The Golden Flower
Leaving the cliff side, Koutarou and Clan walked along a thin path in the forest as Alaia guided them. They were walking back down the road she had taken while being chased.
“Just a little further ahead is where I fell off my horse. The scream Layous-sama heard was most likely from then.”
“I see, that must have been what it was.”
Koutarou was actually in the front of the group with Alaia right behind him. A few meters after her was Clan, bringing up the rear.
“I’m glad you weren’t hurt in the fall.”
“The underbrush here cushioned my fall. I was lucky.”
“It surely must have been divine protection from the Goddess of Dawn.”
“One can only hope.”
Koutarou and Alaia’s steps were light.
“W-Wait up, Lord Veltlion! You’re walking too f-fast!”
However, that wasn’t at all the case for Clan. She was already in the back and only falling farther behind the other two. They’d only been walking for a few minutes, but she was already out of breath.
“That’s pathetic, Clan.”
Koutarou stopped and turned around to retrace his steps down the path.
“Heehee...”
Alaia giggled and smiled at Koutarou as she turned to go back and collect Clan with him. Seeing her smile, Koutarou couldn’t help but feel apologetic. Although Clan was his enemy, she was starting to feel more like his incompetent sister.
“You’ve only been walking for a few minutes.”
“C-Criticize me all you want, but this is my first time walking in this kind of place!”
Clan complained to Koutarou while panting. Her face was flush and there were beads of sweat running down her forehead.
The path Koutarou and the two girls were walking along was an animal trail in the middle of the forest. On top of that, there were lots of ups and downs, so it was more like hiking than walking for a sheltered princess like Clan. The more active princess, Alaia, was fine, but to cerebral Clan, this was approaching torture.
When Koutarou got closer, Clan switched off the translation device and complained to Koutarou in her native Modern Forthorthian.
“It must be nice for you, all cushy in that armor!”
When it registered Clan’s voice, the AI in Koutarou’s armor automatically switched the translation device to Modern Forthorthian. This way, they would be able to talk without Alaia understanding what they were saying.
Clan had turned off her translation device exactly because she didn’t want Alaia to hear her whining. Since she was a Forthorthe-born girl, she had a strong sense of admiration for the legendary Silver Princess, and she certainly didn’t want the Silver Princess seeing her weak side. And since they were both Forthorthian princesses, she didn’t want to lose to her either. That girly side to her led to her turning off her translation device.
“Forget me. Even Princess Alaia is fine. And I’m sure Theia would be fine with this too.”
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t compare me to the people of this time period or the mountain-bred Theiamillis-san!”
In this day and age where the only real method of transportation was a horse, the people had more stamina than modern folk. That was why Alaia was doing all right despite the rough conditions. But even Theia—a princess from her own time period—had more stamina than Clan.
And Clan calling Theia “mountain-bred” was deeply rooted in the long-standing conflict between their families. The Mastir family that had produced both Alaia and Theia ruled the mountainous region to the north of Forthorthe’s capital. On the other hand, the Schweiger family that Clan was from held more modern territory with a merchant town at its heart. Because of that, the Schweiger family had a tendency to treat the Mastir family as country bumpkins.
The Schweiger family, however, wasn’t established until several generations after the Silver Princess’s era. Because of the advancements made during that time, they naturally gained territory with a developed city at its core. But since the Mastir family was older, they treated the Schweiger family as newcomers. And being from such a modern, advanced territory, Clan felt that it was only obvious she didn’t have the stamina that these country folk did.
“I can’t take another step!”
Clan turned her head away stubbornly. At first glance it just looked like she was being selfish, but the exhaustion was visible on her face.
Now that I think about it, she must have walked all over the place looking for me...
Seeing that, Koutarou realized why she might be so tired, and he lost his urge to give her grief for it.
“Can’t you just fly?”
“And what do you suggest we do when Alaia-san sees that?! I can’t let anything else strange happen here!”
“I mean, talk whatever game you want, but those men could be chasing after us while we argue about this.”
“That’s because you didn’t kill them! This is your fault!”
“Hey now...”
While Koutarou put his hands on his hips and sighed, Alaia finally spoke up after observing the two of them talking.
“What is Clan-sama saying?”
“She’s saying that it’s going to be hard to continue walking at this pace.”
Koutarou’s translation device switched back to Ancient Forthorthian when Alaia spoke, and Clan was quick to turn her translation device back on too.
“That certainly is a problem...”
Alaia gave Clan a concerned look. Seemingly embarrassed by that, Clan looked away from her.
“Hmm...”
After thinking for a while, Koutarou turned his back to Clan and squatted down.
“Here.”
“What’s this supposed to mean?”
“Get on my back. I’ll carry you.”
Fortunately, carrying Clan was nothing for Koutarou in his armor, even on a mountain road in poor condition. And since Koutarou was used to walking around with Sanae on his back, he had no objection to carrying Clan.
“Th-That’s quite all right!”
Clan’s face turned red and she shook her head. Unlike Koutarou, Clan was a young lady of noble blood, so the thought of anyone seeing her getting a piggyback ride was too embarrassing. She was also a little opposed on premise to the idea of being carried by the man who was her enemy just a short while ago.
“Quit acting tough and get on. There’s no time to be childish.”
“I-I guess I don’t have a choice...”
But after Koutarou urged her again, Clan reluctantly leaned on his back like she was told.
He’s got armor on anyways...
Clan tried to convince herself that a piggyback ride from someone that wasn’t family wasn’t all that embarrassing if she wasn’t touching him directly.
“Heehee...”
“...”
However, when Alaia laughed, Clan’s embarrassment levels shot through the roof. She turned her face down and cursed Koutarou out of spite.
“Your armor is too hard.”
“Just bear with it.”
“I-I guess it’s unavoidable...”
“Teehee... Heeheehee...”
Alaia laughed even more. And more red-faced than ever, Clan pressed her face against Koutarou’s back to hide from Alaia.
To think I doubted these people...
But this time, Alaia wasn’t really laughing at Clan. After witnessing Koutarou and Clan’s heartwarming bickering, she laughed at herself for ever suspecting they might have been enemies.
So this is the kind of person Layous-sama is...
Alaia was both pleased and relieved. Up until now, she had only seen Koutarou fight and present himself as a knight. This was the first she’d seen him act his age and simply be himself.
It seems like he gets along well with his servant too.
What relieved Alaia the most was Koutarou’s relationship with Clan. They had identified themselves as a knight and his servant, but she had never seen a knight carry a servant on his back in her life. And since Alaia herself had vassals that were as close as family to her, she felt like she had a lot in common with the two of them as she watched them.
“Heeheehee...”
She really couldn’t help laughing at herself. It was just too funny. Her cheerful giggling rang out like the tinkling of bells.
“Pardon my improper appearance.”
“You have nothing to be concerned about, Layous-sama. Now, let’s go!”
Alaia then took to the front of the group, turning away from Koutarou and Clan with a smile.
Even though she’s a legendary princess, she smiles like a normal girl...
That’s what Koutarou felt when he saw Alaia smile. Her smile in that moment very closely resembled Harumi’s.
Since Princess Alaia looks just like Sakuraba-senpai on stage, it makes perfect sense that her ordinary smile resembles hers too...
While staring at Alaia’s back, Koutarou began smiling himself.
“What? Are you falling for her?”
Seeing his smile, Clan gave Koutarou a cold glance.
“I was just thinking that there’s a big difference between you and Princess Alaia, despite you both being princesses.”
“Wh-What was that?!”
Koutarou stayed calm and collected as he followed after Alaia. After dealing with Kiriha on a daily basis, Clan’s words weren’t enough to get his goat.
