Chapter 3: Jealousy
Around the time Rio was finishing up his discussion with Liselotte, Hiroaki had been led to a guest room by Cosette and invited Flora and Roanna inside to soothe his boredom.
Generally, Roanna would bring up a topic, Hiroaki would rattle on about it, Roanna would ask a question that was easy for Hiroaki to answer with a boast, and Hiroaki would continue the conversation from there. Roanna was a responsive conversation partner that reacted in a way that made the speaker feel good, so she truly was a comfortable person for Hiroaki to converse with.
“I used to think my sense of personal space was on the bigger side, but I guess you never really know,” Hiroaki said while sitting down on the narrow three-seater sofa. Flora and Roanna sat on either side of him while he had his arms spread.
Normally, they would either all sit on individual sofas or comfortably share a three-seater between two of them while the third sat on an individual sofa, but the guest rooms in the fortress only had the bare minimum in the way of furnishings.
“Well, sit down,” Hiroaki had said, having positioned himself in the center of the sofa and beckoned Flora and Roanna over, resulting in the three of them sitting together.
“Personal space?” Roanna reacted to Hiroaki’s words, inclining her head.
“Ah, it’s the distance where other people are too close for comfort. The closer you are to the other person, the shorter this distance is, and the less acquainted you are, the wider it is. You wouldn’t want to sit here with a random old man, right?”
“Indeed, I would prefer to decline such a thing... But I have no opposition to the current arrangement,” Roanna said, bringing herself closer to Hiroaki’s shoulder. Meanwhile, Flora maintained a shy distance that avoided contact with Hiroaki’s body.
“My personal space used to be so big, I found it annoying when someone entered an empty restaurant after me and sat themselves within my field of view. But I don’t dislike the current setup,” Hiroaki snorted, grabbing Roanna’s shoulder and holding her closer.
“Geez, that was because it was a man, wasn’t it?” Roanna asked with a cute pout.
“Nah, there are some times where I hate it because it’s a woman, too. Especially when there are other open seats, but they purposefully sit near me. I just want to eat my food in peace, but they start blabbering about dumb topics.”
“What do you mean by that...?”
One might think she was asking if he didn’t like her sticking so close at the moment.
“I wonder?” Hiroaki smirked, evading Roanna’s stare with a laugh. At that moment, he could tell Roanna pressed herself even closer. He chuckled smugly. “It’s a narrow seat, but things like this are nice every once in a while too, no?”
“I don’t mind if we’re like this all the time, though,” Roanna answered with a slight pout.
“Hahaha!” Hiroaki burst into hearty laughter. Then he sighed and said, “Ah, it really is the best to have someone who understands you when you’re tired and feeling frayed along the edges. In reality, being with women who are all looks and zero understanding is so irritating.”
The ones who came to mind were the girls who weren’t in this room right now—with the exception of Christina. He was displeased with the fact they hadn’t actively tried to involve themselves with him, the hero. Just recalling it made his irritation return.
“I guess that means I’m an understanding woman, then?” Roanna immediately asked.
“Nope,” Hiroaki shook his head. Then, he added, “You’re understanding and you have the looks. A truly charming lady indeed.”
“Geez,” Roanna blushed in embarrassment.
“So, what’s with you, Flora? You’ve been silent this entire time.” Satisfied with Roanna’s reaction, Hiroaki turned to Flora, who hadn’t participated in the conversation at all.
“Huh...? Ah... No...” Flora was unable to come up with any words at the moment. She seemed distracted, like her mind simply wasn’t there.
“...” Hiroaki sighed disapprovingly.
“Umm, I was thinking about my sister and Sir Haruto... I was wondering what they were up to,” Flora answered with naive honesty.
“Who knows? Christina should be talking to Duke Huguenot, right? But why bring up his name?” Hiroaki frowned openly at the mention of Haruto’s name. Not again, he thought.
“No, I was just thinking that a lot must have happened while they were traveling.”
“Between Christina and that bastard?”
“That’s not what I mean, but Professor Celia was there too...” Flora trailed off.
“Hmm...” With even Celia’s name mentioned, Hiroaki hummed with disinterest. But on the inside, his displeasure was rapidly building. “Is it really a big deal? That he defeated the King’s Sword or whatever? It seemed like people were making a rather big fuss about it,” he said, expressing his doubts towards Alfred’s abilities.
“Sir Emarle has been acknowledged by the king as Beltrum’s strongest. He can use an enchanted sword to release powerful blades of light, and his strength is so well known that they say it’s an understatement to call him a one-man army,” Roanna said a little hesitantly, knowing that the answer wasn’t what Hiroaki wanted to hear.
