Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 7.5 - Chapter 4

The Silver Princess

Clan was wearing a robe for traveling over her normal outfit as she stood facing an elderly man.

“A knight in blue armor?”

“He’s called Layous Fatra Veltlion. Have you heard of him?”

The elderly man was the owner of a small inn. He had a mild demeanor and a slight accent. Clan was currently talking to him in an attempt to gather some information.

“I don’t know him. At the very least, he hasn’t been at my inn.”

“I see.”

“Sorry I couldn’t be of help.”

“No, thank you for taking the time to talk to me.”

“Take care, miss. There’ve been some worrisome developments in this country these days.”

“Thank you.”

However, the old man wasn’t able to help Clan with what she wanted to know. After thanking him for his time, she quickly left the inn.

“Looks like this town was a bust as well...”

Once outside the building, Clan sighed. Right now, she was in a small mountain town by the road. The area wasn’t very prosperous and relied heavily on travelers stopping by for income. As such, the main street of the town was lined with inns and bars. They were all very aged buildings made out of stone—the kind of structures Clan was only used to seeing as ruins or sightseeing spots. She’d faithfully checked every last inn and bar, but no one seemed to have the information she was looking for.

“Just where is he?”

Clan’s goal was to find the real Blue Knight. Then she had to get him to join up with Alaia in order to prevent irreversible changes to this timeline’s history. In order to locate him, she’d split up from Koutarou and the other girls for the time being. Clan focused her search around where she knew Alaia and her companions traveled, and she’d stopped to check each town and village along the way. In the original history, the Blue Knight met up with Alaia before the Mastir checkpoint, so he should still hypothetically be somewhere in the area. Even if he had moved on, there was a high chance that someone had seen him during his travels, so Clan was hoping to get some news of his whereabouts from anywhere he might have stopped to rest or eat.

However, despite visiting many towns and villages, she hadn’t caught wind of anything at all. No matter who she asked, no one had seen a traveler wearing blue armor and no one remembered a customer by the name of Layous. With each dead end, Clan only grew more and more worried. At first she was sure that she’d be able to find him right away, but she was now regretting that naive optimism.

“Today makes one full week, huh? That means I need to check in.”

Clan had promised to return to Koutarou after a week to report, regardless of what she found. She had parted ways with Koutarou and the others on the day they’d decided to cross the mountains to avoid the army. And today being their seventh day apart, it was time to reconnect with them.

“This is sad. I don’t even want to hear what he’s going say...”

Clan sighed once more. When she left Koutarou and the others, she was full of confidence and boasted that she could easily find the Blue Knight without trouble. With how things had turned out, however, she was reluctant to return and admit that she hadn’t even found a single clue.

“It’s possible we’re dealing with a worse case scenario...”

Clan had some idea as to why she might not be finding any information on the Blue Knight. It was possible that the real Blue Knight had been fatally caught up in the space quake when Koutarou and Clan arrived in this age. It was even possible he’d been crushed by the Cradle as it crashed.

If he was already dead, that would explain why no one had seen or heard from him around here. Thinking like that, things started to make sense. But it would also mean that Clan had killed the Blue Knight. As a Forthorthian, she had a certain fondness for the legend herself, and she sorely wanted to believe that wasn’t what had happened.

“Hahh... What should I tell him?”

Clan sighed again as she entered a small alley and began using her bracelet to pinpoint the current location of Koutarou’s armor. Before they parted ways, she set his armor so that it emitted a signal she could track. Once she picked it up with her bracelet, it showed his location overlaid on a map of the area.

“It’s already been a while since he passed into Mastir territory...”

The marker showing Koutarou’s location wasn’t within the Fornorn territory where Clan currently was, but inside the Mastir territory. That meant they’d made it past the Mastir checkpoint. At least she could rest easy knowing they’d avoided the army thus far and gotten across the border safely.

“Then let’s go...”

Once she confirmed his location, Clan discreetly activated the modified barrier generator she’d used when fighting Koutarou, and cloaked herself as she flew up into the sky. She was planning on flying all the way to Koutarou like that.

“That Veltlion is quite sly, despite his looks...”

Though she was effectively invisible as she was, the gloomy atmosphere around her remained.

While Clan was on her way to him, Koutarou was in the middle of an interrogation in a room of a small inn.

“Caris, don’t be so stubborn. Just tell us. You even told us your name the other day.”

“...Hmph.”

The person being interrogated was the girl they’d captured after reuniting Alaia and her party. Based on her outfit, she looked like a court magician, but they didn’t know anything about her other than her name: Caris Webnant. And Koutarou had struggled to get her to tell them even that much.

“You’re hungry, right?”

Holding a large, roasted bird in his hand, Koutarou squatted down in front of Caris. Their eyes met.

“I’m not.”

Grrrgle...

“If you tell us what your orders were when you were transformed into a horse, you can have some of this.”

“I-I don’t want any!”

Grrrgle...

“Is that so? Then I’ll just eat this village’s delicacy, roasted wadowado bird, all by myself.”

“Ugh...”

Grrrgle...

“Oooh, delicious! It’s perfectly roasted! The texture of the crispy skin and the smell of the spice covering it are the perfect combination! They just make your taste buds sing! And the meat is so tender! Every time I bite into it, it’s so juicy it’s almost like soup!”

Caris gulped.

This girl—Caris Webnant—had kept her lips sealed during Flair’s strict interrogation. She revealed nothing, not even her identity. When it was Koutarou’s turn to give things a try, however, she’d loosened up a bit and they were finally able to learn her name.

I honestly wondered about this when we first captured her, but to think something like this is actually working...

Koutarou’s method was simple. He was using food as a bargaining tool. Because Flair was a knight through and through, she had never even considered an interrogation tactic like this, much less that it might actually work. But Koutarou was different, and he had a certain image of girls who used magic—or claimed to. They were sloppy, and most importantly, had a weakness for food. That was thanks to all the time he’d spent with Yurika.

“Blue Knight, I want to have some too.”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“Veltlion!”

“My, Charl... It seems you’ve taken quite a liking to Layous-sama.”