“Besides, why—”
“Calm down. There’s something I want to ask you.”
“Huh?”
Clan was about to lay into Koutarou just as he interrupted her. He then whispered to her so that only she would hear.
“Can’t you use your powers to find Princess Alaia’s allies? If we just wander around looking for them, those guys really will catch up to us.”
That was part of the reason Koutarou offered to carry Clan. He wanted to be close enough to her that they could talk without Alaia hearing them, so Clan tiring out had worked out great as an excuse.
“We’re not the real Blue Knight and his servant. If the situation is as you say it is, shouldn’t we do something?”
If Koutarou had been the real Blue Knight, they wouldn’t have had to go out of their way to do anything since they would be fated to safely group up with Alaia’s allies. But since he wasn’t, there was a chance that they were currently walking down a path different from the one the Blue Knight was intended to walk. For example, the Blue Knight might have cut down the men that were currently pursuing them. Something like that might make enough of a difference that they could end up getting caught where the Blue Knight hadn’t.
“So that was your reason for—”
“Half of it, yeah. So how about it?”
Clan pulled herself together as she listened to Koutarou’s question.
“It’s possible. I can send out the observation device from the Cradle and scan the area.”
“Then please do that as fast as you can.”
“I understand. In return, I’ll borrow your back for a while.”
Using her bracelet to remotely control an observation device while hiking through the mountains was hard. It would be a lot easier with Koutarou carrying her. While gently bouncing up and down on Koutarou’s back as he walked along, she quickly began fiddling with her bracelet and sent her observation device forth from the Cradle.
“Sure. You’re heavier than Theia, but not heavy enough that it’s a problem thanks to the armor.”
“Quiet, you fake Blue Knight! Take that back right now! There’s no way I’m heavier than Theiamillis-san!”
However, the observation device was left floating in the Forthorthian sky without a goal for quite some time while its operator was distracted.
Alaia was guiding Koutarou and Clan to a small waterfall where she and her allies had been before they were scattered. They had been taking a short break there, and Alaia was hoping that they would all have regrouped in the same spot.
“I just hope they’ve all come back...”
“There’s no need to worry, Princess Alaia.”
The sun had now set for the day, and Koutarou and the two girls were dependent on the light of lamps they’d borrowed from the men as they moved forward. The light, however, was weak and unreliable. To Koutarou and Clan who were used to the lights of the modern age, the forest seemed especially dark.
“Whoops.”
“Kyah!”
Thanks to that, there had been several times they almost tripped and fell. They were more or less getting a crash course in the dangers of walking through the mountains at night.
“Keep it together! I don’t want to go down with you.”
“Sorry, sorry.”
Koutarou apologized to Clan, who was still on his back, and then whispered to her so that Alaia wouldn’t hear.
“So what’s up ahead, Clan?”
“There is indeed a waterfall in front of us.”
Clan responded in a whisper as well. She was using her bracelet to control the observation device without Alaia noticing by hiding it between her and Koutarou as he carried her.
“There’s a group of five people and a horse there.”
“Can you tell who they are?”
“I can’t get a good read on them in this darkness. But since the number of people matches Alaia’s description of her party, the odds seem to be in our favor.”
“Good work.”
If Clan was right, Alaia would safely be reunited with her allies at the waterfall.
If we regroup with them, we should be within the tolerance range that Clan mentioned...
Even if things were looking good, Koutarou couldn’t let his guard down yet. Still whispering, he asked Clan about another of his worries.
“What about our followers?”
“I sent out a second observation device to track them, and it looks like they’re heading in the opposite direction. It seems like they’re taking the shortest route to the Mastir checkpoint.”
By now the men that Koutarou had knocked out earlier in the day had long since woken up. After losing sight of Alaia, however, they headed north instead of bothering to look for her.
“The Mastir checkpoint?”
“It’s a checkpoint on the border of Forthorthe’s capital, Fornorn, and the Mastir territory.”
Alaia and the others were on a journey to the Pardomshiha territory. The fastest way of getting there was by going through the Mastir territory in the north. As the Mastir territory belonged to Alaia’s family, she would have plenty of allies there regardless of the situation.
“So rather than looking for Princess Alaia now, they’ve decided to beat her to the punch and make it to the checkpoint before she does, huh?”
“They’ll probably try to ambush her on the road there.”
While there were plenty of roads to the Mastir checkpoint, they gradually connected as they got closer to it. There were only a few roads leading up to the actual checkpoint, so the most efficient place for an ambush would be where the roads in the area converged.
“And they’ll probably bring backup too after seeing what you can do.”
“Hmm...”
Koutarou believed Clan’s assessment was dead on.
So that’s how this is going to go down...
Even if they chased after Alaia as a group of ten, it would be pointless if they were just defeated by Koutarou again when they caught up to her. Instead, it would be better to set up an ambush and call for backup. With enough men, no matter how strong Koutarou was, he would have a hard time defending Alaia.
While Koutarou was thinking, he caught sight of a small light up ahead. It wasn’t a steady, electric white light, but a flickering red one. It was most likely a camp fire.
“What’s that?”
“Layous-sama, the waterfall is ahead. I’m sure everyone is gathered there!”
Alaia’s voice leaped with joy. She was happy that she would be able to regroup with her allies. Especially so after fearing she may have to travel to the Pardomshiha territory alone.
“Let’s hurry, Your Highness.”
“Yes!”
Alaia quickly passed Koutarou and hurried towards her friends. She was not normally rash, but she was acting without thinking now. Lifting the hems of her long skirt, she dashed forward along the dark road.
“By the way, Clan...”
“What?”
“What would you prefer? Meeting the princess’s allies while being carried, or walking on your own?”
“Let me down right this instant!”
“Yes, yes, as you wish...”
Koutarou and Clan hurried after Alaia shortly thereafter.
“Sister!”
“Your Highness!”
“Alaia-sama!”
Spotting Alaia, the five girls by the bonfire all stood up and welcomed her.
“I’m glad you’re all okay!”
Positively beaming, Alaia joined the group.
“I’m glad you’re safe!”
“We were worried when only your horse returned!”
“Your Highness, I’m so glad to see you!”
“I knew you were okay!”
The girls all smiled and rejoiced that Alaia was safe. But the smallest of the bunch, a young, blonde girl, expressed her joy with her actions as well as her words. She ran up to Alaia and jumped at her.
“Welcome back, sister!”
“Charl!”
Alaia caught the flying girl in a hug. This seemed to be an everyday display of affection, and Alaia reacted accordingly, embracing her little sister lovingly.
“I’m back, Charl...”
“I knew you would be okay!”
Alaia’s silver hair and Charl’s golden locks both reflected the orange firelight. The tears they both were shedding shone much the same way. Of course, they weren’t the only two crying. Tears were forming in the eyes of all the girls present. Alaia wasn’t just royalty to them. She was friend and kin to each one of them, which was why they’d all been worried sick ever since the attack that split them up.
“H-Hey, isn’t that...”
“It can’t be...”
Koutarou and Clan watched over the six girls rejoicing in their reunion by the waterfall. Unlike the delighted girls, however, the two of them looked confounded.
“That’s Theia, isn’t it?”
“Indeed... She looks just like Theiamillis-san when she was a child...”
The blonde girl that Alaia was hugging, the girl she called Charl, looked just like Theia... just not Theia as she was now. Charl was young, probably not even ten years old yet. She was the spitting image of how Clan recalled Theia looking at that age.
“What an amazing coincidence...”
“It might not be a coincidence.”
“What?”
“They are from the same lineage after all.”
Theia and Charl were both descendants of the Mastir family. It wasn’t unrealistic that there would be a family resemblance.
