Chapter 2: The Road to Restoration
Rio and the others departed from the spring shortly after they finished bathing, making their way through the forest and down the road for about ten kilometers on foot.
It was afternoon—still too early for the sun to set. Normal travelers would probably push forward a little more at such a time of day, but—
“Let’s stop here for today,” Rio suggested just as a small city came into view.
“Are you sure? It’s only afternoon...” Kouta looked up at the sky and said.
“It’s too dark to see anything at night, so the law of traveling is to set up camp before the sun sets. Well, it’s still a little early even for that, but I wanted to make a shopping trip for the things everyone will need on the journey.”
“I see.”
Indeed, because they had left Cleia with minimal belongings, Christina and the others were practically empty-handed right now. They didn’t have anything necessary for traveling. They could use the plain cloaks they had worn while escaping on their journey, but the high status clothing they had on underneath was improper for travel, so they’d need a change of clothes.
“But the first thing we’ll need to secure is lodgings for today. It’d be a problem if we made our reservations late and missed out on the good inns. I’ve secured travel expenses from Count Claire already, so there’s no need for worry there, at least. Let’s enter the city now.”
Normally, the central districts of cities were protected with secure walls and strict inspections upon entrance and exit, but the outer walls of the city usually had their gates left open during the day for anyone to come in and out freely.
There were soldiers on guard at the gate, but they wouldn’t stop anyone without a reason for suspicion. However—
“Hold it.”
When they actually arrived at the gate, a middle-aged soldier out of several called for them to halt. He was probably the one in charge.
“What is it?” Rio replied on behalf of the party.
“Ah, you just seemed rather lightweight for such a large party. I wouldn’t normally stop you, but we currently have orders from above, you see. Could you remove your hood?”
It was probably part of the search for Christina. There was no way a lowly soldier would be familiar with the first princess’ face, so he was probably looking out for her hair color. Kouta and Rei’s black hair was rare, and Christina’s purple hair was also an uncommon color. It would have been a problem if they hadn’t altered their hair with magic artifacts.
“Sure, we don’t mind. Everyone, lower your hoods.” Rio nodded agreeably and called out to everyone standing behind him. Celia and the others began lowering their hoods and revealing their faces one after another.
“Hmm...” The soldiers’ gazes first went to their hair. This was probably to check the color. Once they didn’t see the colors they were looking out for, their eyes moved to their faces.
“...H-Huh, this is quite the gathering of pretty faces,” the soldier said, glancing around at the girls’ faces once more.
Celia, Sara, Orphia, Alma, Christina, Vanessa. The women were blessed with exceedingly beautiful appearances that were uncommon.
“Yes. That’s why we’re wearing hoods to hide our faces—we don’t want to attract attention. Do we have to keep them removed inside the city?”
“No, you’re free to wear them in the city, but what kind of group are you people?” the soldier asked to investigate a little further. The surrounding soldiers gazed at them with intense curiosity.
“We’re a group on a pilgrimage through the Beltrum Kingdom, and we’re passing through this city on our way back to our home country of Galarc. The two at the front are the young ladies we serve—the rest of us are armed guards escorting them.”
Rio calmly gave a made up reason, passing off Christina and Celia off as noblewomen of the Galarc Kingdom.
In the Strahl region, it was common knowledge that the sacred lands were all concerned with the legends of the Six Wise Gods, and devout noble or royal worshipers would go on pilgrimages as holidays. Relations between the Galarc Kingdom and Beltrum Kingdom had grown strained as of late, but they weren’t in a state of war, so pilgrimages weren’t out of the ordinary.
Celia and Christina were actually nobility and royalty, so they gave off enough of an aura simply by standing there in silence.
“Ah... I see. Excuse me.”
The middle-aged soldier suddenly took on a formal tone. Acting carelessly before another kingdom’s nobility could potentially develop into an international problem, so he probably wanted to avoid getting into trouble. Let sleeping dogs lie, after all.
“Can we go through the gate now?”
“Yes, go ahead.” There may have been other things he wanted to ask, but he allowed them through the gate into the city easily.
“Phew, I was so nervous. Even though we discussed what we would do in advance...” Celia muttered in relief once they’d safely passed through the gate.
“Good work,” Rio said with a smile.
“Haruto’s acting was truly splendid.”
“It really was! It was all I could do to keep my face from freezing up.”
Alma and Sara said in praise.
Orphia tilted her head in wonder. “I guess we’re out of the woods for now?”
“But they were clearly looking at our hair color when we took our hoods off, right? Maybe the search party has reached this city already...” Kouta said worriedly.
Rio dispelled Kouta’s worries with his conjecture. “No, there are countless cities, post towns, and villages even in a single area, so it’s impossible to allocate enough personnel without narrowing the search range. The conventional practice is to set a mark on the most likely location and prioritize placing personnel there. We’re in a location that would normally take three days to reach from Cleia, so the search party has yet to prioritize searching here after only a single day.”
“They’ve probably sent a wanted notice to every city along the road from Cleia to Rodania, searching for people that match our features. The questions we received from the soldiers just now was probably that,” Vanessa added.
Rei grimaced. “A wanted notice, huh. Hmm, it’s kinda like we’ve become criminals.”
“Well, that probably isn’t completely incorrect. Some of us would be treated as criminals if we were caught.”
“Some of us” probably referred to the difference in positions amongst them resulting in different treatment. As Rui’s friends, Kouta and Rei would most likely be let off without punishment even if they were caught, but there was no telling how the others would be treated.
“We haven’t even done anything wrong...” Kouta mumbled bitterly.
“Unfortunately, what’s ‘right and wrong’ is decided by those with power,” Rio said in warning.
“Could they make someone clearly innocent into a criminal?” Kouta asked with a pout.
“They could, if they had enough power to see through the false accusation. It’d be another matter if there was a system to stop the abuse of power, but there’s no guarantee that system would function well.”
“...How unpleasant.” Kouta muttered bitterly.
