

He couldn’t tell her all of this. He couldn’t. It would be imprudent of him to compare his dream to hers. He couldn’t sully her ears with such a wretched thing. This young maiden had overcome so many hardships in her few short years, and yet here she was, trying to press on forward.

Her and I, having a lot in common? Sepith almost wanted to laugh at himself. How ridiculous. She is facing forward with dignity and a noble mind. I, on the other hand... No matter how many years pass, I still cannot rid myself of the shackles of my past.

The girl had reminded Sepith of his past self. When I still believed that my mother was alive... I used to chase after a real dream as Charlotte does now.

“Sir Sepith?” Charlotte startled when she looked up at him. “Huh?! Wh-Why are you crying?!”

“Crying? Oh, so it is. I actually am crying.”

“It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have brought it up. Here, Sir Sepith, please take this handkerchief! Even though it’s one of my favorites, you can keep it!”

She’d wished to change, and watching her, Sepith felt like he was blinded by a bright star. She didn’t curse her past, even though she was orphaned. She didn’t envy her master even though he was a genius at magic. Rather, she wished to stand at his side and support him.

It wasn’t something just anyone could do. How noble did you have to be to think like that?

Sepith was moved by the girl’s resolution. The wine he’d been drinking probably had something to do with it too. But... He clenched his teeth. I don’t want to blame alcohol for how much her words affected me just now.

“Charlotte, you’re stronger than you think. To be honest, I feel I’ve gained more from this conversation with you. To have the affection of a maiden like you... I envy him.”

“I-It’s not what you think! Master Slowe and I aren’t like that!”

She claims she’s a commoner, but is that true? Sepith thought. She’s so noble, she almost rivals royalty. She carried herself with a lot more grace and dignity than the currently hammered Alicia.

Though she was a commoner who lacked talent in magic, she chose to live as that Denning boy’s retainer. Her path was riddled with way more obstacles than even his own as a Royal Knight.

“Please allow me to apologize for my earlier rudeness, saying that you were unusual for a Denning retainer. You are undoubtedly just as noble and honorable as any person of House Denning I’ve ever met. And allow me to thank you for reminding me of something important to me. I had been distracted by a small obstacle before me, and I nearly lost sight of the real dream right in front of me.”

Mother, I was just like her once. I finally remember why I once poured my heart and soul into my studies.

At that very moment, the man destined to be called the Traitorous Royal Knight in the future came to a momentous decision.

He reached into his pocket and from it retrieved a precious treasure: the family heirloom of House Pendragon that he kept on his person at all times. His mother hadn’t been a woman of many words, but she had given him this when he decided that he would live like a noble. It was the symbol of his resolution.

“This is a token of my gratitude to you. If you wish to change, I promise that this will aid you in that journey.” He offered her a small glass bottle filled with a translucent liquid that glowed faintly with blue light.

“This is a perfume of the marquess house, used to convey our resolution to the king of the skies. I’ve used it, and my mother before me, so there’s only half left. However, if you truly wish to change as I did, then sprinkle that onto the wind. Legend says that it will summon a dragon, though even if at one point that was true, it has long since lost its effectiveness. When I used it, nothing happened.”

“The king of the skies...?”

“The dragon. The Adventurers’ Guild classifies them as monsters of the Calamity species. They reign over the skies in solitude from the moment they’re born to the moment they die. Members of House Pendragon would scatter this perfume and make an oath to the monsters that rule over the boundless skies.” Sepith stared pensively at the bottle. “Making an oath to a dragon that won’t even show up... It’s quite a silly story, isn’t it? I thought so myself, truth be told. But when I tried it for myself, I felt as if there was a dragon up there in the sky, watching over me. At least at that moment, I thought that truly, traditions shouldn’t be underestimated.”

Charlotte hesitated. “Is it really okay for you to give me something this precious?”

“I don’t think there is anyone who deserves it more. Retainer of Denning, you have a strong will, but you haven’t yet learned how to spread your wings. Nothing would make me happier than giving you my precious treasure if it can give you a hand in achieving your goal.”

Charlotte accepted the perfume from Sepith, cradling it gently with both hands.

Though it was objectively light, it felt heavy in her hands. It was almost as if Sepith Pendragon’s entire life was imbued within the swirling liquid. Surely the day he’d sprinkled this perfume to the sky and swore to never let his conviction falter, not even before a dragon.

Charlotte stared, captivated by the patterns that swirled in the perfume as it glowed with a deep blue light. And then—

“Ugh, my head hurts. Miss Charlotte, please get me a glass of water.” The princess, who until that moment had been dead asleep, lifted her head and groaned. She must’ve been hungover from drinking too much.

“Ow... Oh, Miss Charlotte, what’s that small bottle you’ve got there? A new kind of wine or something?”

And though Charlotte wasn’t privy to the details, Sepith seemed to have had some kind of epiphany. A hint of sadness laced his handsome features, leaving Charlotte more puzzled than she was before.

●

Later that evening...

Moonlight seeped through the clouds in the night sky and cast a gentle glow upon the land.

“Meow, meow, meow. Yum, yum. Meow.”

“Oh, my. Did that kitty just talk?” a woman said with slight surprise.

“Cats don’t talk, mom.”

“Yum, meow.”

“Wait... Mom, did it really just...?”

As Sepith stepped out of the side manor, he noticed other guests staying at the inn feeding the black cat he’d seen on his way in. Watching them out of the corner of his eye, Sepith walked out of the gate and took to the streets of Yoram, ignoring the glares of the adventurers guarding the gate drilling into his back.