“Oh yeah, that makes sense.”
“Look. That Pardomshiha should look a little familiar too, no?”
“Yeah, her hairstyle and stuff are different, but she does kinda look like Ruth-san.”
Out of the five girls, only one of them was wearing a knight’s armor. Her hairstyle, hair color, eye color, and the way she dressed were all different, but her face had similar features to Ruth’s.
“That’s probably the Pardomshiha of this age, the famous lady knight Flairan.”
“Ah, that’s right!”
That was when Koutarou realized that he already knew the names of the girls. Alaia and the others were all characters that appeared in the play.
“Princess Alaia, who might those two be?”
It was also about that time that Flairan looked over towards Koutarou and Clan. The girls had had their most welcome reunion, but now that the excitement had worn off, they were cautious of the strangers that had accompanied Alaia.
“Flair, these two saved me.”
“Is that so?”
The girl Alaia called Flair stepped forward to guard her. She looked at Koutarou and Clan with a serious expression, clearly assessing them for herself. The stern, powerful look in her eyes indicated she would cut them down on the spot if need be.
“...Who are you?”
Flair put her hand on the pommel of her sword as she addressed Koutarou. The weapon she used wasn’t a knight’s sword like Koutarou’s Saguratin. It was thinner, closer to a saber or rapier. To make up for her feminine physique, she fought using a nimble sword to easily target weak spots.
“I’m Layous Fatra Veltlion. I’m a wandering knight on a training journey. And this is my servant, Clan.”
Koutarou carefully answered her question. The Blue Knight was a squire, and Flair was an established knight. He had to mind his manners. He responded like the Blue Knight in the play, though the part about Clan was ad-libbed. Knowing that he would be struck down if he said something careless, he stayed quite serious.
“I am grateful that you saved Her Highness. However—”
“Flair, please stop. You mustn’t be rude to my saviors.”
Alaia interjected and grabbed Flair’s arm, imploring her to stop. But Flair didn’t stand down right away.
“Your Highness, he’s a stranger we know nothing about! He might have been sent to kill all of us!”
“If that was the case, he would have already done so. This stranger, Layous-sama, defeated the men that scattered us all on his own.”
While admonishing Flair, Alaia put her hand around Flair’s as it grasped the handle of her sword. Alaia was nowhere near as strong as Flair. She knew she wouldn’t be able to keep Flair from drawing her sword, but her action nonetheless had the power to make Flair relent. She was a knight that had sworn loyalty to the royal families, and as such, she decided to faithfully trust in Alaia’s judgement.
“...I understand, Your Highness.”
“Thank you, Flair.”
After thanking Flair, Alaia then turned back to Koutarou.
“I am sorry, Layous-sama.”
“Not at all. A wandering knight just happening upon the princess in her hour of need does sound too good to be true. It is only natural to be wary.”
Alaia had apologized, but Koutarou believed that Flair’s reaction had been appropriate. This wasn’t a movie or a play. Considering the circumstances, it was extremely reasonable to be untrusting of strangers.
If anything, Princess Alaia trusting me is what’s so remarkable... But I guess that’s part of what makes her a legendary princess...
Koutarou started to get a sense of how amazing Alaia truly was, and he was happy that she’d chosen to put her trust in him.
“As long as you are aware of that, there’s no problem. But if you try anything strange, I will cut you down where you stand.”
“That’s fine with me.”
Koutarou then realized one more thing.
If they weren’t this careful, they probably wouldn’t have gotten this far...
He realized just how difficult their journey up until now must have been. If the plays and history books were to be trusted, these girls had already endured hardship after hardship before meeting the Blue Knight. It wasn’t hard to imagine that the only knight, Flair, had helped carry them through such dangerous times. Their enemies outnumbered them so dramatically that staying on their guard played a critical role in their survival.
Looks like I need to stay alert too. If I think about this like just following a script, I’m in for a world of hurt... This journey is serious business. This decides the fate of a country after all...
Koutarou had started to relax when Alaia rejoined her group, but seeing Flair’s serious demeanor reminded him he needed to stay on top of his game.
“Well then, Layous-sama, allow me to reintroduce my friends.”
“Your Highness, calling us friends is going too far...”
“Heehee. It’s fine, isn’t it? This is an emergency after all.”
Alaia smiled at Flair and began the introductions by putting her hand on Charl’s head.
“This girl here is Charl. More formally, she is Charldrissa Daora Forthorthe, my sister and the second princess of this country.”
On cue, Charl took a step forward and looked up at Koutarou with her large eyes.
“Blue Knight or whatever it was...”
“What can I help you with, Princess Charl?”
Koutarou took a knee before her. Once kneeling, his eyeline was just slightly below Charl’s. It was easier to talk to her this way, and he was no longer looking down on royalty.
“It seems you took care of my sister. Good work.”
“It was the natural thing for a knight of Forthorthe to do.”
Hearing Koutarou’s answer, Charl’s expression lit up. The innocent smile of such an honest, energetic child warmed Koutarou’s heart.
“That’s good, Blue Knight! Continue proving your loyalty!”
“Of course. As you wish, my princess.”
Charl patted Koutarou on the shoulder a couple of times with a smile before walking around behind him to climb up his back and onto his shoulders.
“Rise, Blue Knight.”
“As you wish.”
Obeying Charl, Koutarou stood, lifting her small body up with him.
“Oooh, it’s so high!”
Riding on Koutarou’s shoulders, she stood taller than anyone else there. Pleased by that, her energetic smile grew even bigger.
I wonder if Theia was like this when she was a child...
As he looked up at Charl’s profile, Koutarou thought of Theia. And partly because of that, a small smile made its way across his lips.
“Heehee! Oh Charl...”
“Your Highness...”
Alaia smiled too as she watched Koutarou and Charl. With Charl on his shoulders, Koutarou was smiling the same way he had when he was carrying Clan. That made Alaia happy.
I see. So this is the man Her Highness believes in...
Seeing her master now, Flair could faintly understand why Alaia had put her trust in Koutarou. And since Flair herself felt like she could believe in the same thing, her suspiciousness of Koutarou began to ease slightly.
Not good... It’s still too early to let my guard down!
However, she quickly pulled herself together again. Because of her position, it was her duty not to readily trust Koutarou. As she was dealing with those complex feelings, Alaia introduced her to Koutarou.
“Layous-sama, this is Flair. She is my friend and an established knight from the Pardomshiha family that has served the royal families for ages.”
“Flairan Nye Pardomshiha. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Layous Fatra Veltlion. I apologize for my appearance.”
With Charl still on his shoulders, Koutarou presented his right hand. Because handshakes were a custom in Forthorthe just as they were on Earth, Flair took his hand.
“Blue Knight, Blue Knight!” Charl suddenly whispered to Koutarou.
“What is it?”
“Flair is diligent and stubborn. But she doesn’t hate you as much as she says. Don’t worry.”
“Hearing that puts me at ease. I might not end up being cut down after all.”
Koutarou and Charl laughed together.
“Princess Charl!”
“I leave the rest to you, Blue Knight!”
“As you wish, my princess.”
Sensing that Flair was in a bad mood, Charl withdrew to Koutarou’s back and peeked over his shoulder. Playing around with Charl reminded Koutarou of goofing off with Theia or Sanae, so this almost didn’t feel like it was their first time meeting. Thanks to that, they seemed to be making fast friends with each other already, despite their difference in station.
“Ahahahahaha!”
Watching Koutarou’s back and forth with the other girls, the girl wearing a more plain dress than everyone else began laughing.
“You’re no match for Princess Charl, Flairan-sama.”