Meanwhile, Christina listened to the two of them talk with quite a conflicted expression. “We’re fleeing to Rodania in order to prevent that. So that the rightful successor can be transferred the power to lay out a good government.”
Rio’s gaze fell on Christina as he spoke, making her clench her fists. She barely managed to maintain her expression as she took in his gaze. Rio soon averted his eyes and cut the conversation short.
“We’ll only feel upset if we discuss this any further, so let’s go search for an inn now.”
Several minutes later, Rio and the others had arrived at the shopping district of the city. The small city only had a population of around a thousand people, so it wasn’t that large of a district. There weren’t that many inn options, either, so they picked an old wooden building with three floors to stay at.
Over half their party had never stayed in an inn before, so they followed Rio’s lead with rather awkward footsteps.
“Oh my, a whole group has come.”
As they entered the inn, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the innkeeper stood up from his seat at the counter and rubbed his hands together with a businessman’s smile.
“Do you have any free rooms? There’s nine of us that would like to stay,” Rio asked.
“We do. While we don’t have a room for nine people, we have a room for six and three rooms for three available. Feel free to pick your preference,” the innkeeper answered, then looked at the eight people standing behind Rio. He was probably checking for anyone strange among them, but didn’t seem to see anything suspicious as his gaze soon returned to Rio, who he thought to be their representative.
For the record, Celia, Sara, Orphia, Alma, and Christina still had their hoods on, but Rio, Kouta, Rei, and Vanessa had theirs removed. They feared that everyone wearing a hood would make them seem like a suspicious group.
“Then we’ll take the six person room and a three person room.”
“All right. Your total comes to three small silvers. If you’d like dinner, it’ll be two large bronze per person...”
“No, we don’t need a meal. Could we rent the kitchen instead?”
“Of course. It’s three large bronze for an hour and a half rental. We also sell ingredients.”
“Then we’d like to rent the kitchen. You can show me the ingredients list later.”
“Got it.”
“I’ll hand you enough money to cover everything including the kitchen rental. If it isn’t enough, we’ll pay the rest at check out. If it is enough, you can keep the rest as a tip.” Rio took out the wallet from his breast pocket and laid four small silvers on the counter.
The innkeeper agreed happily. Tips weren’t a necessity, but customers that left tips were often treated better. “Understood. These are the keys to your rooms. The two rooms are located at the far right of the third floor.”
“Got it. Thanks.” Rio accepted the two keys and turned around. “We’ve got our rooms—let’s go. It’s on the third floor.”
He encouraged Celia and the others behind him to move. Thus, the nine of them crowded the staircase and made their way up to the room allocated to them.
Rio ascended the stairs and first unlocked the room at the far right. “This is the six person room. Please use this room, ladies.”
There were six single beds and one table before them, a scene showing how cramped the inn’s minimal furnishings were arranged. The room was a little dusty and smelled of mold.
“...”
With the situation being what it was, they weren’t in a position to complain—the girls definitely didn’t look displeased, but they did look around in curious shock at the scene.
Vanessa probably had opportunities to experience this as a knight, but the other five were sheltered ladies with pampered backgrounds. Considering their regular standards of living, it wasn’t surprising that they found it curious.
“Well, short of high-class inns, most places are like this. I doubt anything will happen, but I figured it would be better to have you all in the same room in case something does. Forgive me.”
There were no high-class inns in small regional cities like this.
The first to open her mouth was Alma. “It has a certain kind of flavor, so I’m fine with it.”
“The beds are crowded together, so it might be easier for us to talk face-to-face at night,” Orphia said with a giggle.
“This isn’t a sleepover,” Sara said, her mouth turned upwards in a smile.
Celia agreed pleasantly. “We can’t stay up too late, but a little should be fine.”
“I’ve never slept in the same room as other girls my age, so I’m a little curious about what a sleepover is like.” Christina was on board with the direction of the conversation, expressing her curiosity.
“For now, I’ll give the key to Vanessa. Stay inside the inn as much as possible. It’d be a problem if people tried to mess with you.”
“Right, got it.” Vanessa accepted the key from Rio.
“Also, I’m going to go on a shopping run in about ten minutes or so. Could you think of the things you need and list them for me? It’d be great if L-Lady Celia and Sara’s group could help with the shopping. I’d like to check that the area around the inn and inside the city is free from the eyes of the search party.”
After having said that, Rio looked at Celia and Sara. He’d been calling Celia with a “Lady” title since Cleia because of Christina and the others, but he still stuttered a little as he wasn’t used to it.
“Sure, leave it to us.” Sara and the other girls nodded.
“We’ll head to our room for now, then. Let’s go.” Rio turned around and called Kouta and Rei along as he left the room.
A few minutes later, Rio went outside with Celia, Sara, Orphia, and Alma. The girls all had their hoods on while Rio had removed his.
First, they walked around to the front of the inn. There wasn’t much pedestrian traffic, and while there were some people who looked at them questioningly, none of them were hiding their presence in a sly manner. They didn’t seem suspicious, at the very least.
“Just to be safe, I’d like to ask you all to send your contract spirits to investigate the area and keep watch...” Rio said to Sara, Orphia, and Alma.
“Mine’s actually out investigating the city in spirit form already.”
“Ariel is in material form and scouting the area from the sky.”
“Ifrita is guarding the inn in spirit form.”
The three of them spoke with pride in their voices. They had already taken the initiative and sent their contract spirits out.
“I should have known. Thank you,” Rio said with a soft smile.
“No problem at all,” Sara shook her head happily. They all seemed to be in high spirits.
“But this means there was no need for everyone to come outside... I was thinking of just having Cecilia accompany me for the shopping.”
They were in the city, so Rio called Celia by her alias. As targets of the search, Christina and the others couldn’t use their real names, so they had decided on the aliases of “Tina” for Christina, “Nessa” for Vanessa, and “Kou” for Kouta. Rei was the exception, as his name was fairly common in the Strahl region, so he didn’t need an alias. Though for some reason, Rei seemed a bit disappointed when he first heard that...
“Huh? Me?” Celia blinked in surprise at being nominated to go shopping.