“This isn’t something to laugh about, Princess Alaia!”

Charl had jumped at Koutarou and taken a bite of the roasted bird he was eating. Seeing such a display of poor manners from Charl, Flair got angry, but Alaia was watching over them all with a smile.

“Delicious! Give me more, Blue Knight!”

“As you wish, my princess.”

“C-Curse you, Blue Knight! Just how rotten can you get?!”

Grrrgle...

Seeing Charl stuff her mouth with such a delicious looking roast bird, Caris’s stomach growled again. But it wasn’t like she was starving. She’d been given meals normally like everyone else along their trip. Koutarou’s interrogation technique wasn’t working because she was hungry; it was working because of her extraordinary love of food.

“Caris, it’s not like anyone will be at a disadvantage now if you tell us what your orders were a week ago.”

“Wh-What do you mean?!”

“It’s already been a week since you’ve stopped reporting in. The people who gave you your orders are already well aware that you’re incapacitated. That means they’ll act now on the assumption that the information has been leaked. So whether you tell us or not won’t have any influence on what they do. You see?”

“Th-That’s...”

Caris’s loyalty began wavering. She really wanted to eat something delicious. She just couldn’t betray the court magicians that had taken care of her since she was young. But even if she broke her silence now, it wouldn’t affect them, right? So wasn’t it just best to speak up and then get something delicious to eat in return?

“No, no, I can’t! I can’t tell you the orders I got directly from Grevanas-sama, who I’m greatly indebted to!”

Caris let the name of the head of the court magicians slip her lips.

Grevanas... So she got her orders directly from the head of the court magicians?

Caris had unintentionally revealed who she’d gotten her orders from, but she was so distracted by the roast bird in front of her that she didn’t even realize it.

“You don’t have to tell everyone, Caris. You just need to tell me.”

“Just you...?”

Caris’s glance shifted between the roast bird and Koutarou. As she did, Koutarou gently smiled and nodded at her.

“That’s right. You don’t have to tell me who gave you your orders or anything either. That would put you in a difficult position. You only need to tell me what your orders were, and then you can eat this.”

Grrrgle...

Caris’s stomach growled yet again.

“A-All right, I’ll tell you and you alone, so give me one that’s warm.”

“Well said! We have ourselves a deal!”

And so Caris revealed yet another secret to Koutarou.

“Thank you, Blue Knight, my kindred spirit! I knew you were a knight’s knight when I first met you!”

“I-I see. Then eat to your heart’s content, Caris.”

“So, Caris-san, what do you want to eat first?”

“I’ll leave the spiced one for later. First I want to try a normally salted one to get a feel for the ingredients and the original flavor.”

“Okay, just a moment.”

Koutarou left Mary to take care of feeding Caris, who was still bound up, and turned towards Alaia, who was sitting at a table by the window. With her were Flair, Lidith, and Fauna.

“Blue Knight!” Charl called to him as she reached out her hand.

“Yes, Your Highness?”

Koutarou took her hand with a smile and walked over to Alaia and the others with her.

“Good job, Layous-sama. Please, have a seat.”

Alaia stopped what she had been doing and welcomed Koutarou to the table. Koutarou sat down in the chair she offered to him, and Charl immediately started climbing up into his lap. Koutarou helped her up.

“So how did it go?”

“It looks like things are getting complicated.”

The smile Koutarou had put on for Charl faded and he began speaking in a serious tone. He was mystified by what Caris had said.

“What do you mean by ‘complicated’?”

Flair’s eyes narrowed. She had her opinions on Koutarou’s interrogation tactics, so she was already displeased with the situation, but she put her mood aside and returned to her usual knightly disposition when she heard the ominous tone in what Koutarou said.

“It seems like Caris was acting on orders directly from the head of the court magicians, Grevanas.”

Minding Caris behind him, Koutarou spoke in a slightly lower voice. Caris had only agreed to tell him about her orders, so he kept his voice down to keep her from realizing he was sharing her secret.

“S-Spicy! Water, water!”

“Okay! Coming right up!”

Fortunately, Caris was completely and utterly occupied with her food, so she wasn’t paying the slightest bit of attention to what Koutarou and the others were saying.

“Orders from Grevanas himself? That’s strange.”

Lidith, who had been listening careful until now, slightly tilted her head. Seeing that, Fauna looked at her with a confused expression.

“What do you mean, Lidith-chan?”

“Based on the clothes she’s wearing, Caris isn’t a very high-ranking magician. So if someone were to give her an order, it would be her direct superior and not Grevanas. The only exception would be for special missions.”

Lidith was an alchemist, a scholar who studied things like science, medicine, and religion, but she also dabbled in other fields.

“Then, Layous-sama, what is her special mission?”

Fauna’s naturally curious gaze turned towards Koutarou.

“Watching over Princess Alaia and reporting on the current situation.”

“Anything else?”

Flair urged him to continue, narrowing her eyes even more. She already had an idea of what Koutarou was about to say.

“That was it. Her mission seems to have been those two things specifically. She said that capturing or murdering Princess Alaia wasn’t part of her mission.”

That was the part Koutarou found odd. Caris had been given direct orders from the head of the court magicians, Grevanas, to keep an eye on Alaia. Yet the soldiers chasing her down were told to capture or murder her. It didn’t add up. He’d expected Caris to have a similar mission, but apparently her direct orders from Grevanas were simply to observe and report. He couldn’t help thinking that there was a catch, and the fact that this wasn’t in the script strengthened that impression.

“That is strange. Maybe he doesn’t really have any intention of capturing us?”

“Then is he just having the soldiers pretend to chase us while he’s actually letting us do what we want?”

“Or could it be that Maxfern’s and Grevanas’s goals are different?”

“It seems like their forces weren’t completely united, but right now it’s impossible to tell...”

Flair, Alaia, Fauna, and Lidith all shared Koutarou’s apprehension, and the four girls put their heads together.

Are they trying to flush out Princess Alaia’s allies?

That was Koutarou’s first thought, but without anything to go on, his anxiety only grew.

