After days of travel, Princess Rainy and our group, having reached the capital, were now being redirected to the royal villa.
Cramd into the narrow carriage, our close quarters naturally led to certain discomforts.
“Master Ethan.”
“...Yes?”
“If you have sothing to say, please speak directly or whisper it to . Just poking from below doesn’t communicate anything.”
“...Sorry, Lilith. I wasn’t poking you.”
“What?”
“...The carriage is just bouncing a bit. Sorry...”
“...Oh.”
With such minor discomforts, we continued traveling by carriage for about an hour. Just as we thought we might finally rest after a week of camping, we were once again setting up camp, lighting a fire, and pitching tents. The slower pace due to the carriage change and our delayed departure from the capital had left us with no choice.
-Flare.
"How many tis are we going to repeat this sa day?"
"It's not exactly the sa, Lady Agnes! The carriage changed a little from yesterday, and we’re down to three tents!"
"...Are you mocking , Natalie?"
"N-No, that's not what I ant..."
Attempting to lighten the mood, Natalie only succeeded in drawing Agnes’s ire. Agnes was especially irritable, but in truth, everyone felt similarly. The one most likely feeling the heat was Lydia, Princess Rainy’s escort maid, though she continued her duties without showing a hint of emotion, proving her impressive professionalism.
“At least we haven’t encountered bandits or monsters while traveling.”
“Well, we’re close to the capital, so it’s harder for bandits to operate openly here.”
“Yet there were plenty of shady characters in the capital.”
“Well, it’s natural for trouble to brew in densely populated areas. Even the capital of the Argentinian Empire has its share of slums.”
With such casual conversations, we set up the tents, prepared a al, and helped Princess Rainy with her dinner before the dark night finally blanketed the camp.
“With only three tents, dividing ourselves like before isn’t possible, is it?”
“Since we’re nine people, three per tent would be most practical.”
“It would make sense for the n to share one tent, and the won split into the other two. Princess Rainy will likely have Lydia with her, so only one more person would need to join them…”
-Princess Rainy gripped my collar tightly, quietly expressing her wish.
Seeing her shyly make her preference clear, I couldn’t refuse. Having anyone else join Princess Rainy and Lydia would likely make things awkward, so it made sense for to stay with them.
“Alright, that works.”
“Master Ethan took the last watch yesterday, so next should be Thomas, and I’ll…”
With the watch rotations settled, we all retired to our tents for the night.
...No one expected the night to pass peacefully.
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
-Crack, crackle…
“......”
In the late night, only the crackling of the fire could be heard.
With the ti stone showing a dim ‘4’, I quietly watched the road we had traveled on.
‘They should be coming soon.’
Within minutes, bandits would storm our camp from that road. It was inconceivable that tonight would pass without a raid, as they had co every other night since we started.
Princess Rainy’s misfortune would continue for three more days, and it was up to and the hero’s party to fend off the dangers she attracted.
...Although, this ti, it wasn’t quite the sa kind of “misfortune.”
-Hoofbeats echoed in the distance.
“......Hah.”
The sound of approaching horses made the ground tremble. Hearing it, I quietly woke the others in the tents.
-Clang, clang, clang!
“Wake up! We’re under attack!”
“Ugh, I just fell asleep…”
Despite the disturbance, everyone rose quickly from their tents, accustod by now to midnight ambushes.
As we stepped out with our weapons drawn, the riders approached our campsite.
-Thud, thud…
“Halt! Co any closer, and we’ll consider you bandits and attack!”
“Hold, everyone. Stop here.”
I summoned a magic circle to prepare for an attack, and the riders obediently halted. Although they lacked armor or helts, their horses looked much cleaner than those usually used by bandits. And the way the one who seed to be the leader dismounted calmly told they weren’t ordinary brigands.
“Calm down, miss. We’re not exactly bandits, as you seem to think.”
“Is that so? My apologies. Seeing riders with magical lanterns late at night made misunderstand.”
“It’s alright. We had to ride here in a hurry by order of the queen.”
“…The queen? You an the Queen of the Kingdom of Defrin?”
“Is there another queen here? Of course, I an Defrin’s queen.”
A few hours earlier, the sa queen who’d coldly sent Princess Rainy back to the villa at the palace gates. Her supposed “orders” naturally raised my and the others’ suspicions.
“Very well, then. Please proceed carefully.”
“There seems to be a misunderstanding. We ca here to see you, not simply to pass by.”
“……”
“Apparently, the queen reconsidered and thought it might be unsafe to leave Princess Rainy traveling to the villa alone, so she sent us to escort her back. We were summoned here urgently to ensure no monsters or bandits would threaten her during the night.”
“…Oh, I see.”
It was unlikely that the queen had a change of heart. Knowing their real intentions, I didn’t believe the man’s words for a second.
“It would indeed be an insult to the royal family to leave Princess Rainy outside on a cold winter’s night. I agree with Her Majesty’s sentints.”
“I appreciate your understanding, naless maid.”
“But how are we to confirm you are truly knights sent by Her Majesty? Judging by your attire, neither you nor the others look much like knights.”
“It was a hasty mission. Armor and such would have slowed our horses, so we had to co without them.”
“Then, may I see proof of your identity? Knights of the Kingdom of Defrin should naturally have identification badges.”
“Of course. I wouldn’t forget that.”
The man casually produced an ID badge from his pocket, displaying it to . The iron badge read “Bartholoo, Vice-Captain of the 4th Knights of Defrin.”
“Even in haste, I brought my ID badge. It’s important to prove one’s identity.”
“...Yes, your identity seems verified.”
“Glad to hear it. Now, if you’ll allow us to…”
“Was Princess Rainy the only one the queen requested? Did she ntion anything about Lydia or the rest of us?”
“Lydia… Ah, there was no ntion of the princess’s maid. The order was simply to bring the princess back.”
“…I see.”
“You’re free to follow if you wish, but I can’t wait for you to pack up your tent or hitch up your slow carriage. As I said, the queen’s orders are urgent.”
“…It would be safer for us to spend the night here and set out in the morning.”
“Hmm, yes. That would be wise if you value your safety.”
…This probing exchange was enough.
Though Silena and Natalie might not have noticed, the others certainly had by now. Letting Princess Rainy go with them would not end well.
“Understood. Please wait here. I’ll bring the princess over.”
“Please hurry. We’re on a tight schedule.”
Seeing my cooperative attitude, the vice-captain urged to move quickly.
Feigning a walk toward Princess Rainy’s tent, I leaned in and whispered to the n in our group.
“Hero, Master Ethan, Thomas.”
“......”
“......”
“......”
“These people… have co to kill Princess Rainy.”
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