“Yes. I figured you’d be the most familiar with what to buy out of everyone here.”
Rio gave a very valid reason. As a noble daughter, Celia should be able to buy the items Christina needed without issue.
“In that case, I’ll be happy to go along... Uh.” Celia had been speaking bashfully when she realized Sara and the others were staring at her closely. She flinched and stiffened up—
“Oh! Since we’re outside already, I want to go too!” Orphia requested cheerfully, raising her hand.
Without a moment’s delay, Alma calmly agreed. “I’d like to go too.”
“Me too...” Sara offered hesitantly.
“Shall we all go together, then?”
“Yes!”
Everyone answered energetically to Rio’s confirmation.
“Hmph...” Celia pouted cutely. She knew that she would have done the same if she were in their position, so she didn’t say anything further.
“In this case, I should discuss a few other matters with you all as well. Let’s do that while we make our way to the market,” Rio said, suddenly remembering something.
“What do you want to discuss?” Celia pulled herself together and followed Rio.
“It’s about the man named Reiss.”
“Ah...” The other girls’ expressions fell.
“He’s shrouded in mystery, but I believe that man is a skilled user of spirit arts. That, or he possesses an ancient artifact that allows him to activate powerful sorcery without chanting,” Rio said.
“His presence was terribly faint... No, it was nonexistent. I couldn’t detect him at all until the moment he fired that attack from within the woods. Even when he stood right in front of me, his presence was barely detectable,” Sara said with a stern expression.
“He even had the nerve to say he was assisting us,” Alma added.
“If the attack from the forest was Reiss’ doing, then his target is most likely Her Highness. It’s possible he could just be trying to make us think that way, but at any rate, we need to be prepared for another surprise attack. I don’t think he’d be able to track us down so easily, but just to be safe, I’d like you all to have your contract spirits on guard during our journey.”
There was a limit to how far they could search, but they’d be able to spot any unguarded attempts at approaching them immediately.
“Yes, leave it to us,” Sara nodded.
“But if he really is a user of spirit arts, we should consider the possibility there may be others who can use spirit arts on his side too. We may be forced into a difficult fight depending on the enemy’s numbers and abilities,” Alma said, pursing her lips and humming in thought.
“At the very least, there shouldn’t be any spirit art users in Beltrum and Galarc...” Rio looked at Celia for confirmation.
“That’s right, as far as I am aware. Other than Haruto.”
“It’s eerie, isn’t it?” Sara asked with a stern face.
“Yeah, eerie...” Even the normally-cheerful Orphia had a serious expression. She recalled how Reiss had called Rio by his name as he departed. “Speaking of which, how did that man know about your real name?”
“Probably because he heard it from Lucius, the captain of the Heavenly Lions. That man has a bit of a history with me,” Rio said.
“A history...” the spirit folk girls muttered, exchanging glances. Celia had heard about that story last time after Rio retrieved Flora from her abduction, so she frowned with a conflicted face.
Despite looking uncomfortable, Rio told Sara and the others about the connection he had with Lucius. He couldn’t keep it to himself any longer. “I haven’t told you about him yet. Lucius is the man who killed my mother.”
“...No way...” the girls muttered, at a loss for words.
“Well, that doesn’t matter right now. I have other problems to deal with at the moment.” Rio gave a pained sigh.
Celia took a guess at what that problem was. “...You mean how Princess Christina heard you being called by your name, right?”
“Indeed.” Rio nodded his head slowly.
“...What do you mean?” Sara asked in confusion.
“Do you remember how I told you I was falsely accused of a crime before I met all of you?”
“Yes.”
“The uproar that caused the false accusation was made in a location where Princess Christina was present. We are former classmates,” Rio explained.
“Huh? Isn’t that a fairly bad thing, then...?”
The spirit folk girls’ faces paled in panic.
“...Perhaps.” In contrast, Rio’s voice was extremely composed.
“How can you be so calm about it?” Celia sighed in exasperation.
“Whether Princess Christina has figured out my identity or not, I cannot show any signs that will further her suspicions. She doesn’t have any proof we’re the same person, so unless the necessity arises, I can just feign ignorance to it all.”
This time, Celia sighed tiredly. “That sounds nerve wracking.”
“Ahaha...” The spirit folk girls agreed with their dry laughter.
“It looks like we’ve arrived in the shopping district. We still need to prepare food, so let’s hurry and return.”
Rio headed for the shops without any sign of concern.
Meanwhile...
“...”
Christina was seated elegantly on her bed, silently staring out the window. The profile of her expression was fleeting, as though she was pondering a question with no possible answer.
She had been in this state ever since Rio and the others left the inn. Vanessa was seated on the bed beside hers, remaining silent out of consideration.
“Princess Christina,” she suddenly said.
“...What?” Christina asked with a glance.
“Sir Amakawa aside, what do you think of Sara and the other girls? He claimed they were from a minority group of people...”
“I wouldn’t know anything about it.”
“Don’t you feel curious at all?”
“What good would come out of being curious?”
“Four enchanted sword wielders, including Sir Amakawa. I’m sure you understand how much combat strength this amounts to.”
Normally, a knight that had undergone training to increase their physical abilities through magic or sorcery could overwhelm dozens of ordinary foot soldiers. Experienced enchanted sword wielders were able to overwhelm dozens of those knights. Their strength wasn’t easy to measure, but it was estimated that a single one could take on a battalion of foot soldiers (in the numbers of several hundred to a thousand).
In other words, their abilities were truly like a one-man army. With the scarcity of enchanted swords and an even fewer number of people capable of using them effectively, enchanted sword wielders were treasured existences.
And they had four of them on their side, including Haruto. If a value had to be applied to their combat power, then they would easily surpass an entire brigade, or several thousand people.
Vanessa spoke of the scale of their combat power passionately, but in contrast—
“Sure,” Christina replied indifferently.
“Then, if I may be so presumptuous to say, I believe we should attempt to seek their further cooperation after Your Highness has been safely escorted to the Restoration. We could take the chance now to see if we can form a favorable relationship with the girls and their village,” Vanessa stated.