“Blue Knight, there’s no need to think so hard about it.”

Charl was the only one with a smile still on her face. She poked Koutarou’s cheeks and spoke to him with confidence.

“We don’t know the details, but it means it’s gotten easier for us to escape, right?”

“...I see.”

Koutarou found himself agreeing with Charl. If things were as Caris had said, Alaia and her party were perhaps in less immediate danger than they’d thought. While not knowing Grevanas’s game was a worrisome point, it was still better than having to flee for their lives.

“As expected from Princess Charl. It’s just as you say.”

“Heehee! If you now understand my greatness, then continue proving your loyalty, Blue Knight!”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

A smile returned to Koutarou’s lips. The other girls seemed to be feeling a little relieved as well, and the anxious atmosphere slowly relaxed. Seemingly happy with that, Charl smiled even brighter as she leaned against Koutarou.

“Nothing good will come from overthinking this, so let’s just agree with Princess Charl that it’s gotten easier to escape.”

That was Flair’s conclusion. Since they couldn’t question Grevanas in person, there was indeed nothing more they could do for now.

“I always thought you were a child, Charl, but you’ve gotten more mature.”

Alaia smiled at Charl and got back to work on what she’d been doing before. It was a new hobby she’d picked up—knitting.

“As much as sister’s knitting skills, right, Blue Knight?”

“That’s quite the hard question to answer.”

“Are my knitting skills that poor, Layous-sama?”

Koutarou stumbled for words, but Alaia cheerfully continued moving her knitting needles. Her skills weren’t bad by any stretch. She was quite good for someone who’d just started. But since she had no one to teach her, her progress was slowing down.

“Heh... Princess Alaia, you should try doing this there.”

“Oh?”

As things were now, Koutarou was a more skilled knitter than she was. Even though he was clumsy, he’d improved quite a bit in the ten months he’d been practicing. And having learned so much from such a good teacher, there was plenty he could teach Alaia.

“You do it here. Like this.”

“I see... Layous-sama, you can knit too?”

“Blue Knight, knitting is for women! Leave that to my sister and continue proving your loyalty.”

Alaia watched Koutarou’s skillful handling of the needles with admiration, but Charl was unhappy. She felt it was wrong for a man to be knitting.

“That’s too bad. Here I was thinking of knitting a muffler for you too, Princess Charl.”

“Well, you can knit that. That falls under proving your loyalty.”

“Your Highness, I’m having a hard time understanding what proves my loyalty and what doesn’t.”

“If you’re a knight, you should know these things.”

Thanks to Charl’s cute behavior, cheerful laughter filled the room. Clan appeared not long afterwards.

Koutarou’s room at the inn was for two people. Since he knew that Clan would be returning, he’d prepared for her in advance.

“H-Hey, Veltlion.”

“What?”

Koutarou answered Clan while playing with an operating panel built into the armor’s right arm. The armor’s upright posture locked in place, and the various parts of the armor opened. Koutarou stepped out of the suit as if shedding a shell. Once Koutarou emerged from the armor, it closed after him. But without even making sure it had closed properly, Koutarou approached Clan, who was sitting on one of the two beds.

“A-Are we sleeping here tonight?”

Clan’s face was red. Her eyes were wavering with anxiety.

“Yeah. What about it?”

“What about it? I-I’m still not married, and...”

Clan looked down at the ground.

“Ah, I see!”

Koutarou realized what Clan wanted to say and clapped his hands together when the lightbulb came on.

“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything funny in a situation like this.”

“But...”

After living in room 106 with girls all around him every day, Koutarou had built up a certain resistance to women, but Clan was a sheltered princess who had almost no experience with men. She couldn’t even imagine sleeping all alone in a room with a man that wasn’t family.

“I understand how you feel, but it’d be suspicious if a knight and his servant slept in different quarters. I can only ask that you bear with it.”

“I-I understand.”

“You can trust me, Clan.”

Koutarou smiled. Though Clan said she understood, she was hugging a pillow and quietly watching Koutarou from behind it. It was pretty obvious that she didn’t fully trust him.

“Although we were originally enemies, you’re the only one I can depend on right now. There’s no way I’d do anything terrible to you, now is there?”

While saying that, Koutarou glanced towards the armor standing behind him.

Koutarou couldn’t do maintenance on the armor himself, so Clan’s cooperation was essential. And since there was lots he didn’t know about Forthorthe’s history and culture, her advice was indispensable here. Based on the situation they were in, he couldn’t risk doing anything at all that might upset Clan or turn her against him. It would be like cutting his own lifeline.

“Hahh... All right. But in return, don’t look at my sleeping face. Only my future husband can see that.”

“It’s a deal, Clan. Let’s make a partition or something there later.”

“...”

After glancing at Koutarou one more time, Clan let go of her pillow. But even so, the awkward atmosphere didn’t dissipate right away, so Koutarou decided to change the topic. Fortunately, there was a lot they needed to talk about.

“Oh yeah, do you have anything to tell me, Clan?”

“Tell you...? I-I don’t want to see your sleeping face—”

“Not that. I mean your investigation. Did you find anything on the real Blue Knight?”

Clan was about to lose her composure all over again, but her expression turned dark the moment she heard the words “Blue Knight.”

“Ah, ahh... Th-That’s...”

Based on her reaction, Koutarou could guess how it’d gone.

“...Nothing?”

“Ah, auuugh... Y-Yes...”

Clan’s words grew weaker and quieter. She eventually ended up hugging the pillow she had let go of again and burying her face in it.

“Just saying ‘yes’ doesn’t tell me anything. Please explain.”

When Koutarou said that, Clan peeked up from the pillow and took a look at his face.

“You’re not angry?”

“Angry? Why would I be?”

“Because... I said I’d find him right away, so...”

Hearing Clan’s words, Koutarou remembered what she’d said a week ago. Back then she was full of confidence.

So she was embarrassed about not being able to do what she so pridefully boasted she could, huh?

Koutarou smiled a little as he started to understand Clan’s feelings.

“Stupid. I know the difference between when I should be mad and when I shouldn’t. Besides, you leaving so full of confidence made me feel better too.”