The girl’s friendly tone helped Koutarou, who was a bit nervous from dealing with Flair, to ease up a little. When she noticed Koutarou looking her way, she started to introduce herself before Alaia could even open her mouth.
“I’m Marietta Alsein. A maid from the imperial palace. So Blue Knight-sama, which of the girls here is your type? Is it Alaia-sama?!”
Hearing her rapid-fire self-introduction, Koutarou was reminded of a certain someone back on Earth.
This girl is like Landlord-san...
Although they didn’t look very similar, her obvious penchant for gossip and friendly way of talking reminded Koutarou of Shizuka. Really, however, those might just have been things they had in common as girls of a particular age.
“Mary, asking Layous-sama that is rude.”
“Ahahaha! But you won’t get angry, right, Layous-sama?”
“I guess not.”
“See?”
“That won’t do at all, Mary. You’re my maid, so it’s only natural for Layous-sama to respond like that.”
Even though this is the ancient Forthorthe, they’re still all just normal girls...
As he had that thought, Koutarou scanned the girls’ faces again. Alaia, Charl, Flair, and Mary. They all had unique personalities, but to Koutarou, they still all qualified as normal girls. His thought process was influenced by his daily life with the invader girls, but Koutarou himself wasn’t conscious of that.
Two more, huh?
Koutarou then looked at the two girls that hadn’t been introduced to him yet.
One had long hair and sharp eyes. She was wearing something flashier than Mary, but it could have been called stylish attire. Together with her figure, she gave off the impression of being rather intelligent.
The other girl was wearing an outfit that had a very different feel to it. She was wearing a long, white robe and had a star-shaped pendant hanging around her neck. She looked less like an aristocrat and more like clergy from a church. Her face had soft, childish features, and combined with her outfit, she gave off a very friendly impression.
“Ah, did those two catch your eye? That’s unexpected.”
Noticing that Koutarou was looking at the other two girls, Mary began running her mouth again.
“Those two are Lidith Maxfern-sama and Fauna Mordraw-sama. Lidith-sama is a famed scholar despite her young age, and Fauna-sama is a priestess that serves the Goddess of Dawn. She was also a classmate of Alaia-sama’s from her seminary days.”
Even though she wasn’t talking about herself, Marietta seemed full of pride as she introduced the two girls. After being introduced, they both greeted Koutarou.
“I am Lidith Maxfern. Pleased to meet you.”
“I’m Fauna Mordraw. Thank you for saving Alaia-sama!”
Their greetings were polite and friendly. And it wasn’t just because of their personalities. It also had something to do with their respective professions.
“Nice to meet the both of you.”
Koutarou responded with a nod while thinking about Alaia and her group.
Hmm, an intelligent girl and a mysterious girl, huh?
Charl looked just like Theia when she was a child. Flair bore a resemblance to Ruth. Mary, Lidith, and Fauna didn’t particularly look like anyone, but their personalities reminded him of Shizuka, Kiriha, and Sanae respectively. With that thought in mind, Koutarou couldn’t escape the impression that Alaia’s allies were all very similar to the girls of Corona House.
“This almost feels like deja vu.”
“I guess this might be what you would call synchronicity.”
Clan was getting a very similar feeling, and she agreed with Koutarou’s muttering. Ever since her defeat in November, she had constantly been observing room 106, so she knew a lot about its residents and their personalities.
“Synchro-what?”
“Synchronicity. Even though they’re hypothetically unrelated, similar people will gather or similar events will occur as if guided by fate.”
“But that wouldn’t really apply here because we have people connected by the same bloodline, right?”
“That’s true. It may indeed just be coincidence then.”
That was Clan’s ultimate conclusion, and Koutarou felt the same way. If this was fate or what Clan called synchronicity, he felt that everyone gathered here would bear a stronger resemblance to their counterparts from the future.
Wait, everyone?
However, that was when Koutarou realized someone was missing. Theia, Ruth, Shizuka, Kiriha, and Sanae were here in spirit, but there was one more resident of room 106.
“Yurika’s not here...”
Alaia’s allies all reminded Koutarou of people he knew, but there didn’t seem to be an analog for Yurika.
“Well, I guess that would be like her...”
Koutarou smiled wryly. Yurika was truly a hapless girl, so her being the only one not present would, in its own way, be just like her.
“What’s wrong, Blue Knight?”
“Seeing everyone here just reminded me of my friends in my hometown.”
“I see. People you love?”
“Yes.”
Koutarou humbly nodded.
That’s right. Right now I can definitely say that I do.
Koutarou was a little surprised at the firmness of his answer. And with that, his urge to return home as fast as possible grew even stronger.
“More than me?”
“Of course I adore you the most, Princess Charl.”
In reality, Koutarou loved the friends in his “hometown” more than Charl, who he had just met. But he would feel bad breaking young Charl’s heart by telling her that, so made the adult decision to tell her a white lie.
“Well said, Blue Knight! You have my praise!”
Still riding on Koutarou’s back, Charl cackled. As Koutarou glanced at her face, he noticed a horse out of the corner of his eye. It was Alaia’s steed. After she had fallen off, it had come back here on its own.
A horse. Of course it’s a horse...
Koutarou stared at the horse. Although it was certainly a horse, it looked slightly different than ones he was used to seeing on Earth. The body was a similar shape and size, but it had a horn and its mane and hooves were different. Horses on Forthorthe looked more like unicorns. And as Koutarou stared at it, the horse stirred and moved away as if to escape Koutarou’s gaze. Its gestures were quite distinct.
“It couldn’t be... right?”
“What is it, Blue Knight?”
“That horse...”
“What about it?”
It looked like Yurika. But swallowing back those words, Koutarou approached the horse with Charl still on his back.
“This horse is my sister’s. It’s very smart. Even if it gets separated from my sister, it comes back on its own.”
“If Yurika ever got separated from us, she’d get lost and never make it back.”
“Did you say something?”
“This horse has very lovely mane.”
“It does, right?”
Charl strengthened her grip around Koutarou and cheerfully boasted about her sister’s mount. Since Charl and Alaia would often ride the horse together, it was her favorite too.
“Neigh!”
When Koutarou approached, the horse whinnied and turned its head away. Seeing that only furthered Koutarou’s suspicions.
Man, Yurika... Just like always, you have no luck whatsoever.
To Koutarou, the horse turning its head away like that gave off much the same impression Yurika did while she was acting as the horse’s rear in the play and failed at something.
“No matter how good you were at playing the part, ending up a horse is just too much...”
Koutarou muttered to himself while pityingly admiring the animal. There was a girl here that reminded him of everyone back home, except Yurika... who was a horse. Koutarou couldn’t help feeling sorry for her and her extremely bad luck.
But in spite of all Koutarou’s compassion for his roommate, something unexpected happened. Shortly after Koutarou finished mumbling to himself, the horse took off at full speed as if trying to escape.
“What’s going on? Nobody did anything to startle it.”
“Ah, look out!”
But in the settled darkness of the night, the horse tripped not long after running off. That wasn’t the end to the surprises, however. When the horse crashed into the ground, its body was wreathed in white smoke. And once the smoke cleared, what was left wasn’t a horse, but a lone girl wearing a dark robe and holding a large staff.
“Yurika?!”
The costume was cut of plain black cloth. The staff was roughly hewn like it had been hand-carved from a tree branch. But together, this was definitely the appearance of a magical girl, not too dissimilar from Yurika when she was cosplaying.
“A magician?! Your Highness, get back!”
“Okay.”
Koutarou was just surprised that a girl like Yurika had appeared, but Flair’s reaction was different. She quickly put herself between the girl and Alaia, and warned the group to stay alert.