“Those girls are merely cooperating as Sir Amakawa’s friends, as well as for the sake of Professor Celia, who they became acquainted with through Sir Amakawa. They have no reason to support the Restoration.”
In other words, Sara and the girls had acted out of obligation towards Haruto, and Haruto was acting out of his obligation towards Celia.
“In that case, we could figure out a way to give them a reason.”
“...Perhaps. I’ll consider it.”
It was a flat response that showed her lack of interest in the situation, which was probably why Vanessa came up with her own suggestion.
“For example, we could ask Celia to act as our point of contact for negotiations. There must be some way.”
“If we did such a thing, we’d cause discord between Professor Celia and Sir Amakawa... No, between Sir Amakawa and ourselves.”
Sensing from Christina’s tone that she didn’t even have the intention of extending a casual invitation, Vanessa frowned. “Of course, that is one possible result if we go too far. But not even making an attempt just seems like...”
“Seems like...?”
“...No, it’s nothing.” Vanessa looked like she wanted to say something, but shook her head.
“I won’t mind. Just say it,” Christina sighed.
“...It almost seems like you’re showing reserve when it comes to Sir Amakawa?” Vanessa said hesitantly, choosing her words with care.
“Of course I would show reserve. Sir Amakawa is an honorary knight of the Galarc Kingdom. We’ve only just become acquainted.” Christina’s eyes had widened faintly for a moment, but her answer was logically formed.
“I have taken that into consideration already.”
She was showing too much reserve. That was what Vanessa’s gaze was implying.
“What makes you think that?”
“Because that man, Reiss, has referred to Sir Amakawa as Rio, perhaps?”
“...” Christina said nothing.
“Roughly nine years ago, when Princess Flora was abducted, we encountered an orphan in the slums of the capital. I recall that that orphan’s name was Rio. Though I had no further connection with him after that incident, he would have been your classmate at the academy.”
“...There may have been someone like that. I’m surprised you remember, actually.” Christina was impressed even as she sighed.
“He was an impressive boy.”
The sharp look he had given them in the slums, his gruesome figure after being tortured under the name of questioning by Charles Arbor at the castle, and the words he had directed at Vanessa—all of it had left an impression. He had also caused a stir when he thoroughly defeated Charles at the tournament against the knights, as well as during the uproar at the outdoor drill where Flora had her accident.
“But there’s no telling if Sir Amakawa is the same Rio as the one we knew. There’s not enough information to determine if they are the same person. And there’s no way of proving it.”
“Really? If he is the same orphan as that time, then his favorable relationship with Celia can be explained through their academy connection. If he kept in contact with her after his disappearance during the outdoor drill, then...”
“That’s pure conjecture,” Christina rejected curtly.
“It’s based around the facts.”
In other words, the fact that Reiss had called him Rio, and that he currently had a close relationship with Celia, was far beyond just coincidence. When they were added to the fact that the boy named Rio was acquainted with Celia in the past...
“Even then, that doesn’t make it evidence.”
Someone who had disappeared for years during their growth period was now disguised as someone else. Indeed, that was impossible to prove—unless they acknowledged the fact themselves, revealing memories only that person would know, or had features unique to that person alone.
“What if we checked his hair color, then? According to my memory, the boy from back then once had black hair. His facial features were also uniquely exotic. I consider Sir Amakawa’s features to be fairly exotic, so would it be enough evidence if his hair was black too?”
“Sir Amakawa’s hair is gray.”
“Hair color can be altered by magic artifacts—the very artifacts we’re currently borrowing. What if he is using the same artifact as us?”
“It could just be a coincidence,” Christina stated without batting an eye.
“...I am convinced that you’re showing too much reservation towards Sir Amakawa after all, Your Highness.” Vanessa had a sullen look on her face.
“That’s ridiculous. Why would I feel reserved?”
“Why didn’t you ask Sir Amakawa about it, then? The fact that Reiss called him Rio. You had plenty of chances to ask him on the way here. He could be the same Rio that you once knew. Didn’t that thought cross your mind?”
“Even if he were the same person, he’s currently here as Haruto Amakawa. Do you think he would just admit to it? He was looked down upon by all the students at the academy and was completely isolated. I ignored his situation as well. On top of that, a false accusation was placed on him because of some internal power struggles, and a wanted notice was sent throughout the kingdom. It would only be natural for him to hate us—for him to resent us.”
“So that incident was a false accusation after all?”
“...I wasn’t there to see it in person, so I don’t know. But having him be the criminal was certainly more convenient. The assumption was certainly treated as fact. In all probability, it was a false accusation.”
“...” Vanessa fell silent, her expression falling.
“Do you understand now? Even if he felt indebted to Professor Celia—the only person he had any connection to at the academy—he has no reason to assist the Beltrum Kingdom. I wouldn’t be surprised if he held a grudge. He has far more reason not to cooperate.”
“...That statement makes it sound like you believe Sir Amakawa and Rio are indeed the same person. Am I correct?”
“I believe the possibility is high. That’s why I don’t think we should touch upon his past. If we bring up the past now, we would risk severing our current relationship with him. That’s why this isn’t reservation, but self-interest.”
“Is there any chance you’ll bring up Sir Amakawa’s past later, then?”
“No. Even if it was practically certain that Sir Amakawa is the same person that we knew, I wouldn’t mind keeping the truth in the dark. If he doesn’t intend on disclosing it, I won’t step over the line, either.”
“...Is that out of self-interest too?” Vanessa asked bitterly at Christina’s clear statement.
“Yes. I don’t want to ruin a relationship with someone as skilled as him. That’s why this conversation stays here between us. You’re forbidden from bringing it up hereafter. Understood?” Christina gave an unreadable smile and stressed her words.
After being used as a convenient scapegoat for politics, the person who should have been discarded is now being used to conveniently escape another predicament. Even I know this behavior is despicable.
Christina bit down on her lip. What a foolish, pathetic situation she was in.
The boy who was an outcast at the royal academy was now a greater asset than any other student from that school, saving her from the dilemma she brought upon herself.