Koutarou and Clan coming to this era had distorted history, but forcing all of the responsibility of fixing that onto Clan was wrong. They’d essentially divided their work, and seeing Clan leave to go find the real Blue Knight so confident in herself had given Koutarou a little bit of hope. He felt safe leaving things to her.

“...”

Clan stared Koutarou in the eyes. She was trying to figure out if he was being honest about how he truly felt.

“So don’t get depressed, okay? Just tell me how it went.”

“I understand...”

Clan stared at Koutarou for a while longer, but she eventually collected herself and slowly nodded.

When this man jokes around, he’s incredibly brash, but when he’s serious, it seems he can behave himself like a proper knight...

Clan’s opinion of Koutarou was slowly changing.

“So how’d it go?”

“Well... for starters, I checked all of the towns and villages along the path that Alaia-san and the others took.”

“I see. That was a sensible way of doing it.”

Koutarou was impressed by Clan’s method. If Koutarou and Clan hadn’t gotten in the way, the Blue Knight would have met up with Alaia somewhere en route to the Mastir checkpoint. So since he was probably traveling normally up until that happened, checking the towns and villages in the area should have yielded something. All Clan would have to do after that was follow his footsteps. It made a lot more sense than randomly looking around for a man in blue armor.

“But nobody knew anything no matter where I went. Not a single person said they had recently seen a man in blue armor or had any guests by the name of Layous.”

“That’s strange...”

“I agree, which means we might be facing the worst possible scenario.”

“...The worst possible scenario?”

Koutarou pensively looked up at Clan’s face. She wore a grim expression and nodded reluctantly.

“Yes, being that we may have killed the real Blue Knight when we were thrown to this age.”

“What... Killed the Blue Knight?!”

Koutarou’s eyes shot wide open. It was a highly unexpected suggestion.

“He may have gotten caught in the space quake, or crushed by the Cradle as it crashed...”

“That would explain why you couldn’t find any trace of him, but... aren’t you overthinking this?”

“Huh?”

This time, Clan’s eyes opened wide in surprise. After hearing Clan’s report, Koutarou had come to a different conclusion.

“Rather than a coincidence like that, couldn’t it just be that he’s traveling incognito? It’s possible he’s just not in his armor too. My armor moves on its own, but wouldn’t it be hard for a knight wearing normal armor to travel in it?”

Koutarou’s armor was fully powered, so it didn’t inhibit him at all as he moved. If anything, it made things easier. But traditional knight armor was just forged and molded metal, so it was heavy and uncomfortable. It was meant for combat, not traveling. Flair, for example, was wearing a light suit of armor that had been specially designed for long journeys. It had been decorated appropriately for a knight, but it actually used very little metal.

“I see. That does seem much more likely.”

Clan nodded as she thought over what Koutarou said.

It seems that he’s less stupid than I first thought... But that makes sense. If he really was that much of a dunce, I wouldn’t have lost to him twice.

Clan’s opinion of Koutarou slowly continued to change more.

“Then starting from tomorrow, I’ll expand the search area a little and expand my inquiries to cover knights traveling alone.”

“That sounds good. It’s still too early to jump to conclusions.”

Koutarou agreed with what Clan suggested. He had no objections to her search methods.

“That’s true... So how did things go on your end, Veltlion?”

“Oh yeah! About that...”

Koutarou flashed a smile the moment Clan brought it up.

“You’re pretty amazing, Clan! Everything happened just as you said it would!”

Koutarou spoke volubly with excitement. He even inched closer to Clan, which made her start hugging her pillow again as she got embarrassed.

“As we crossed the mountain, we got attacked by bandits. And after chasing them off, we made it to the Mastir checkpoint without facing the army!”

The encounter with the bandits happened just the way it had been written in the script. As Koutarou and the others were crossing the mountain, three bandits blocked their path while two additional bandits cut off their escape. The bandits weren’t as strong as Forthorthian soldiers, and there were only five of them. So just like what happened in the play, Koutarou posing as the Blue Knight easily dispatched the three in the front while Flair got rid of the two that were flanking them. The only difference was that the bandits weren’t like Yurika. They were rough, bearded men.

“And at the Mastir checkpoint, that role model of loyalty, Soldier A was really there!”

Once the bandits were taken care of, Koutarou and the girls had climbed down the mountain and made their way towards the Mastir checkpoint without incident. No one seemed to be pursuing them, and there was no ambush waiting for them. They reached the checkpoint safely.

There, they’d met the real-life inspiration for the character referred to as “Soldier A” in the play. He wasn’t known by name, but he was known throughout Forthorthe for his loyalty. When he recognized Alaia, he let her through the checkpoint even though she and her party had no paperwork on them. It was a selfless act of loyalty to the royal families.

“His name was actually Orion. What a shame that A isn’t his initial though.”

In the play, Koutarou was originally supposed to play the part of Soldier A, so he had some fondness for him. He couldn’t help asking his name while they were there.

“It’s an approximation. Orion’s initial is the first letter in the Forthorthian alphabet, so Soldier A is correct.”

Clan smiled at Koutarou, whose eyes were sparkling like a child’s. Her eyes behind her antique glasses looked much more gentle than usual.

“Really? But still, the whole thing was incredible. It happened just like in the script. It was a real help that Theia didn’t add a bunch of fluff to the story.”

Koutarou pulled out two booklets from his armor—his stage costume—and presented them to Clan. They were copies of both parts of Theia’s “The Blue Knight and the Silver Princess” plays. Once she had them in her hands, Clan flipped through the pages.

“Theiamillis-san is a history maniac, so of course she’d be faithful to the original story. Well, it’s not like I can’t understand how she feels...”

What Theia wanted wasn’t a fictional knight, but a real one. That’s why she only made minor changes to the story where it was absolutely necessary. And thanks to that, the scripts she wrote were like a prophecy of what was to come.

“So I was thinking, Clan...”

“About what?”

Clan stopped flipping through the pages and looked up at him.

“The next act in the play is about the poisoning of the water source, and I want to stop that.”

