novelraw Chapter 65 : Her Highness, the Princess (1)
Chapter 65 : Her Highness, the Princess (1)
Her Highness, the Princess (1)
The night spent at the inn was like a dream for the squad members.
Every night in the 7th Legion had always been filled with anxiety.
The bedding in the fortress lodgings was just reused cast-offs that someone had used for decades before discarding.
Even if it was filthy, without it they wouldn't have been able to sleep at all, since the environment there was that harsh.
In fact, just waking up in the morning and finding out other squadrons had casualties showed what kind of insane place it was.
Rio, who had almost been assaulted by a crazed soldier in her sleep, knew this well. That was why the squad members, who woke up after sleeping at the inn, looked endlessly cheerful.
"Hey, is it good?"
"Yes, it's delicious."
"It's been so long since I had something this tasty!"
Having woken from their sleep, the squad members began eating breakfast at a table on the first floor. A stew with beef and potatoes, simmered just right, was placed on their table. Having already finished his stew, Simon was now chewing on the sandwiches that had been served for dessert.
"This is dreamlike! Mister, were you a chef before? The kind who gets invited to noble society gatherings..."
"Hahaha! I am good, but not that great."
At the continued praise, Toby the innkeeper let out a hearty laugh and shrugged his shoulders.
At that smug display, Simon gave a sly smile and said,
"So, about your cooking, mister, it's too much of a waste to stop after one bite."
"Hm?"
"If I could have just one more bowl, I think it would taste even better. What do you think?"
"A-hahaha!"
Again, Toby burst out laughing at the compliment, but then, suddenly turning serious, said,
"If you want more, pay for it. No exceptions."
"Tsk..."
At Toby's firm response, as if telling Simon not to mess around, Simon clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"I have to feed the other guests too, you know. If you eat it all, I'll be in trouble."
Just because there were few people in this area didn't mean there were no guests.
Honestly, even being given this much for free was more than they could have hoped for.
"To their tastes, anything would seem delicious. Compared to what they eat in the 7th Legion, this wouldn't even be considered food."
Having finished his meal first, Klein stood up.
"Thanks for the food."
"Are you heading to the capital?"
"That's right. I need to check what's going on there ahead of time. Louis, come with me."
Finishing his meal just as quickly, Louis followed Klein. Victor asked,
"But, young master, are you going too?"
"It'd be lonely if only an officer went. Plus, I've been curious since last night about what the capital smells like."
"Then, have a safe trip. Silia, keep an eye on the kids. You all know what happens if you mess around, right?"
Emphasizing the spell inscribed on his palm, Klein reminded the squad, and they all answered, "Yes!"
No matter how much freedom they had outside, they were still 7th Legion soldiers—they couldn't resist before that spell.
"But, young master, your clothes still aren't fitted."
The clothes he was wearing were borrowed from the inn. Compared to what he wore in the 7th Legion, they were spotless, but didn't seem proper enough for entering the capital.
"It's not like I'm meeting anyone just yet, so it's fine."
"Then we'll be back."
Thus, Klein and Louis left the inn and walked toward the capital. As they went, Klein asked Louis, who was sniffing the air,
"How is it?"
"I don't smell any demonkin. They're all humans."
As they moved past the plaza, not even a whiff of demonkin could be felt.
If something were found in a place like this, then security would be truly lax.
"About what you said last night. Is it true there's something suspicious besides the Crown Prince?"
"You were convinced too, weren't you, big bro? You said it was possible."
At being called "big bro", Klein again felt a pang in his chest, listening intently to Louis's words.
"His Majesty's only child isn't Crown Prince Orbel, right?"
Second Princess Estelle.
She is currently twelve, a prodigy overshadowed by her Crown Prince older brother.
Maybe "misfortune" isn't enough to define her situation.
"As you said, her Highness the Princess exists. She was a girl overflowing with talent, unlike her brother. But as the Crown Prince shone, she quickly faded into the background."
"Of course, all the Crown Prince's talent turned out to be fake, though."
It didn't really matter if she was pushed aside.
At twelve years old, she was even younger in the past, and not at a point where such things would be a burden.
"But Princess Estelle's talents weren't just magic."