The person who had a false accusation placed on him was now a masterful wielder of an enchanted sword, appointed honorary knight of a neighboring kingdom, and gathering attention from the noble classes.
No, it was evident back then that Rio was talented. His grades at the academy, skills at swordcraft—all of it had been made light of by the Beltrum nobles that believed superiority was their right. Thus, this situation was the greatest display of her and the Beltrum Kingdom’s failure to judge people.
That was why she couldn’t rely on Haruto’s power any further after reaching Rodania. Each time she’d see Haruto’s face, the wrongdoings of the past would stab her in the depths of her heart. That was the least she could do to atone—to reap what she had sown.
But, despite that...
“...I understand. But allow me to say this,” Vanessa requested after a long pause.
“What is it?”
“In my own humble opinion, Your Highness will still require Sir Amakawa and the other girls’ abilities in the future. I understand there is no need to dig up his past, but in this case, I recommend you make a move to obtain his power as he is now.”
“Doing so would require winning over his trust first.” Their current trust levels weren’t even nonexistent—they were in the negative. What the Beltrum Kingdom did to Rio wouldn’t just disappear. Christina’s elegant features twisted faintly.
“I am aware that it won’t be easy. However, we don’t have the time to be worried about appearances when we consider your future.”
Christina nodded. “...Right. I’ll consider it. Make sure you don’t get any strange ideas and act on your own,” she stated in a flat tone. Once again, it seemed like she wasn’t too enthusiastic about doing anything about it.
“...As you wish,” Vanessa bowed her head deeply. She wondered if perhaps Princess Christina felt indebted to Rio.
Indeed, it isn’t coming from a place of reservation at all.
However, it wasn’t self-interest either, she thought.
At the very least, the reason Christina didn’t want to bring up Haruto Amakawa’s past wasn’t out of as much self-interest as she insisted. If it were only that she could have just done as Vanessa suggested and assertively asked for Haruto’s assistance without touching upon Rio’s past. For Christina to be so passive about gaining Haruto’s assistance in spite of that meant that she felt indebted to Rio on a personal level. She had done an about-face the moment she learned of the possibility that Haruto was the same person as Rio, completely avoiding the use of his strength.
But Christina needed to understand that as a royal, she had to form a connection with Haruto here. That’s why they were at a stalemate.
If only there was something I could do...
Vanessa thought about her past and recalled the words she once exchanged with Rio. However, the only times they had conversed was when they first met in the slums, when she was taking him to the castle, and after he had been tortured by Charles.
Don’t... touch me.
Those were the last words Rio had directed at her. In the underground dungeon where he had been tortured, he pushed away the hand she had extended to him before passing out. That had left an impression, too.
...Indeed, he probably hates me too.
With that thought, Vanessa’s mouth twisted in self-torment.
An hour later, Rio and the shopping team returned to the inn. It was still too early for dinner, but they hadn’t had anything other than water since departing from Cleia first thing in the morning, so they immediately began cooking.
The main cooks were Rio and Orphia. Celia, Sara, and Alma were assistants, and the five of them bustled away in the kitchen. Over an hour later, the food was ready, and they brought the dishes up to the guest room for six people.
There were too many dishes to fit on the table in the room, so they brought the table from the three-person room over. It was a little crowded, but they were able to set all the dishes down. Everyone sat around the tables on the chairs and beds.
“This looks like a really professional meal...”
Christina looked at the dishes on the table with wide eyes.
Beef stew was the main course, and the other dishes included a hard bread, a potato and bacon omelette, a steamed vegetable salad that was soft in texture, and a few other items. It all smelled mouth-wateringly good. The bread was something they’d purchased, but everything else was prepared by themselves.
“Everyone worked together to make it. I’m not sure if it’ll suit Your Highness’ tastes, but please enjoy,” Rio said on behalf of the others.
Grumble. The sound of a rumbling stomach echoed through the room. There were too many people present to discern the origin of the noise, but Rio noticed how Christina’s expression stiffened faintly.
“We’re all hungry, it seems. Let’s eat up while it’s still warm.”
Rio pressed a hand against his stomach and took the initiative to seat himself in a nearby chair. In reality, his exhausted body was keenly hungry. Christina blinked at him.
“Yes, let’s eat.” Sara nodded cheerfully, eager to eat as well. She sat down in the chair beside Rio. Everyone else took that as a sign to sit down as well.
“Thank you for the meal,” Kouta and Rei placed their hands together and bowed.
“Thank you for the meal,” Rio and the others also said with familiarity.
“Everyone’s doing the same greeting before you eat... Even Professor Celia,” Christina commented with interest.
“I was taught by someone from the same world as Kouta and Rei,” Celia said with a smile.
“Was that the person who was with Sir Amakawa at the banquet...?” This time Christina looked at Rio.
“Yes, it was Miharu.”
“I see. Then I shall do the same. Thank you for the meal.” Christina smiled faintly and copied the others. Vanessa followed her lead, then everyone finally began to eat.
“Wow, the stew is really delicious.”
“Ooh, you’re right. Isn’t this better than the stuff we were served at the castle?” Kouta and Rei’s eyes widened after tasting the food.
“Rio and Orphia put extra effort into it,” Sara said.
“If you dip the bread into it, the flavor gets soaked up and the bread gets soft,” Alma added in explanation.
Kouta immediately tore off a piece of bread and placed it on his spoon to dip into the stew. The tough bread fully soaked up the stew before he snapped it all into his mouth.
“Hmm... Oh, you’re right. It’s really good this way! Yum!” It was so delicious that it was almost painful.
“Eating such good food so suddenly is going to put my body into shock.” Rei also munched away on the stew-soaked bread with a grin.
“This egg dish is also magnificent. Rich in flavor, and the egg is so soft...” Christina couldn’t help but smile after trying the omelette, so she waited until her face muscles relaxed before giving her thoughts.
“I made that with Celia,” Orphia said cheerfully.
“You’re very good at cooking, Professor Celia.” Christina looked at her in awe.