“You want to stop it?!”

Clan hastily shut the script booklet and raised her voice.

“Yeah. We know the water source is going to get poisoned, so if we go ahead of the enemy, we can stop it and no one will get hurt, right?”

“You can’t, Veltlion! If you do that, history will change!”

“Now’s not the time to be worried about history!”

Mirroring Clan, Koutarou also raised his voice.

“If we do nothing, lots of people are going to die!”

If things went according to the script, the water source would soon be poisoned on Maxfern’s orders. It would kill everyone who drank from it. Koutarou wanted to prevent such a horrible, indiscriminate attack.

“In the end, they succeed in treating it! So there’s no need to interfere and rewrite history!”

“But even then, people are going to die! Can you still call yourself a princess of Forthorthe knowing that and doing nothing about it?!”

In the play, the Blue Knight ended up stealing an antidote from the enemy to treat those who’d been poisoned. But it still didn’t save everyone. Those who were seriously ill would lose their lives. Koutarou couldn’t ignore that. Up until now, it had only been Koutarou and Alaia’s problems, but this was going to involve the lives of many innocent people.

“Wha...”

Clan was at a loss and was unable to give him a rebuttal.

“Can you still call yourself a princess of Forthorthe knowing that and doing nothing about it?!”

She had been so focused on preserving history that she saw those deaths objectively. As historical fact. An unavoidable loss. But Koutarou’s words had made her realize that she was only thinking of the citizens’ lives as pieces of a puzzle, leaving her appalled at herself.

I see... That would make me a fake princess, wouldn’t it?

Clan recalled Koutarou calling her that before. It was back in November when they first met. Back then, she took it as an insult and lost her temper, but now she felt like he might have had a point. Would she protect history, or the lives of the citizens? A princess would pick the latter, but Clan just couldn’t do it. She then began to understand how flawed she was as a royal.

And this is probably the part of him that Theiamillis-san trusts so much...

The reason why Theia was so obsessed with Koutarou, the real reason she let him use Saguratin... Clan knew she wouldn’t lend out her treasured sword just for the sake of a play. There had to be more meaning to it, and Clan was starting to understand exactly what it was.

“A prideful knight before royalty, huh?”

“What was what?”

“Nothing... Veltlion, it’s just as you say.”

In that moment, Clan changed her mind. Even though there was a good chance this would change history forever, she couldn’t just let her citizens die for nothing.

“You mean...?!”

“Yes. I know what I said before, but after calming down, I also want to prevent the water source from being poisoned. There’s a risk that history will change, but I can’t just overlook this.”

The poisoning incident would eventually come to a conclusion either way. They were just planning on changing how it was resolved. But even a change like that might still be enough to keep them from returning to their own world on the proper timeline. Even if they couldn’t return, however, at least the safety of the citizens would be protected.

“Well said, Clan!”

Koutarou smiled and slapped Clan on the back with his large hand several times.

“Ouch, that hurts!”

“Oh, sorry. I put a little too much force into it.”

“Really now, you’re always so reckless... Will you take responsibility if we can’t return to our own world?”

Clan gave Koutarou a reproachful glance for just a moment.

“Leave it to me. If you lose your place, I’ll let you live in room 106 too.”

Koutarou understood the meaning of Clan’s resolution. She had decided that she would protect the citizens, even if it meant losing the ability to return to her home.

If it comes down it, I’ll have to take responsibility for her making a decision like that.

So Koutarou resolved himself as well.

“So Clan, how exactly do we prevent it?”

“That’s the problem. There are plenty of water sources, and we don’t know when they’re going to poison one.”

“So we have to use the same method you used to search for the Blue Knight and check every water source in the area?”

“It could be a river, a lake, a well... There’s a limit to how much ground the observation device can cover for us, so we need to narrow it down a bit.”

“Since a lot of people get sick, we can probably narrow it down to a larger water source that lots of people use.”

“I agree. Then for starters, I’ll order the observation device to find anything that meets those parameters around here.”

“Please do, Clan.”

Clan began operating her bracelet.

“Please do, Clan”? Huh... Really, what am I doing?

Clan couldn’t help finding the situation funny. She had gone to a backwater planet like Earth explicitly for the purpose of sabotaging Theia’s trial. It was there she came across a strange Neanderthal wearing the Blue Knight’s armor. After piling offense upon offense, she became obsessed with killing him... But before she knew it, they were now working together to save the lives of Forthorthe’s citizens. And what’s more, they might end up changing history together.

Clan wondered repeatedly to herself what she was doing. But now, she was just about as sure as she was unsure. And while she tapped away on her bracelet, silence filled the room. In order to not get in her way, Koutarou sat down on his own bed and just watched her work. Suddenly there was a knock at the door to the room.

“Yes?”

“It’s me.”

As Koutarou answered, Alaia’s voice came from the other side. He hurriedly jumped up from the bed and ran to the door to open it.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you so late at night, Layous-sama.”

“Princess Alaia... Is something the matter?”

“Actually, I came here because I have a request to make.”

Alaia smiled as she said that, but her eyes betrayed the expression of a mischievous child. It was a face that Koutarou hadn’t seen her make before.

“What kind of request?”

“Before that, will you promise to do as I say after you’ve listened to my request?”

Alaia continued smiling.

“That depends on the request...”

“Heehee, then I can’t tell you.”

Alaia seemed to be in awfully high spirits. Koutarou thought it was strange, but he couldn’t imagine the ever-considerate Alaia asking anything unreasonable. As such, he agreed to her terms.

“Very well. If you’ll tell me, I’ll do as you ask.”

“Thank you, Layous-sama.”

Alaia thanked him and walked towards the window in the hallway.

“Layous-sama, that...”

“What?”

Koutarou closed the door and approached Alaia at the window. From the window, he could see a crowd of people dancing in a circle around the plaza.

“That’s...”

“In this village, today marks the beginning of the harvest festival. When the sun sets, it seems to be tradition to go out and dance like that.”

“I see...”