The town was cast with the gentle glow of the moon, and it had a soft and peaceful atmosphere.

“Now then, where did that rookie go...?”

Despite feeling the phantom weight where that precious perfume bottle sat in his pocket, he could only feel at peace.

Still, I was surprised that the Cirquistan princess would so unreluctantly show such vulnerability around me, Sepith thought. Was it a lack of self-awareness of her royalty, or was it that she felt completely safe? It’s probably a mix of both. This must be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And so...

“Mother,” Sepith muttered to himself, speaking not as the polite Royal Knight but as her commoner son. “I’ve made up my mind.” Sepith’s whisper was carried away on the wind that blew over the peaceful town before it dissipated into nothing.

●

“Knight Commander, are you serious about letting that man take part in the final trial?” a knight asked, incredulous.

“Does that displease you?” Maldini countered with a question of his own.

Somewhere under the same moonlit sky, knights gathered in a protective formation around a carriage as they slowly made their way through a dark forest. Thin clouds shrouded the moon, leaving a misty haze to fall upon the shuddering trees around them. Leading the caravan was none other than the Royal Knight Commander, Cardinal Maldini, the very same man who pulled the strings of the Country of Knights from the shadows.

“Not only did you give the white cape to a bastard, you even allowed him to participate in the Guardian Selection. I know that you favor Sepith, Knight Commander, but...he has commoner blood running through his veins. We cannot suffer a bastard becoming the Guardian Knight to the next queen,” the knight argued.

“But his skills are remarkable.”

Maldini had a shaved head, and his bulging eyes were sharp like a hawk’s. His thoughts never strayed far from the Guardian Selection, the winner of which would determine the future of this country. Right now, preliminary trials were happening all over the country, and he received regular reports from each trial location. However, one thing was slowly becoming clear to him about the next Guardian Knight: the age of pure-blooded, righteous knights had long since passed. There wasn’t any point lamenting the lack of a youthful hero. The one person who could weather the storm of the turbulent times ahead...would almost certainly be the bastard child of House Pendragon.

Maldini continued. “If Sepith is present when the trial in the dungeon begins, that commoner would not have a chance at becoming the Guardian Knight. Am I wrong?”

The knight hesitated. “We are Royal Knights, not adventurers. Our knowledge of dungeons and their layouts is—”

He summoned the princess from Kirsch and gave her leave to remain in that town. If he has the stones to use a foreign princess as bait to lure out the bandit group, I will be impressed. Sepith is a bastard, sure, but he has plenty of merits to make up for it. He even understands that sometimes he must be ruthless, that the ends justify the means.

His skills are top-class even among those of the Order, as well. Though people nitpick him because of his birth, the blood of House Pendragon still carries some respect.

“What about that matter then, Knight Commander?” the knight asked, changing the topic.

“By ‘that matter,’ you mean...?”

“The matter that pertains to the Prodigy of Wind. I don’t think House Denning is going to take this lying down.”

“That was the result of the princess’s insistence. Even House Denning knows they would have to oblige if they heard the truth about her request. But the princess’s whims are quite troubling, ’tis true. To think that she would request for us to permit the Fallen Wind to enter the Guardian Selection...”

Still. Slowe Denning, huh...? Never in all his years would Maldini forget that name. Once upon a time, even Maldini had seen the embodiment of his ideals within that Prodigy of Wind. Though the boy hailed from House Denning, he had once been gifted enough to entrust the country to. Had everything gone according to plan, he would have been the bridge between the Order and House Denning. However, the boy that should have become a true hero no longer existed.

Even now, Maldini struggled to believe what he heard about the incident with the mercenary at the mage school.

The window of a carriage pulled by two white horses opened. Beautiful strands of golden hair glittered in the moonlight, and a hand with glowing pearl-white skin reached out.

“Call for Silva at once,” a girl’s voice sounded out.

Maldini looked over to see a man approaching the princess’s carriage. He wore his white cape loosely draped around his shoulders. Despite his rather disheveled appearance, the sword at his hip glowed more brilliantly than anyone else’s. His long black hair veiled half of his face, concealing half of the expression he was making. The dark cloak of night made it even harder to get a read on him.

“Did you want something from me?” he asked politely.

“Before I left the capital, Maldini told me to keep this a secret from you. But I’ve decided I will tell you about it. According to him, the person in question accepted our request and is now in Yoram.” The girl’s voice was barely more than a whisper.

Hearing what she said, the man thought for a moment. Then, he raised his head, seeming to have come to a decision. “Thank you, princess.”

“No, it is fine. But in exchange, I bid you not tell anyone the truth about what happened when first we met.”

“Yes, I won’t tell anyone about the ugly, frightened face you made in front of that monster, princess.”

She paused. “Good. You are free to do as you wish.”

With those words as the trigger, the man gave the reins a snap, and he and his chestnut-brown horse split off from the group at a gallop. The young man on its back leaned down and the horse became one with the wind as it sprinted off down the nighttime road.

“Stop right there! How many times must we tell you to stop acting out of line?!” one of the knights shouted.

The man with black hair didn’t stop, no matter how many times the knights in white capes called out to him.

“Oh, I didn’t realize.” The girl sitting in the carriage looked up at the sky from the small gap in the window that she had opened. “A full moon shines tonight, I see.”

The sky above was full of twinkling stars, shining bright like jewels in the inky night.