“Haruto started teaching me how to cook after I snuck away from the wedding. I can’t make anything complicated by myself yet, but I have some confidence in egg dishes,” Celia said a little bashfully.
“It’s splendid. Every dish is on par with what the chefs of the castle would serve. This one—is it a salad? Cooking a salad with heat before dressing it in regular salad fashion is extremely novel to me. The crispy texture is gone, but the flavor has soaked into the leaves,” Vanessa smacked her lips and declared strongly.
“It’s called a warm salad. The softer texture makes it easier for digestion. It’s been steamed on a low heat for a long time,” Rio explained.
“First the stew, then the egg dish... Where did you learn such recipes?” Christina asked. “How should I put this... It’s like this seasoning is familiar, yet completely new.”
“I’ve always enjoyed cooking, and I learned a lot in my travels. Recently, I’ve learned a lot of recipes from Miharu. It seems like the world where Kouta and Rei are from is more advanced in food culture,” Rio said, looking at Kouta and Rei.
“Are you two knowledgeable about food as well, then?” Christina looked at them in admiration.
“Haha. If I was, I would have done something about it long ago in the castle. Same with the preserved foods that we had to eat while in that basement...”
“I don’t want to sound boastful, but my specialty is in eating.”
Neither Kouta nor Rei seemed interested in cooking.
“Now I know why these dishes taste so familiar to me. So you know a Japanese person who specializes in cooking, huh?” Kouta nodded in understanding.
“I’m envious...” Longing filled Rei’s voice.
“There were two girls who were summoned along with you, no? Do they lack cooking experience as well?” Vanessa asked Kouta and Rei.
“Ah... Yeah. I’ve eaten food that Akane—one of the girls—has made before... Haha.” Kouta laughed dryly.
“Well, kids our age normally have their parents make all their food for them. There are more of us who can’t cook than those who can, unless cooking is your hobby or something,” Rei said, staring at the stew.
“At any rate, we’re very grateful to be able to eat such delicious food. It has melted away our exhaustion from today. Right, Princess Christina?” Vanessa looked at Christina in content.
Christina nodded with a smile. “Indeed. All we could eat in the basement was reheated preserved foods. It’s nice to have a proper meal for once.”
Thus, they spent their evening peacefully, retired for the night at an early hour in preparation for the next day, then left first thing in the morning to head east.
The day after they departed from Cleia, Rio and the rest of the party left the inn and put the city behind them as they headed down the eastern road. After walking for several hours, they were two small cities away when Rio spoke up.
“We’ll be passing the town at the domain boundaries, but they may be doing thorough inspections right now, so we’ll go via the forest rather than the road.”
“Understood.” Vanessa gave a military-like response first, the others nodding after her.
“We went through the forest yesterday by carrying those of you who couldn’t run. The forest floor will slow us down and we’ll be at risk of encountering monsters, so please follow my instructions. We’ll move in a formation with the four of us that can fight in close combat—Sara, Alma, Vanessa, and myself—surrounding the others. I’ll step away to handle any monsters or wild beasts that approach, so keep an ear out for Vanessa’s orders. Orphia will cover the hole I leave in the formation and watch out for the front,” Rio explained.
“Yeah, leave it to me.”
“Got it.”
Vanessa and Orphia replied in succession. After that, they confirmed no one else was on the road near them before finally moving into the forest. Since talking could attract monsters and beasts, a complete silence had continued between them until they discovered a small stream and decided to take a break roughly an hour later.
“Phew, I’m tired... It’s completely different from walking on a road.” Rei sighed as he sat down on a nearby boulder. He and Kouta had offered to carry more of their belongings so that Rio would be unhindered if any combat was initiated. That was probably the cause of his exhaustion—his backpack was filled with preserved foods.
“Yeah. It’s only midday, yet it’s dark and chilly. It feels kind of creepy,” Kouta replied, looking around.
He didn’t have the time to think of such things as he was being carried yesterday, because Rio had run too fast. The spring they stopped at right before they left the forest was in an open space as well, so it was much brighter. They had also left the forest several minutes after departing from the spring, so he was now seeing the forest in a different light.
“There’s no path, so it’s hard to walk and easy to get lost. There’s also the risk of being attacked, as Sir Amakawa said. Those who choose to leave the road to walk through such a forest must be creepy—the only ones who would enter are those who want to avoid attention, like us,” Vanessa said with a smile, having listened in on Kouta and Rei’s conversation.
“Hmm... But wouldn’t that make it easy for an enemy nation to sneak their army in through the forest? As long as they do something about the dangers of the forest,” Rei wondered.
“That would be impossible for larger armies with inexperienced soldiers. They’d suffer greater damages from monsters and beasts than on the road, and they wouldn’t be able to carry supplies via carriage without a path. I suppose a smaller-sized elite squad could pull it off, but they’d be entering an enemy kingdom with little information about the land, so charging straight into the forest would be very risky,” Vanessa answered smoothly. As a knight, she had probably received plenty of command training.
“Huh, I thought most ambush attacks were done by sneaking through the forest, but I guess things don’t always go as well as in fictional stories.”
“No, your perspective wasn’t bad. In a real battlefield against an enemy army, taking a forest detour to launch an ambush is the oldest trick in the book. As long as you have prepared thoroughly enough to make it through the forest, it’s an extremely effective form of ambush. The line between a good plan and a foolish one is just extremely narrow.”
“I see, I’ve learned something today,” Rei hummed in understanding.
Come to think of it, we left the road and entered the forest during the outdoor drill at the academy, too.
Rio recalled his past after listening to their conversation. During that incident, a minotaur appeared and a false accusation was placed on him, which became the reason for him fleeing Beltrum. It had been Duke Huguenot’s son, Stewart, who put the idea of leaving the road for the forest into the commander’s—Alphonse’s—head.
As a result, they had gotten completely lost and were attacked by monsters, eventually falling into an uncontrollable panic that resulted in Flora being pushed off a cliff.
That was an almost perfect example of a foolish plan.