“It’s an enemy spy! Veltlion, I’ll leave Her Highness and the others to you!”
“I got it!”
Despite his astonishment, as soon as Koutarou heard the words “enemy spy,” the urgency of the situation set in on him and he snapped back to his senses. Even though this girl looked like Yurika, she could still be their enemy. The threat of danger was very real.
“Clan, keep an eye on our surroundings!”
“I already am!”
Flair dashed past Koutarou. After Koutarou retreated back to Alaia, he let down Charl from his back.
“Kuh!”
“You’re not getting away!”
The girl in black stood up and tried to run, but it seemed she’d been quite hurt in the fall, and she was slow to move. Because of that, by the time she went to make a break for it, Flair was already right in front of her.
“Gather, spirits of the—”
“You’re too slow!”
The girl quickly pointed her staff at Flair, but Flair was ahead of her. She effortlessly drew her sword from its sheath, and with a firm step forward, knocked the staff out of the girl’s hand.
“That’s enough!”
Flair’s sword stopped just at the girl’s throat. Flair wanted her to know that if she moved a finger or said a word, she would be killed. And the message was received. The girl froze and stopped herself mid-sentence.
“An enemy spy... and a magician at that?”
This would make Koutarou’s second meeting with a real magician.
The masterminds behind the coup d’etat were Forthorthe’s minister of finance, Maxfern, and the head of the court magicians, Grevanas.
Forthorthe was a warrior culture society, so even if someone had a great deal of talent or skill, without the title of a knight, it afforded them no prestige. Not even as a minister or the head of the court magicians. In Forthorthe, those who didn’t stand to fight on the front lines in battle could never gain the same reputation and standing of those who did. Maxfern and Grevanas conspired to usurp the imperial throne because they couldn’t stand that system.
At first they had tried to steal it with machinations of their own design. They fabricated a case against the emperor, alleging misuse of the country’s funds. They claimed the emperor was prioritizing giving land and money to royalty. Using his position as a minister, Maxfern schemed to make the accusations as convincing as possible and planted the seeds of rebellion in the hearts of the established knights. But in reality, Maxfern and Grevanas were the ones siphoning the funds.
Their next ploy was widespread bribery using the large sums of money they had embezzled combined with profits from selling alchemy techniques to foreign countries. They successfully had many established knights under their thumb that way, and they weren’t all just knights blinded by the money either. The established knights that had been sent into poverty because of Maxfern’s schemes had no choice but to accept the bribes in order to keep managing their territories.
They then set up a trap for the established knights that remained loyal to the throne and wouldn’t accept bribes. Between injustice, rebellion, murder, and other intrigue, they used any means necessary to pin guilt on the established knights and reduce their numbers.
And now that this had been carrying on for over a decade, most bands of knights obeyed Maxfern, leaving only a handful still loyal to the royal families. With the numbers in their favor, Maxfern and Grevanas decided that trickery was no longer necessary to achieve their goals, and they finally openly took action against the throne.
They “uncovered” a case and used it to denounce the emperor. They then murdered the emperor and empress and accused Alaia of the crime. They tried to have her arrested in order to effectively bar her from her position as princess.
At the time the murders took place, Alaia was being visited by Fauna, her old classmate, and Flair. Charl had joined them as well. Suddenly, Mary—who had witnessed the murder of the emperor and empress—burst into the room, exclaiming Alaia and the others needed to flee.
Since Maxfern had already seized the palace, escape was incredibly difficult. However, through the guidance of Maxfern’s niece Lidith and some of the alchemists, they were able to make it out. At that time, most of the alchemists were already under Maxfern’s thumb, but there were still a few that were loyal to the royal families.
Once the girls escaped the palace, Alaia and her cohort decided to flee north to Pardomshiha territory. The Pardomshiha family had strong ties to the royal families, and their lands were Flair’s homeland. Alaia’s plan was to flee there to rally her allies before making her return.
However, pursuers were right on their tail as soon as they fled the palace, so their journey was perilous from the very start. Flair was their only capable fighter since the other five girls were all frail. They had never even held weapons before. In contrast, their pursuers were elites of Forthorthe’s army and court magicians. Their goal was Alaia’s capture, or if that proved too difficult, her murder. That the girls had made it so close to the Mastir checkpoint while avoiding their pursuers was proof of Flair’s loyalty and hard work.
However, there were only two ways to get through the mountains to the Mastir checkpoint, and it was in the mountain pass that their pursuers had finally caught up to them. Although Alaia and the girls had each somehow escaped, they were all scattered. Shortly after that, Koutarou had found Alaia running from the men who’d chased her down.
“That was when Layous-sama appeared.”
“I see. So it was under such dire circumstances...”
Alaia’s story more or less followed Theia’s script. Although minor details were different, the events were largely happening the way they did in the play. Koutarou stopped eating to think about what that meant for them. The meal Mary had prepared was delicious, but there was a great deal on his mind.
If we’re following the play, that means that after we get attacked by brigands, we’ll make it to the checkpoint, but...
The red flames of the fire lit up Koutarou’s face.
“If we keep pressing forward like this, we’ll almost certainly get ambushed by the army...”
Unable to gather his thoughts, Koutarou sighed slightly. He was concerned about the differences between the current situation and the script Theia had written. As things were now, it was sounding like the Blue Knight would end up fighting the army. But according to Theia’s script, they were attacked by bandits. Yurika had even played one. And right after that was the famous checkpoint scene, so having to fight both bandits and the army didn’t seem right.
Did Theia omit the fight with the army? Or is this because history’s changed...?
For some reason, Theia’s version of the story had the Blue Knight fighting brigands and not the army. But because the reason for that that wasn’t very clear, Koutarou wasn’t sure on how he should proceed.
“Clan, what actually happened after this according to history?”
Troubled, Koutarou whispered to Clan sitting next to him to try and get some answers. Clan, however, shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.
“I’m not very informed about all of the details. I only know what I’ve seen in plays and movies.”
The Blue Knight was a legend in Forthorthe, but Clan was no historian. Her knowledge on the subject mostly came from popular culture. Theia might have known better, but she was two thousand years away right now.
“Listen, Veltlion, it would be reckless to continue forward knowing there’s an ambush. And since a spy has slipped into our ranks, it’s obvious that an ambush is in the cards.”
Flair identified the heart of the matter as she pointed over her shoulder. Not too far behind her was the magical girl in black tied to a tree with rope. She was currently struggling to escape her bonds, but she was tied up well enough that she couldn’t slip out.
If I told Yurika, she’d definitely be happy...
Surprisingly, the girl was an actual magician. Before they managed to restrain her, she had used several minor spells in resistance. But since her staff—which amplified her mana—had been taken away from her, the spells hadn’t done any real damage. Even so, just learning that magic really existed was a shock for Koutarou and Clan. There were magicians in the play, of course, but they had both just assumed that was a fantastical embellishment.
“Well, it’s not like she would have had that many chances to transform herself and sneak in as the princess’s horse.”
After the group scattered and the magician had lost sight of Alaia, she tracked down Charl and the others instead to observe them. After meeting up with them, she continued to pretend to be a horse so she could wait for her chance to capture Alaia, but she was passing information on to her allies all the while. That’s what Koutarou had come up with, and he didn’t see any way he could be wrong. She’d just mistaken Koutarou’s interest in her as a sign she’d been found out. She’d panicked and tried to escape, but that led to her being captured instead. If that hadn’t happened, it wasn’t hard to imagine that Alaia’s journey would have come to an abrupt and unfortunate end shortly thereafter. After the group had subdued the magical girl, however, they moved away from the waterfall and deeper into the forest.
“If we keep going, it’s almost certain we’ll fall into the trap that’s already been laid for us.”