Koutarou remembered thinking the village was especially lively when they first arrived. He’d even noticed the decorations lined up around the village. It was all for the harvest festival.

“So I want to dance there too.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said I want to dance there too.”

Alaia smiled. She seemed to enjoy seeing Koutarou so perplexed.

“You jest, Princess.”

“It is no jest. While it might just be a village harvest festival, a dance is a dance. As a girl of age, I too am interested.”

Alaia put on airs for show and spoke like a lady. Of course, Koutarou was opposed to the idea.

“I am against it, Princess Alaia.”

“Oh, but I’m afraid you’ve already promised to do as I ask.”

Alaia returned to smiling and slightly tilted her head to the side as she looked up at Koutarou. Her mischievous look practically said, “What will do you now?”

“But it is too dangerous for you to go alone.”

“That’s why I am asking a knight such as yourself to be my escort, Lord Veltlion.”

Alaia normally called Koutarou “Layous-sama,” but here she chose to call him Lord Veltlion.

I’ve been had. So that’s what she was planning...

Hearing her address him that way, Koutarou was sure of it. She had been planning on taking him to the dance with her from the start. If she had asked Flair, she most likely would have objected.

Jeez...

That was where Koutarou gave up. He knew this was part of the script.

“I am but a mere local knight. I am hardly worthy of the honor.”

“Even though I may look like this, I grew up roaming the fields and mountains of northern Mastir. I am quite qualified to be called a peasant girl.”

Koutarou responded in accordance with the play, and Alaia spoke her lines just as they’d been written. It made Koutarou feel like he was on stage with Alaia now.

“Just wait one moment, Princess Alaia. I’ll tell Clan that I’m stepping out.”

“Thank you, Layous-sama. Please come back before I get tired of waiting.”

“As you wish, my princess.”

With a wry smile on his face, Koutarou left the smiling Alaia in the hallway and returned to his room. He nearly bumped into Clan right as he entered.

“I heard everything.”

“Good. Then this won’t take long. I’m going out with the princess for a bit.”

“I understand. But please take care.”

“Are you worried about enemies? It should be fine. There was nothing about an attack during the dance in the play.”

“No, that’s not—”

Clan looked worried. After glancing in the direction of Alaia on the other side of the door, she leaned in a little so she could whisper to Koutarou.

“I was thinking about this when I got to the inn, but don’t get too friendly with Alaia-san and the others.”

“Don’t get too friendly?” Koutarou whispered back with a questioning expression. He didn’t understand why Clan would say that.

“That’s right. Eventually you’re going to change places with the real Blue Knight, so things are going to get a little difficult if you get too attached.”

“Okay, that’s fair. I’ll be careful.”

The supporting actor shouldn’t get too full of himself, huh? Well, that’s true...

If Koutarou became too involved with these girls, the real Blue Knight might not be needed by the time he appeared. That would be a problem.

“...Could you cover me with the observation device, just in case?”

“...I understand.”

“Then I’ll be going. I’ll leave the rest to you, Clan.”

“All right. Goodbye, Veltlion.”

Once they were finished discussing things, Koutarou lightly waved to Clan and turned to leave.

It’s possible that...

While looking at Koutarou’s back as he turned away, Clan felt a sense of danger. Not noticing anything, Koutarou disappeared through the door into the hallway.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Princess Alaia.”

“If you had taken any longer, I would have gone out by myself.”

“You jest a little too much, Princess.”

“Heehee, I was just kidding that time, Layous-sama. Shall we go?”

Meanwhile, Clan was still worried. According to the legend, by the dance at the harvest festival, Alaia was already in love with the Blue Knight. And since Koutarou had gotten between them, he’d stolen the precious time they needed to develop their feelings for each other.

“It’s possible that bringing in the real Blue Knight now might greatly change history...”

The village they were in wasn’t quite large enough to call a town. But during the harvest festival, the population swelled. People gathered from other small villages nearby, and they all celebrated together. Since the inn where Koutarou and the others were staying was on the main street, Koutarou and Alaia were swept away by the crowd the moment they stepped out the door.

“L-Layous-sama! Kyah!”

“Your hand!”

“H-Here!”

In order not to get split up in the crowd, the two held hands. They looked like lovers walking along with their fingers entwined.

“This is quite a surprise, Layous-sama.”

Having been raised as a princess, this was the first time Alaia had ever been in such a large crowd.

“Hahaha, I suppose so, Your Highness.”

But that wasn’t the case for Koutarou, who was just a normal person. While pulling the surprised Alaia towards him, he remembered the fireworks festival in Kisshouharukaze City. The crowd here reminded him of how busy the street by the station had been that night.

“That won’t do, Layous-sama.”

“Hueh?”

Alaia clapped her hand over Koutarou’s mouth. She looked slightly angered with her cheeks puffed up. She then leaned in and put her mouth close to his ear so she could whisper to him.

“Here you need to call me Signa, not ‘Your Highness.’”

“Ah... I’m sorry.”

“Goodness, the least you can do is say it convincingly.”

Calling her Alaia or Her Highness would attract attention. Alaia was still aware that she was being pursued, so she had decided to use a fake name even before stepping out. That name was Signa. Alaia’s full name was Alaia Kua Mastir Signaria Tio Forthorthe. She had picked “Signa” from Signaria Tio, which meant silvery white snow. It was rather simple, but with a name like that, she wouldn’t raise any suspicion.

“I’ll be more careful from now on, Signa-sama.”

“Can you stop adding ‘-sama’ too? You’ll ruin the festive mood.”

“Then you can do the same?”

“That’s... But Layous-sama is Layous-sama.”

“I don’t understand, Signa-sama.”

“You do understand... Layous-sama, you tease.”

Fortunately, nobody had realized who Alaia was yet. Without modern technology, it wasn’t like there were photos of her circulating the realm. And since this was the harvest festival, many people were dressed up in their best clothing. Because of that, Alaia’s elegant dress and her beautiful silver hair didn’t really stand out. Most of all, nobody expected a princess on the run to appear in a place like this.

“These festivals do get lively, don’t they?”