The Princess was born with something no one else had: the Mind's Eye.
Eyes that could see the tendencies and strength of a person just by looking.
The ability to perceive even someone's inner character seemed like a royal privilege.
"From Orbel's position as a magic-power cripple, he must have been bitter."
"Exactly. I'm sure he was."
Unlike his talented little sister, he had nothing to his name as a royal.
What a shame and humiliation that must have been.
Considering the acts the Crown Prince committed, Princess Estelle must have suffered plenty.
"But I doubt he bullied her too severely. Her Mind's Eye would be needed even by those connected to demons."
Demonkin, secret magic cults—to those groups, such an ability would be extremely useful.
It could help them find things that are hard to search for.
"Apparently, that Mind's Eye can distinguish who the Hero is. Which means, maybe the reverse too."
The one destined to become the Demon King or the vessel of the Great Devil—she could likely sense such beings too.
"She'd be an asset too important to lose, from both the demonkin and human perspectives."
"Which is why you, being the Chaos Dragon even worse than the Demon King, might be at some risk, huh?"
Although Klein said it as if he was praising Louis, it was pure sarcasm.
"What would you do if, the moment the Princess saw you, she ordered your execution?"
"That'd be impossible. After I helped defeat the Great Devil, restored His Majesty, and even chased out her bad brother, could she really hate me?"
Logically, that would make no sense.
"If not..."
But there are many people who abandon reason and act emotionally.
"Then we'd all have to die together."
At Louis's hate-filled remark, Klein involuntarily shuddered.
He couldn't sense even a hint of falsehood. In reality, besides his squad members, Louis cared nothing for the rest of the world.
"Well, yeah, there's no greater insult than treating the hero who slew the Great Devil and rescued the Emperor like that."
As Klein muttered, they finally arrived at the capital gates.
The entrance was guarded by knights clad in plate, set before massive castle walls that made the 7th Legion's fortress look shabby.
Klein showed his permit to the knights.
Although they frowned after glancing at Louis, they couldn't stop him—the seal of His Majesty the Emperor was affixed to Klein's document.
As the enormous gate opened, they entered a garden spread across the castle's courtyard.
Louis commented on the pristine air,
"It's cleaner than I expected inside."
"Is this the time for remarks about cleanliness?"
"No, just something I wanted to say."
"...."
While Louis muttered strange things, several knights and attendants came to greet them.
"Welcome. I am Kellemore, squad leader of the palace guard. Are you from the 7th Legion?"
"Nice to meet you. I'm Klein, mage of the 7th Legion's Paruzan Fortress."
"I'm a soldier named Louis."
Responding to Kellemore's greeting, Klein and Louis introduced themselves likewise.
But Kellemore eyed Louis suspiciously.
"But why bring just this one soldier?"
His Majesty the Emperor wouldn't return for a few more days.
Unless you were the hero who slew the Great Devil, there'd be no reason to come.
"Don't tell me this boy is...!"
Kellemore's eyes grew wide as he looked at Louis. He could immediately sense that Louis was that hero.
"Then I don't need to explain further."
"Of course! Please, come inside."
Louis and Klein were led by the palace guards and attendants, who gave them a tour around the garden.
Normally, such privileges wouldn't be extended to just anyone, but the two had been personally invited by His Majesty.
Kellemore guided them to a quiet garden at the rear of the castle, asking,
"So why did you come so early when you still had time?"
"I wanted to see what kind of place the palace is. It'll help me feel less nervous when I meet His Majesty."
"That makes sense. It's better for us to know in advance that you've arrived."
In a clearing in the garden, they stopped. All around, maids and attendants were tending the grounds.
"And so, we're truly grateful. To meet the famous hero so soon..."
Kellemore, still with his back turned, lifted the corner of his mouth.
At once, the accompanying attendants and knights showed suspicious smiles.
"Thank you so much."
"I suppose you would be thankful."
Kellemore's hand gradually drew closer to his waist. Just as he was about to reveal his true nature and draw his sword—
"To you demonkin, it must feel like your prey has walked right in."
As Louis said this with a smile, kellemore's hand froze. The others' expressions hardened as well.
"Wh-what do you mean...?"