“That’s rough...”
The gears of Koutarou’s mind began turning again after what Flair said. Alaia’s party mostly consisted of normal girls that couldn’t defend themselves. Koutarou’s fighting capabilities were considerable thanks to his armor, but he had almost no real experience. Clan was in a similar situation. That meant the only proper soldier among them was Flair. If they clashed with the Forthorthian army as they were now, protecting the girls would be next to impossible.
“Lady Pardomshiha, wouldn’t taking a detour be the only option we have?”
Clan finally broke her silence. Playing her role as a servant, she had left the talking to Koutarou up until now, but she suddenly muscled her way into the conversation.
“Clan?” Koutarou asked, a little surprised.
“I’ll let you in on the details later,” she whispered back to him.
She left Koutarou in the dark, but rather than alleviating his confusion, she continued her conversation with Flair.
“If we take a detour from the highway and cross the mountain instead, we’ll be able to avoid the army. The terrain will be difficult to traverse, but it’s better than walking into a trap.”
“Hmm... If we can do it before they expand their search area once they notice they’ve lost contact with their mole, it might be worth trying.”
Flair agreed with Clan and made up her mind.
“At daybreak tomorrow, we’ll take a detour from the highway and cross the mountain towards the Mastir checkpoint. Everyone rest easy for the night.”
And so their path forward was decided, and Alaia and her party were given a moment’s respite.
Koutarou tossed a piece of wood into the fire to keep it from going out. It popped and crackled as it ignited, and the fire grew slightly larger. Although there was a chance it could give their location away to the enemy, the fire was necessary to keep them warm and to ward off any animals that might attack them in the night. Fortunately, Flair had picked a good spot for their camp. Their risk of being discovered was diminished because the fire was largely concealed by the dense tree cover around them.
“So how does it look?”
“Just wait a minute... Um...”
Clan was sitting next to Koutarou. It was now past midnight, and they were the only two still awake. The other girls were sleeping on the other side of the fire, covered by blankets. Once they’d decided on what to do tomorrow, Alaia and her party went to sleep to rest up for the coming journey. The group would take turns keeping watch and keeping the fire alive throughout the night. Just after midnight was Koutarou and Clan’s turn.
“It looks okay. There are no large animals or people in the area.”
Using her observation device, Clan watched over their surroundings. She let out a small sigh of relief when the results indicated there was no sign of danger. The campsite Flair had picked was safe.
“I see. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
As she responded to Koutarou, Clan couldn’t help but think what a strange turn of events things had taken.
The Blue Knight act is one thing, but to think I’m cooperating with this man...
Just half a day ago, Clan had frantically been trying to kill Koutarou. But through some twist of fate, they had been put in a situation where they had to work together. And now they were even talking to one another in a friendly manner. To Clan, it was just so utterly bizarre.
“By the way, Clan, why’d you say that before?”
“What?”
Clan emerged from her thoughts when Koutarou asked her that. But since her mind had been on something completely different, she wasn’t sure what he was talking about at first.
“You know, when you suggested to Flair-san that we should take a detour from the highway?”
Koutarou said “Flair” and not “Lady Pardomshiha” because he felt like he could speak freely when it was just him and Clan. In their current situation, she was really the only person he could be himself around.
“Ah, so that’s what you meant.”
“Yeah. I was sure you’d stay quiet so we wouldn’t change history.”
“It’s really the opposite, Veltlion.”
Clan felt a similar openness around Koutarou, and she’d dropped all formalities with him. Oddly enough, they’d found themselves in a situation where they were most comfortable around each other, despite being enemies.
“The opposite?”
“Yes. I realized that’s what the Blue Knight would have done.” Clan seemingly boasted as she explained herself to perplexed Koutarou. “If we continued walking down the road, the army would ambush us. Thinking about it rationally, there’s no way the Blue Knight would have just walked into a trap like that. So he would have led them on a detour, either through the mountains or across the river.”
Since they were currently in the middle of the mountains, they would either need to cross the river with a boat or leave the road and cross the mountain range off the beaten path in order to avoid the highway.
“And remember how the Blue Knight was attacked by brigands?”
“I see! That’s brilliant, Clan!”
Realizing what Clan was getting at, Koutarou’s expression brightened up.
“In other words, the Blue Knight and the others ended up getting attacked by brigands because they went into the mountain woods.”
“And that’s why they were fighting bandits in the play and not the army!”
The group currently had three options: continuing along the highway, crossing the mountains, or crossing the river. And the only one of those scenarios that would lead to them being attacked by brigands would be crossing the mountains. That way they would stay true to history.
“There will probably be less bandits in the mountains than there would be soldiers down the road, and we’ll stand out less in the mountains rather than on the river. I came to the conclusion that was what the Blue Knight would have decided as well.”
“I see... Clan, I thought you were just sly and vengeful, but now I see that’s not all there is to you.”
Koutarou cheerfully slapped Clan on the back.
“Ow, that hurts!”
“Sorry, I got a little excited and put a bit too much force into it.”
“And what’s this about being sly and vengeful?!”
“That’s how Theia described you, and I felt the same after meeting you.”
“Quit messing around!”
Now that she was riled up, Clan got on her feet.
“Don’t you forget! When we get back to our proper time and place, I’ll have you hanged for disrespecting royalty!”
“Your laws don’t apply to me. I’m not a citizen of your country.”
“Then I’ll just beat you to death!”
“Yeah, yeah. Okay. Just calm down, Clan.”
“Aargh, you...!”
“You’re going to wake everyone up.”
Koutarou forcibly dragged Clan towards him with his left hand and covered her mouth with his right. Clan unhappily struggled against him for a while, but she eventually wore herself out. Once he confirmed that she had calmed down, Koutarou let go of her.
“Like I said, once we get home, I’ll make sure you regret this.”
“You mean if we get home.”
Koutarou then looked up into the night sky. Earth was on the other side of that sea of stars, two thousand years away. He wasn’t sure he and Clan would ever see it again.
“If we can’t return, it’ll just be the two of us.”
“I’ll pass on that.”
“That goes for both of us.”
However, contrary to their words, they were both happy that they weren’t alone. Even if that meant being with an enemy.
“This is all because you were such a fool.”
“There was nothing else I could do. I didn’t know any better. Besides—”
As Koutarou was about to object, he saw someone get up on the other side of the fire.
“What’s wrong?”
“Looks like we woke someone up.”
Clan was wondering why Koutarou had stopped mid-sentence, but he pointed across the fire in response. Whoever had woken up now turned towards them.
“Princess Alaia.”
When they realized it was Alaia, Koutarou and Clan hurriedly stood up, corrected their lazy postures, and presented themselves as a knight and his servant.
“May I speak with you, Layous-sama?”
“Ah, y-yes, of course.”
“Thank you. Oh, and please relax, you two.”
Alaia approached with a small smile. She’d been listening to Koutarou and Clan talking for a while now, so she found it funny that they’d stop so abruptly. Having made her way around the fire, Alaia sat down near Koutarou.
“Veltlion...” Clan whispered as she jabbed Koutarou in the ribs with her elbow.
“What?” he whispered back.
“I’ll leave Alaia to you. Meanwhile, I’ll patrol our surroundings.”
“Hey, that’s playing dirty!”
Clan was planning on leaving this to Koutarou while she feigned ignorance. That was partially because she didn’t want to deal with Alaia, but also because she knew there were no famous stories about the Blue Knight’s servant. It wasn’t even certain if one existed to begin with. There were no records of such a person, so in order to not change history, Clan left all of their dealings with Alaia to Koutarou, their stand-in Blue Knight.