There was nothing that could be done about the past now, but Rio chuckled at the memory of it.
“...Hmm?” Sensing someone looking at him, he looked around. The end of his gaze landed on Christina, who had her water flask in hand as she was seated on a small boulder. When her eyes met Rio’s, she immediately looked away.
“...I’m going to climb a tree and confirm our current position and direction. Depending on how far we are from the edge of the forest, we may end up having lunch here.”
Rio looked upwards in thought for a brief moment before leaving behind those words to lightly leap up a tree.
After Rio climbed the tree and confirmed that it wasn’t far to the edge of the forest even if they went around the checkpoint town, they decided to have lunch while they had the chance.
The typical nourishment one had while traveling was a packed meal—in other words, preserved foods. In exchange for being able to be stored for several weeks or months, the food tended to be salty or dried out—it never tasted that great.
“It won’t taste very good like this, so let’s make some simple adjustments,” Rio suggested.
“That sounds good. What shall we make?” Orphia, who enjoyed cooking, asked Rio.
“We’ll be moving after this, so something easy to digest. We bought barley yesterday, so let’s make that.”
“Barley... Ah, you mean that.” Orphia blinked before the meaning of Rio’s words clicked.
“What are you making?”
“I’ll help.”
Celia, Sara, and Alma came over.
“We can only help with manual labor, but if there’s anything we can do, just say the word.”
Kouta and Rei, who had been sitting on some boulders, looked at each other and stood up. Christina and Vanessa also approached.
“The preparations aren’t complicated, so everyone else may rest. Kouta and Rei must be tired from carrying the extra supplies. Orphia and Lady Celia’s help will be enough,” Rio said.
“R-Right. Sure thing. What do I have to do?”
Celia still wasn’t used to being addressed as “Lady” and responded somewhat uneasily.
“I’d like you to use your magic to provide a little water and tamper with the ground.”
Rio also couldn’t use spirit arts in front of Christina, so he had to rely on Celia’s magic.
“Oh, I see. Sure, leave it to me.” Celia nodded a little proudly. She was normally surrounded by superior spirit arts users that didn’t require her help as a sorcerer, so she was happy to be able to contribute for once.
“Now, Lady Celia, could you please make a working surface for food preparation?”
First was a space for cooking. They could cook without one, but having one made things much more efficient.
“Sure, one moment. Umm, Terra Murum.”
Celia touched the ground nearby and chanted a spell. A magic circle appeared on the ground before her and a rectangular block of dirt rose upwards to make a nice and flat block for a work surface.
“...Amazing. Even the blocks you make are perfect,” Christina said in awe from where she watched to the side.
While there wasn’t as much freedom as with spirit arts, those who could use Terra Murum could control their magic essence in order to adjust the size, shape, strength, and durability of the object they created. However, making something similar to what Celia had just made was harder than it looked. In fact, because the magic was typically used for battle, most wouldn’t assume it could be used in such a way.
Magic and sorcery was largely limited by the phenomenon of activating the spell formula, but manipulating spells freely within that limit was possible for Celia because of her incredible magic essence control.
“Thank you. I am Princess Christina’s former teacher, so I must show my strengths every now and then.” Celia grinned shyly. Christina seemed interested in their work, as she remained standing beside them to watch.
In that time, Rio went over to the backpack that had been set on the ground and retrieved a pot that had been tied to it with a rope. “Now then, Lady Celia. Could you fill this pot with water next?” He brought the pot over to the side of the stream where the work counter was set up.
One would assume water could be filled from the stream, but even though it looked clear, at a glance it could have animal excrement, algae, and other unknown substances mixed in, so it was too risky to drink. This was why sterilization by boiling water was standard in order to avoid water-borne diseases, but water made by magic was guaranteed to be safe, so it was a much better idea to ask a sorcerer companion to create water.
“Sure, I can do that, but... Could you—umm, could you stop calling me Lady? It feels really embarrassing. I’m not used to being called that, so every time I hear it I get chills.” Celia had a faint pout on her lips, looking unhappy.
“What would you like me to call you, then?” Rio asked with a troubled look, aware of Christina’s presence.
“What...” Celia trailed off, speechless.
Rio normally addressed Celia with the title of Professor, but he couldn’t call her that in front of Christina and the others.
“Y-You can call me by just my name. Like you usually do.” Celia turned red as she spoke in a high-pitched voice. Since she couldn’t be called Professor, she had no other option than being addressed without a title.
Until now, Rio had spoken to her without a title when he used her alias “Cecilia” in Amande and such, so there shouldn’t have been a problem in having him call her “Celia” without a title as well.
There shouldn’t have been a problem... But for some reason, she felt extremely embarrassed. The embarrassment grew stronger and stronger within her by the moment.
“Like... I usually do? But...”
Rio glanced at Christina and hesitated. He could understand choosing to go without a title by the process of elimination, but his serious personality made him consider the fact that it wasn’t a good look for him to be addressing a noble of another kingdom without a title.
“Umm. There’s no need to act all formally just because I’m here. You may act as you normally do,” Christina said, guessing at Rio’s thoughts.
“I understand. Then, Celia. If you could please prepare the water,” Rio nodded with a small, resigned sigh.
“Uh. Y-Yeah. Got it.”
Feeling embarrassed at actually being called without a title, Celia’s cheeks turned red as she nodded. However, her mouth was turned upwards in a happy smile.
“...Hmph.” The spirit folk girls were silent, but clearly objecting with their gazes. Christina and the others watched them with curious looks.
“H-Here’s the water, then. Creo Aqua.” Celia placed her hand over the pot and chanted the spell. This was a simple magic used in daily life that could create water. A small magic circle immediately appeared over Celia’s hand and water began pouring out of her palm like a tap had been turned on.
“Please keep that up for a moment.” Rio washed the pot briefly with the water before filling it up. Enough water came out to fill it up in ten seconds.
“Thank you very much. Orphia and I can handle the rest, so could you make a dining table and chairs for everyone to sit on? You may rest after doing that.”
“Yup, got it!” Celia nodded cheerfully and ran off.