"You put a lot of effort into disguising yourselves, but it's pointless. I can see your true forms as if they were clear as day."
Realizing that their secret had been exposed, they all began to tremble.
Concluding there was no point in hiding anymore, they showed their true forms—pointed ears, brown skin.
"Die!"
The monster disguised as Kellemore revealed himself, covering his sword in black aura and swinging it at Louis's neck with terrifying speed.
No one could have predicted it. Only someone with the Mind's Eye could see through such a high-ranking monster's shapeshifting.
For Louis to see through it so easily—it was clear he was no ordinary human.
Having been so thoroughly exposed, their plan for assassination was now ruined.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, the monster's arm, which had been swinging the sword, fell to the ground.
At the same time, the attendant and knight beside him were sliced in half.
"These are all demonkin, right?"
Klein asked, having split the disguised demons in half with wind magic in an instant.
"Yes, all enemies."
"What about those?"
Klein gestured at maids and attendants tending the garden, shocked by the sudden violence.
Louis answered,
"No, they're innocent."
"Looks like the entire palace hasn't fallen, then."
As Klein stepped forward, all the demonkin revealed their true appearances, shouting,
"Don't underestimate us, human! We were only weak because of the side effects from disguising ourselves. Now that we show our true forms, our full strength is unleashed!"
Not wrong.
Louis could see clearly how their strength increased exponentially as they reverted to their original forms.
The transformation was flawless, but came with the price of losing combat ability—a trade-off, clearly defined.
"Do you think you can stand against the 40 of us—"
Forty demonkin charged, unleashing their full power.
Fwoosh—
"What are you blabbering about?"
Half of them were incinerated in an instant by Klein's fire spell.
"Eek!!"
Watching their companions fall so easily, the other demonkin panicked—the 7th Legion's top officer's power was far above what they'd expected.
"Stay back!"
Right then, a demon took a maid as a hostage.
Palace soldiers arrived too late, unable to act rashly because of the hostage.
"If you want this girl to live, drop your weapons!"
Even Klein, who had slaughtered the demonkin in an instant, and the soldiers who had rushed over, hesitated.
Crack!—
Suddenly, the demon's head exploded. Louis had thrown a knife at incredible speed.
"Mm. I did as you said— I let go it."
Louis had simply done what was commanded.
****
Second Princess Estelle.
She was searching the capital for the 7th Legion members who had come at the request of the demonkin.
To conceal her identity, she used a magitech device to change her hair and eye color, so no citizen would notice her.
Normally, the palace would be in chaos if the Princess ran away, but there was no need to worry—she'd slipped out many times before without being caught.
She'd mastered ways to sneak away, in order to escape her wicked brother.
Now, there were even knights or attendants who boldly helped her.
Usually, those same people would tail the runaway Princess, but this time, others were following her—demonkin disguised as knights and attendants.
"Th-there they are!"
Estelle finally found the people the demonkin had told her to look for—7th Legion soldiers and officers featured in the image magitech device.
They were sitting by the plaza fountain, snacking on candy.
Estelle focused her Mind's Eye first on Silia, the woman who seemed to be leading them.
'She doesn't seem like a bad person.'
Wasn't the 7th Legion for bad people?
That reputation seemed pointless—Silia showed no evil at all. Estelle moved on to look at her squad members.
At that moment—
"Eek!!"
Estelle shrieked in surprise. Had she seen the Hero of prophecy?
No, rather, it was the opposite.
They all had powers similar to demonkin. At an extremely high level, too.
'I definitely heard there was a Hero...'
The facts were so different from what she'd been told that Estelle grew uneasy.
"Um..."
Someone suddenly noticed Estelle and spoke to her. Startled, Estelle turned—and saw a girl with black hair and red eyes.
"Why are you staring at us like that?"
The girl appeared to be the same age as Estelle, eyeing her with suspicion.
"Huh?"
But Estelle couldn't answer.
"Uh, uh...?!"
What her Mind's Eye sensed from that girl stunned her.
The information was on a completely different level than the squad members she'd just checked—something terrifying.
"De...demon ki..."
"Huh?"
"Kyaaaaa!!"
Estelle bolted like she'd seen a ghost. The girl simply tilted her head, puzzled by the stranger.