“Well then, Your Highness, Lord Veltlion, I will take a look around the area.”
“I’m sorry for troubling you, Clan-sama.”
“Not at all. Besides, keeping an eye on the area is important. In return, please keep Lord Veltlion company for a while, Princess Alaia.”
“Very well.”
“H-Hey...”
Leaving behind a smiling Alaia and a panicking Koutarou, Clan quickly scurried away from the campfire.
That insufferable brat... She definitely won’t be back until we’re done talking.
Being deserted, Koutarou decided that he would complain until Clan’s ears bled whenever she did come back.
“Layous-sama?”
While Koutarou was watching Clan leave with complex feelings brewing inside him, Alaia called out to him. When he turned his attention to her, she tilted her head and giggled.
“Goodness...”
Dumbfounded, Koutarou sighed and sat back down.
“You seem to get along very well with Clan-sama.”
Alaia smiled, but Koutarou lightly shook his head and denied it.
“She and I were just sort of forced together... stuck in the same boat, if you will. It’s not that we actually want to be together or get along.”
They were originally enemies, and if it wasn’t for their current situation, Koutarou and Clan would probably still be fighting.
“Heehee, is that so?”
But that wasn’t how Alaia saw it. Even if what Koutarou said was the truth of the matter, everyone else saw Koutarou and Clan as friendly. Alaia said they got along because that’s exactly what she’d seen.
“So what did you want to talk about, Your Highness?”
It was an embarrassing and problematic topic for Koutarou, so he was quick to change the subject.
“Ah, yes..."
There was a glimpse of loneliness in Alaia’s expression before it turned serious. As she was now, she gave off a powerful, willful impression befitting of a princess.
“Actually, I wanted to say farewell to you and Clan-sama,” Alaia said quietly.
And upon hearing those words, Koutarou—unlike Alaia—was unable to keep his composure.
“Farewell?! What do you mean?!”
If they split up here, history would be completely rewritten. It was a serious problem that would prevent Koutarou and Clan from ever returning home.
“It’s just as I said. I don’t believe that I should involve you two any further.”
“So this is to keep me from getting involved?!”
Despite his surprise, Koutarou did his best to recollect himself.
Ah, this man really did only help me with the best of intentions...
Seeing his reaction, Alaia was reassured that she’d made the right call about Koutarou.
“Yes,” she answered with a nod.
“But why?”
“At this rate, the lord you serve will be blamed.”
“My lord? My master will be blamed?”
“Yes.”
Koutarou served no master. And learning that Alaia’s fears were largely unfounded helped calm him down. After taking a deep breath, he urged Alaia to go on.
“Why do you think that?”
“You’re very strong, Layous-sama. Strong enough at your age that it must mean you’re part of a large band of knights.”
Larger bands of knights were known for producing especially high caliber squires. And that wasn’t just in regards to their sword skills. The quality of their gear—carrying fine swords, elaborate armor, or even magical items—was a good indicator that a knight was from a large band. So after seeing Koutarou fight, it was only natural for Alaia to assume that he had come from one such band.
“And there are only two bands of knights that large that are still my allies. Pardomshiha and Wenranka.”
Both had deep ties with the royal families, and their great financial strength had allowed them both to refuse Maxfern’s bribes.
“However, you are not part of either of them. If you were a squire from Pardomshiha, we would have met before, and Wenranka doesn’t use colors for their titles.”
With what Alaia knew about Forthorthian society, it was obvious that Layous Fatra Veltlion wasn’t part of Pardomshiha or Wenranka. In other words—
“In other words, you serve a lord that follows Maxfern. If you continue allying with us, it is only obvious that blame will fall on your lord. That will put your lord in a very dangerous situation where he is rejected by both sides in this conflict. I don’t wish for that to happen.”
In reality, Alaia wasn’t worried about his lord, but the people living in the land he resided over. She was also worried about Koutarou, who had saved her life out of the goodness of his heart. If he remained Alaia’s ally, he would be putting both himself and the people of his territory in danger. So to prevent that, Alaia had decided to part ways with Koutarou.
“I asked Flair to arrange the schedule so that you and Clan-sama would be on watch at this hour. Please leave while everyone is still sleeping.”
“Princess Alaia...”
Koutarou struggled for an answer. He had to come up with a way to keep traveling with Alaia and her party, but he had trouble arguing with her when she stared at him with such a determined look in her eyes.
How should I answer? What could I say that would satisfy her?
Koutarou wasn’t the real Blue Knight. The real one most likely wouldn’t have any problems answering her now. But Koutarou was at a loss. He couldn’t rely on the script either since this scene wasn’t in it.
Tell me, Theia! What would the Blue Knight say here?!
Koutarou thought of Theia back on Earth. He knew lies or deception wouldn’t work on Alaia and her deep, piercing, clear eyes. So he had to tell the truth more or less. He just wished Theia was there to tell him exactly what to say.
Theia, what would you do?! How would you answer?!
The current Theia was different from her past self. And the Blue Knight had the qualities that she believed made an ideal knight. What she respected the Blue Knight for, however, also revealed her ideals as a princess. As royalty, Theia also wanted to embody the virtues of the Blue Knight.
Koutarou only knew of the Blue Knight from the script she’d written, but he knew Theia well. She was selfish, but at the same time lonely and very kind. Despite the adversity she faced, she wanted to become an ideal princess worthy of leading her people. And thanks to how well Koutarou knew Theia now—thanks to all the time they had spent together—Koutarou was able to imagine what she would do in this situation.
Yeah, that’s right. That’s probably just what you would say, Theia...
Koutarou’s hesitation vanished. He now knew how he should answer Alaia.
“There’s no need to worry, Princess Alaia.”
Koutarou smiled. He’d been so focused on acting as a replacement for the Blue Knight that he’d almost lost sight of himself. In that sense, he wasn’t all that much different from Theia when she had first come to Earth. And just like in Theia’s case, he only had to remember the basics of what was really important here.
Before becoming the emperor, one had to be a splendid royal. And before becoming the Blue Knight, one had to be a splendid knight. Realizing that erased Koutarou’s doubt as he stood before Alaia.
“I will continue staying by your side, Your Highness.”
“But Layous-sama, in that case both you and the people of your land will suffer!”
Alaia held fast on the matter. She didn’t want to see people suffer, nor did she want to see Koutarou suffer. She was so determined on the matter that words alone wouldn’t be enough to change her mind.
“It’s okay, Princess Alaia. I can’t go into the details, but I don’t serve a lord.”
Koutarou told Alaia the truth. He also honestly told her that he couldn’t fully explain his situation to her.
I just need to do this, right, Theia?
Even though he was acting as the Blue Knight to keep history from changing, he could never become a splendid knight if he built his character upon a foundation of lies. If he did, he would eventually disappoint people and lose the trust they placed in him, casting a shadow over the whole legend of the Blue Knight. If that happened, he wouldn’t be able to return to his own world. So he instead committed to following the path of a knight as best he could, despite the risk it involved. He would borrow the Blue Knight’s words, but he would put his own feelings into them. In other words, Koutarou had to be worthy of being a knight himself in order to get through this.
Giving both my mind and body to serve the nobles, huh?
In the past during their practice, Theia would often say that was his duty as a knight. Back then, he hadn’t paid any attention to those words, but now he understood what she meant. Just trying to feign knighthood wouldn’t fool anyone.
“Wh-What are you—?!”
Alaia’s eyes opened wide. She was quite surprised by Koutarou’s answer.
A knight roaming the lands without a lord wasn’t all that rare. In this day and age, there were plenty of knights traveling the nation to find a lord to serve. But that was usually limited to knights from fallen houses or knights that had caused trouble and been banished. Even stranger, knights generally had no reason to hide the fact that the house they served had fallen, and Koutarou didn’t exactly look like a knight that had been banished by a former lord.