Koutarou pulled on Alaia’s hand while looking around the area. Aiming to participate in the dance, the two of them headed for the plaza, but it wasn’t easy to make their way through the large crowd.

It’s really just like at a fireworks festival...

Lots of people were pushing and shoving against each other, and the air was filled with cheerful laughter. Stands lined the streets, and all the children who had been allowed to stay up past bedtime looked at everything in wonder. It seemed a festival was a festival, regardless of the era or planet. This all felt very familiar to Koutarou.

“That’s true...”

Alaia looked at the bustling people filling the street and smiled gently.

“I’m relieved.”

“Huh?”

“I was worried that the lives of the citizens would be in disarray after Maxfern sprung into action. But it looks like they’re all okay...”

Alaia turned towards Koutarou. The look in her eyes indicated this had indeed taken a weight off of her shoulders.

So this is what the legendary princess is truly like...

Seeing her smile, Koutarou honestly felt that Alaia was amazing. If he were in her shoes, he was sure that he would be too obsessed with avenging the death of his parents to take notice of things like this.

So when she said she wanted to go to the dance, it was to make sure of this...

She’d used the dance as a ruse to come out and see how the villagers were doing. That was probably her way of keeping her vassals from worrying. Her ability to be so immensely considerate at her age touched Koutarou’s heart.

“Now let’s go, Signa-sama.”

“Kyah!”

But at the same time, Koutarou pitied Alaia. Despite being around the same age as Koutarou, she was shouldered with an incredible responsibility. Alaia had obviously led a very different life than other girls her age.

Then she should at least have some fun now...

As he thought about her situation, Koutarou instinctively put some strength in his grip on Alaia’s hand.

After entering the plaza, the two of them faced each other in a corner. Since they were still on the run, it wasn’t safe to dance out in the open like the rest of the villagers.

“Please allow me this dance.”

“Of course. I am inexperienced when it comes to dancing, so please take it easy on me.”

The bonfires that surrounded the plaza colored the scene in orange hues. And after Koutarou and Alaia agreed to dance, the music that had stopped between melodies started up again.

“Your hand.”

“Here.”

Holding hands, the two brought their bodies closer to one another and began taking rhythmic steps in time with the music. The music was mellow and slow, so even the inexperienced Koutarou managed to keep up.

“You’re quite good, Layous-sama.”

“You jest. I am just barely able to keep up with the music.”

With the hour growing late, the band was starting to switch to slower music. If a fast tune started playing like it had been when they first came out, Koutarou would have a hard time with it.

“It’s better for the mood if a man isn’t too good at dancing, you see.”

“Hearing you say that makes me feel a little better.”

“Heehee...”

In contrast, Alaia’s steps were masterful. They were as light as a butterfly’s fluttering, and as smooth and elegant as silk. At the same time, they were more powerful than a bird soaring through the skies. In a town harvest festival where one really only had to move their body in order to dance, it was as if Alaia alone was waltzing in a royal dance party at a castle.

“That said, it pains me that I’m dragging you down with me.”

Koutarou was barely able to keep up with her lead. Despite Theia teaching him the basics of dance, there was a serious difference in their levels of skill.

“A princess being skilled at dancing is the same as a knight being skilled at fighting. You could say it’s professionally required. So please don’t be too worried.”

Still smiling, Alaia whispered into Koutarou’s ear. While they were that close together, there was no need to worry about anyone else overhearing them. That’s why Alaia was so casually able to refer to herself as a princess.

Alaia was good at dancing because she’d had a formal education in dance, as well as plenty of opportunities to practice at political and diplomatic parties. In other words, it was one of her skills used to fight against foreign countries. In that sense, it was indeed comparable to a knight’s skill in battle.

“Actually, Your Highness, just between the two of us, I don’t really like fighting.”

“Heehee. I suspected that might be the case. But just between the two of us, I don’t really like dancing with strangers at dance parties either.”

“I shall lock your secret up in my heart and guard it well.”

“I will do the same... But Layous-sama, I’m not sure what to think of a knight confessing that he doesn’t like fighting to the person he’s promised to protect...”

“You are a tease, Princess.”

“Oh? I’ll have you know that if this were the castle, you’d be imprisoned for offending royalty. Heehee...”

“Haha!”

Koutarou and Alaia continued dancing for a while longer. They smiled and laughed together, temporarily free from their burdens. In this moment they were just a normal boy and girl. They both enjoyed it to the fullest knowing that it would be their only chance to be together like this, their hands held tightly together and their fingers intertwined.

The night grew late almost in the blink of an eye. The band was now paused in order to prepare for the last dance.

“Layous-sama...”

After stopping when the music did, Alaia anxiously looked up at Koutarou while still holding his hands. From the surprising strength of her grip, Koutarou could guess at the unease in her heart.

“What is the matter, Princess Alaia?”

Koutarou stared straight at Alaia and whispered to her. Relieved by the sound of his voice, Alaia’s expression slightly eased up.

“Layous-sama, I... am at a loss.”

She spoke of a worry that she had kept secret.

“What is it that troubles you? If you tell me, I might be able to help.”

“Thank you, Layous-sama.”

Alaia smiled and thanked Koutarou before quickly returning to a serious expression.

“I am hesitant that if we continue this travel and safely reach Pardomshiha territory... is starting a war really the right thing to do?”

“You’re hesitant... Why is that?”

In response to Koutarou’s question, Alaia casually glanced around her.

“Layous-sama, look at our surroundings. Even though the emperor has died, the citizens’ lives haven’t changed. The people in the villages can still smile. But if I start a war to defeat Maxfern, it will come at the cost of those smiles.”

Alaia was worried about the chaos a civil war would spread through the country. If she raised a new army to fight against the old Forthorthian army now under Maxfern’s control, it would tear the country apart. Alaia was at a loss, unsure as to whether or not there was any meaning in sacrificing the peaceful daily lives of the citizens to defeat Maxfern.

That said, it wasn’t a worry she could openly confess to her friends. It was obvious that if she consulted with Flair who was very loyal to the royal families, her response would be that Maxfern should be defeated. If she asked her best friend Fauna who was a servant of the Goddess of Dawn, her response would be that justice should be served. As such, this was a problem she’d been wrestling with all alone until Koutarou appeared.