Rio watched her go with a smile before addressing Orphia. “Shall we begin, then?”
“Yep! You know, you could speak to me more casually too, Haruto,” Orphia said with a mischievous grin.
Rio’s eyes widened faintly before he chuckled. “...I’d consider it if you spoke to me as casually as Celia does.”
“Ah... That might be a little too embarrassing.”
Orphia imagined herself speaking so casually to Rio and laughed shyly.
“Let’s get cooking.”
“Right.” Orphia nodded earnestly.
Then, Rio went back to the backpack and took out two thin metal sheets. Each sheet had a spell formula design on its surface. He placed them on the work table Celia had made and put the pot on top of one of them.
After placing several enchanted gems around the sheet, the spell formula absorbed the essence from the gems and started to release light and heat. This metal sheet was a magic artifact that could be used to control heat in place of a stove. Once a frying pan and some ingredients were also removed from the backpack, they were ready to start their food preparation.
First, vegetable oil and spices were added into the pan with some vegetables and mushrooms they harvested while they walked. Once the mushrooms were soft, slices of dried meat were added. After the flavor of the dried meat seeped into the mushrooms, the heat would be turned off and the contents served onto a plate. Half of this was then given to Orphia to make into soup.
Rio took the now-empty frying pan and added butter and diced onions, heating it until it was soft before adding the barley to fry it.
“Amazing. It’s evident you’re very skilled at this. What is it that you’re making?” Christina asked in awe, having watched them as they went about their preparations.
“This is a type of food called porridge.”
“Porridge, you say?” Christina cocked her head at Rio’s answer.
“It isn’t a type of food that nobility would come across, so I’m not surprised you haven’t heard of it before. You fry the barley in oil before adding water to boil it.”
“It smells good. I can’t wait to try it.” Christina’s nose twitched as she sniffed the air before smiling.
After that, once the barley had been heated to a suitable degree, a small amount of alcohol was added to further fry it. All that was left was to add the solid pseudo-bouillon that had been preserved in a container while making the stew at the inn last night, then boil the water in the pot and melt the bouillon for the flavor to seep in.
...It feels like she’s standing oddly close.
Rio felt a little uncomfortable from Christina’s gaze, who was standing at a distance neither too close nor too far to watch them. Every now and then she looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn’t ask anything other than what they were making.
It doesn’t seem like she’s observing me, though.
If anything, it seemed like a rather hesitant gaze, as though she was gauging his expressions.
Is it because she’s realized my identity after all? But if so, wouldn’t she normally act more guarded...?
Rio recalled the standoffish image Christina had in his academy days.
She seems to have changed a lot—she’s much softer now than she was back then.
Back then, she always seemed to be irritated and consistently distanced herself from others. So much so, they never exchanged a single conversation while he had been there. Perhaps that was why...
It feels kind of strange having her so close by.
It wasn’t a bad thing, but it felt strange after having such a strong image of her past self. Just why was she standing so close and watching him so curiously?
Rio tried to think about it, but he didn’t understand. Since thinking any further wouldn’t help answer his question, he decided to focus silently on making the food before him instead.
The barley had absorbed the moisture well, so the heat was turned off before the contents of the frying pan began to scorch. Then, the mushroom and dried meat was added back into the pan and mixed well with salt and pepper for seasoning, before shredded cheese was finally added.
“It’s done.” The barley cheese risotto was completed.
“I’m done as well.” Orphia finished the soup at just that moment. An appetizing smell wafted from the pot. Cheese risotto with mushroom and wild vegetable soup. It would normally be considered a treat to eat such a thing while camping outdoors.
Furthermore, while Rio had been cooking, Celia had prepared a wonderful dining space. There was a dining table and enough seats for everyone.
Everyone started gathering, drawn by the delicious scent.
“Whoa, isn’t this risotto?! What grain did you use for it?!” Kouta asked, excitement in his eyes.
“It’s barley.”
“Barley, hmm? So that’s how...”
“There’s a thing called barley and rice, after all.”
At Rio’s answer, Kouta and Rei’s eyes widened. They were just like the others that had come from Japan and missed rice too. For the record, Kouta’s barley had been in the language of that world, but Rei’s barley and rice had been in Japanese—mugimeshi.
“Mugimeshi?” Christina finally spoke up. She was cocking her head at the unfamiliar word.
“It’s a type of grain. The main grain that’s eaten in Kouta’s world is called rice, and it’s very similar in shape to barley. The taste and texture is different to barley, but similar dishes can be prepared,” Rio explained to Christina about barley and rice.
“You’re very knowledgeable... Ah, I see. You must have heard it from that Miharu person,” Kouta said.
“Yes. Though limited, there are parts of Strahl where rice is cultivated. I don’t have any on hand right now, but I’d be happy to treat you if there’s an opportunity in the future.”
“R-Really?!” Kouta jumped up eagerly.
“Yes. But for now, you’ll have to make do with barley risotto. Let’s dig in while it’s still hot,” Rio agreed with a smile, then urged them all to begin eating.
“Right, right. This is a treat! It looks really delicious, I can’t wait!”
“Yup, it smells really nice.”
Kouta and Rei both said excitedly.
“Y-Yum!”
“Whoa. The cheese is so thick.”
Kouta and Rei—who knew what a risotto was—praised the food first. After giving their opinions on the first bite, they spent the rest of the time absorbed in eating.
Christina also carried the spoon to her mouth elegantly before blinking in surprise. “Even though the cheese is so rich in taste, it doesn’t feel heavy at all. Impressive,” she offered.
“In order to remove the unique scent barley produces when water is added, the barley is first fried with alcohol. After it’s fried, the recommended order is to soak the barley in soup before finally adding the cheese. That way, the taste of the cheese is condensed,” Rio explained.
“So you first remove the unnecessary flavors from the ingredients, then add the flavors that you want. I see... There’s a lot of thought behind it. And the result is truly delicious...”
Christina hummed in awe before taking another bite of the risotto to savor the taste. Her mouth softened faintly in a bitter and fleeting way.
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