“Please rest easy, Princess Alaia. I may be a wandering knight far from my homeland, but my loyalty for the royal families remains unchanged.”
Those were words taken straight from the script. Since Koutarou wasn’t all that sure how to talk like a knight, he relied on the Blue Knight’s words. But even though they weren’t his words, Koutarou was sincere about wanting to help Alaia. He put his heart into what he said, and in that sense, made those words his own.
His desire to help Alaia was sincere. At first he had only saved her because she looked like Harumi, but after experiencing the dangers she was in first-hand, he wanted to be of help to her. Moreover, Theia’s ideal knight would never lie. Telling Alaia the truth might cost him the ability to return to his own world, but Koutarou was sure that Theia would praise him if she could see him now.
“But becoming our ally when we’ve lost our positions would make you an enemy of all of Forthorthe!”
Even then, Alaia earnestly tried to persuade Koutarou to turn back. If he served no lord, she definitely couldn’t put an innocent bystander like him in harm’s way. Alaia’s sincere eyes were fixed on Koutarou, but he simply nodded at her.
“It might be just as you say, Princess Alaia.”
“Then—”
“But that doesn’t mean I have to betray my pride, my loyalty, and most importantly, the hearts of the citizens of Forthorthe. They are not my enemy. Besides, who considers you an enemy is not all that important. What really matters is who stands by you.”
There were certain things Koutarou felt he simply had to protect. Theia’s straightforward and earnest desire to be of help to her mother, for example. The legend of the Blue Knight was an outlet for those hopes, and Koutarou refused to do anything that might jeopardize them. He didn’t want to betray her dreams. They were far more important than protecting history or returning home.
He may be a legendary hero, but in the end, what he felt may not have been all that different from a normal boy like me... He just wanted to protect what was important.
That’s how Koutarou felt as he recited the Blue Knight’s lines. This was starting to feel personal for Koutarou, but he knew the Blue Knight must have felt the same way. And the more and more he identified with the Blue Knight, the less and less guilty he felt about deceiving Alaia and the other girls by pretending to be him. Right now, Koutarou wasn’t even sure what was an act and what wasn’t anymore.
“Layous-sama...”
“And Princess Alaia, I’m sure the person who gave me this sword and this armor wouldn’t forgive me if I abandoned you. So, please, let me stay by your side.”
The girl that had given Koutarou the Blue Knight’s replica armor and the treasured sword Saguratin was prideful, strong, and kind. If she learned that Koutarou had abandoned a girl being chased down by her enemies, she would most likely erupt like a volcano.
“Your sword and armor...”
Alaia’s gaze shifted to Koutarou’s equipment.
Ah...
It had been too dark to clearly see before, but now that he was standing in the light of the campfire, Alaia spotted the crest engraved on his armor.
Theiamillis’s Blue Knight...?
The crest depicted a knight fighting a dragon, and written on it in Ancient Forthorthian (which was modern language to Alaia) were the words “Theiamillis’s Blue Knight.” When she saw that title, Alaia was more shocked than she’d been before.
Layous-sama isn’t a squire, but an established knight?!
Koutarou had introduced himself as Layous Fatra Veltlion, which implied to Alaia that the only words carved around his crest should be “Fatra” and “Blue Knight.” But that wasn’t the case. The words that were there—Theiamillis’s Blue Knight—were a much bigger deal. It was a personal title, meaning he wasn’t just any Blue Knight. He was an established knight that had been directly knighted by royalty.
That’s why he doesn’t have a lord! But he should have territory then! And there’s no land named Veltlion in Forthorthe!
Alaia grew ever more confused. When she saw the title engraved on Koutarou’s armor, she understood why he said he served no lord. It was because he himself was a lord. But she couldn’t make sense out of the rest of what this meant. Seeing the words “Theiamillis’s Blue Knight,” she could only assume that a female royal named Theiamillis had appointed him. But she didn’t know of any royals with that name, and there was no territory named Veltlion either. As smart as she was, not even the brilliant Alaia had any way of knowing that Theiamillis was a princess from two thousand years in the future, or that Veltlion’s territory was a humble six tatami mat room.
That’s right, the sword... If I look at the sword...
Alaia had no knowledge of a royal named Theiamillis, but her crest should decorate her knight’s sword. It was common practice in Forthorthe to put a family’s crest on the swords of the knights who served them.
A golden flower? But no such crest exists among the royal families... Just what is this?
A golden flower was indeed engraved into the handle of Koutarou’s sword. Alaia had assumed it was a family crest, but in reality it was Theia’s personal crest. Koutarou hadn’t formally been bestowed the title of knight either. Because of that, he didn’t actually have a knight’s sword. What he had was Theia’s personal sword—the one forged to celebrate her birth as a princess. As a result, her crest was engraved where a family crest would be on a knight’s sword. This was all very confusing to Alaia.
Just who is this person...?
Although they had only met a short while ago, Alaia didn’t doubt Koutarou and his intentions. She believed that he could be trusted; she just had absolutely no idea who he was.
“It is not just for your sake that I wish to accompany you, Your Highness. There are things as a knight I must do. Please allow me to stay by your side.”
“Layous-sama... Th-Then please tell me one thing.”
Alaia chose to confront the matter directly. She also decided that she would trust and accept his answer, no matter how strange it may be.
“Anything you ask.”
Koutarou nodded. He had no intention of lying to Alaia or deceiving her in any way. There were things he couldn’t tell her, but he would be honest with her when that was the case. Seeing Koutarou nod, Alaia put the question in her mind into words and asked Koutarou for the truth.
“That royal crest engraved on your breastplate... Your appearance, your mannerisms, and your honor indicate you are without a doubt a true knight of Forthorthe, but...”
In that moment, Koutarou felt a strong sense of deja vu.
Sakuraba-senpai...?
The words that had just left Alaia’s mouth exactly matched what Harumi had asked him on stage a few months ago.
“I have no recollection of that crest on your armor and sword. Just where have you come from?”
Alaia continued to speak in lines from the play, but Koutarou was even more caught off guard when...
“...From an endless time and an immeasurable distance.”
He heard himself replying in the Blue Knight’s words, but he now realized just how closely they matched his current situation. The Blue Knight’s answer and Koutarou’s answer were one in the same. Koutarou had come from over two thousand years in the future, and from the other side of the universe.
Just what is this...?
Koutarou was puzzled by the seemingly bizarre coincidence. Clan had used the term synchronicity to describe this strange phenomenon, and Koutarou was really starting to believe in it. And as uncanny as it all was, he was happy that he didn’t need to lie to Alaia.
“From an endless time and... an immeasurable... distance...”
Alaia slowly repeated Koutarou’s words.
I wonder what that means... Still, I’m sure it’s not a lie...
She was puzzled by Koutarou’s words almost as much as he was. But even though she didn’t understand what he meant, she could vaguely feel that he was being honest. And since she’d chosen to believe in him, she decided to put that into action.
“Then please lend us your strength, Layous-sama...”
“As you wish, my princess.”
Koutarou nodded firmly and looked up into the starry sky overhead.
I’ve really come quite a ways...
Despite the seemingly infinite stars twinkling overhead, Koutarou couldn’t see Earth among them. Earth was far, far away, well beyond what the human eye could see.
“...Layous-sama...”
As she watched Koutarou like that, Alaia had a thought. Perhaps Koutarou had come from the world of the stars. She knew it was childish, fanciful thinking, but with so many stars shining above them in that moment, she wanted to believe it was the truth.
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