“But Your Highness, Maxfern is a criminal.”

Although Koutarou hadn’t said it out loud, Maxfern had murdered Alaia and Charl’s parents, the emperor and empress. Koutarou wanted to know what she thought about that.

“I know. But if he can establish a good government, I won’t mind. What’s important isn’t my pride, but the lives of the citizens. Isn’t that right, Lord Layous Fatra Veltlion?”

Alaia gritted her teeth. While she meant what she said, it was still painful for her.

“Your Highness...”

She’s trying to ensure the happiness of the citizens, even if she’s denied justice for the death of her parents...

Hearing Alaia’s determination, Koutarou felt humbled. Alaia must have hated Maxfern for killing her parents. And she must have felt that Maxfern should be punished for using a cowardly method such as assassination to take over the country. But more than all that, what she really wanted was to protect the everyday lives of her people, even if they wouldn’t be her people anymore. To Koutarou, Alaia was as noble and as beautiful as she could be. So much so that he hesitated to even speak.

“I will say this much, Princess, knowing that it is disrespectful.”

Koutarou had to tell Alaia to strike down Maxfern. If he didn’t, the history of this world would greatly change, and he would without a doubt be unable to return to his own world. This was a much more serious matter than preventing the poisoning of a water source.

“It’s as you say, Your Highness. There is nothing more important than protecting the lives of the citizens.”

But even knowing that, Koutarou told Alaia that she was right to feel as she did. Alaia’s love for the citizens and her heart trying to give up its hate for Maxfern and Grevanas kept him from saying anything else.

“Layous-sama...”

Alaia’s eyes began tearing up. She had believed that she was right to feel the way she did, but even then, she wanted to hear it from someone. That she was right. That what she was doing wasn’t out of self-righteousness. That it wasn’t because she was afraid of fighting. So when Koutarou agreed with her, her heart trembled. She was overcome with joy that someone had granted her wish.

“Certainly... if you were to say that in the imperial court, you might be imprisoned...”

Alaia wiped her tears away, but it was no use. Her tears kept flowing no matter how many times she wiped her eyes. They glimmered orange in the light of the festival bonfires.

“Your Highness, to a model knight, his sword is everything. Yet even if that sword were to break, so long as the oath sworn upon it remains unbroken, then the sword is still considered unbroken too. In fact, if a knight can uphold their oath despite their sword breaking, they should take pride in that.”

For a model knight, his sword was his soul. But that was only because the sword was emblematic of the vow sworn upon it. That was really what was important.

Isn’t that right, Theia?

A girl with golden hair had taught Koutarou that. And in order to adhere to those teachings, that was the only answer he could give Alaia now.

“The oath of my parents... My oath too is to protect the lives of the citizens.”

“And even though they may be gone now—”

“As long as the citizens are happy, it will be like they’re still here. And I will take pride in that they lived according to their oath...”

“Yes. It’s just as you say, Your Highness.”

Koutarou nodded firmly at Alaia. He no longer had any hesitation.

This truly is the Silver Princess. But that’s why...!

Koutarou firmly made up his mind. Though he might have been overstepping his place as the Blue Knight’s substitute, he was determined to protect Alaia no matter what. That might have been the moment when Koutarou swore allegiance to Alaia out of his own free will.

“Please rest easy, Your Highness. No matter what you decide, I will definitely protect you.”

“Depending on the circumstances, I may no longer be a princess. I might become just a powerless little girl.”

Alaia wiped away more tears and smiled. She was trying to say that she wouldn’t mind even if he abandoned her.

“Even if you become a normal girl by adhering to your oath, you will forever be my highly esteemed lord.”

Even then, Koutarou’s answer didn’t change. The girl who had taught Koutarou the way of the knight would never forgive him if he abandoned Alaia.

“Thank you, Layous-sama... I will take pride in those words for the rest of my life...”

Alaia pressed her face into Koutarou’s shoulder as her own shoulders began trembling. Koutarou thought that she was crying, but the band had just started playing again and he couldn’t hear her to tell for sure.

Koutarou and Alaia then spent some time just standing there as they were, Alaia with her face buried in Koutarou’s shoulder. Koutarou simply held her hands and looked up into the starry sky above.

Sorry, everyone... It doesn’t look like I’ll be coming back...

As he stared up into the night sky, he apologized to everyone he knew would be waiting for him back home.

When the last song of the night reached its midway point, Alaia finally lifted her head and looked up at Koutarou.

“Layous-sama, you really are different...”

As she said that, Alaia’s eyes revealed more emotion than ever before. They conveyed feelings of deep trust and affection. It was at that moment that Alaia began realizing that she was in love with Koutarou.

“I was born in the country, so I am aware that my dancing is bad.”

“Heehee, no, that’s not what I meant, Layous-sama.”

Alaia smiled again, but this time it was a defenseless smile that she had only ever shown her parents and Charl before. Koutarou felt like his heart had been pierced when he saw it.

“You are without a doubt a Forthorthian knight. But something about your heart is different. Without losing your mysterious kindness, you are still a strong and proud knight.”

“That’s...”

That was probably because Koutarou had been born into a country that had never known war in his lifetime. He had the gentle kind of heart Alaia desired. But that heart was naive in the ways of war, and that was a fatal weakness on the battlefield. Koutarou, however, had been given extraordinary power. He had the armor that Theia had given him and the gauntlet he had borrowed from Kiriha. He had been able to survive with those. And it was with his naive heart that he stood before Alaia now. Through a series of coincidences, the boy named Satomi Koutarou was able to meet Alaia without changing.

“I am envious of the person you truly serve. Just how did they make someone like you into a knight?”

“Well, at first they tried to kill me.”

“My... Then that truly would be impossible for me, heehee...”

Eventually they began moving to the music once more. More than half of the last song was already over, so there wasn’t much time left to dance. But dance they did, and all who beheld them that night were treated to a wonderful sight that they would never forget.