“Yet he and that Rui bastard were beaten up by that fresh-off-the-farm greenhorn. That Rui bastard—it impacts me too if he loses in a way that sullies the name of heroes,” Hiroaki mumbled sullenly.
So the King’s Sword uses blades of lights to attack? Sounds like setting off my Divine Arms at full power would definitely be stronger. But Satsuki already lost to him in a sparring match, and that Takahisa bastard also had a bad time against him. He appeared around the same time as the heroes, yet he’s standing out more than us. At this rate, he’ll be valued higher than us. Even his name is similar to us Japanese people.
If only there was something he could do about it, he thought as he felt a sense of danger from Haruto’s recent activities.
Hmm. Is there anything I can do to lower that bastard’s protagonist characterization? By making him lose face or something...
He folded his arms in discontent, falling silent in thought. Meanwhile, Roanna sensed his mood and quietly waited for Hiroaki to begin speaking again, while Flora awkwardly remained silent.
It’d be so convenient if someone could just go and defeat him once. Seeing how the so-called kingdom’s strongest—the King’s Sword—was no match for him, no one in the Restoration will be able to beat him in a close-ranged match either...
Everyone was just so worthless: all name and no substance. There wasn’t anyone who was the “real deal,” as it were. However, though he was irritating, Haruto Amakawa’s abilities were probably real. Hiroaki had witnessed Haruto fight in the flesh from up close, and his combat powers were indeed impressive. He didn’t want to admit it, but Haruto was strong. However...
Hold on a minute... There’s no need to fight in a close ranged battle where the bastard has the upper hand, is there? If I can maintain a distance while one-sidedly attacking him, then...
A brilliant idea suddenly came to Hiroaki’s mind.
That’s right—fighting in his ring would be nonsense. That fool Rui also went out of his way to fight him at close range when he’s a bow user, or so I hear. That was probably why he lost. He should have just camped somewhere advantageous and defeated him with long-ranged attacks.
Hiroaki analyzed the cause of Rui’s defeat and sneered.
Dragging your opponent into your own ring to win is the ultimate tactic. Since the power I obtained is too great even in an incomplete form, I’ve rarely had the chance to test it out properly, but wouldn’t he be the perfect opponent? If I say I want to test my ability, it might work.
He could see a way for him to win against Haruto Amakawa. Of course, it would be a sparring match, so they wouldn’t fight for real, but it would be a good form of stress relief. There was no telling if Haruto would agree to the match, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask.
Ah, great. In the end, I have to be the one standing out.
The only ones who could cull the genuinely strong were the stronger.
“Ah, I’ve just thought of something. I’m going to see Haruto.”
Hiroaki immediately began his plan.
Around the same time, Chloe was leading Rio to his guest room after his discussion with Liselotte ended.
“Here you go—please use this room. This is the key,” Chloe said, stopping in front of the room and handing Rio the key.
“Thank you very much, Chloe. If you don’t mind me asking, where are Sara and the girls who came together with me?” Rio asked.
“I showed them to their room right over there.” Chloe gestured with her right hand, pointing out the room where Sara and the others were staying.
“I understand. If you would excuse me,” Rio said, then started walking towards Sara’s room.
“Sure.”
I wonder what kind of relationship he has with the three of them? Chloe wondered, watching Rio knock on the door before she left. The door opened and Sara stuck her head out from within.
“Haruto.”
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Not at all. Please, come inside.”
After that exchange, Rio entered the room as Chloe quietly left.
“Pardon the intrusion,” Rio said as he stepped inside.
“We were waiting.”
“You’ve worked hard today.”
Orphia and Alma welcomed Rio from where they sat on the beds.
“Please, have a seat.”
“Thanks.” Rio sat down on one side of the three-seater sofa that Sara offered him.
“There was something we had to tell you, Rio.” Sara used Rio’s real name since only those in the know were in the room.
“What is it?”
“Now that Princess Christina has joined up with her allies, we were thinking of returning to the stone house. We don’t think we should get too deeply involved with the noble class of humans—or human politics in general,” Sara began.
“I see... I agree, that would probably be for the best.”
The spirit folk girls were eye-catching enough with their appearances, but they must have attracted a lot of attention by showing up in a group while wielding enchanted swords. If they continued to Rodania like this, they would definitely receive some form of invitation.
“We do want to continue accompanying you, but...” Sara said worriedly. Orphia and Alma frowned too.
“No, you’ve been a tremendous help coming this far. The journey will shift to enchanted ships once we reach Amande, so you’ve done enough. I’d appreciate it if you could protect Miharu and Latifa instead.”
“Of course!” The girls nodded energetically in unison.
In contrast, Rio had a shadow over his face. “Thank you so much. And I have to apologize for how much danger you were subjected to. Especially to you, Orphia—you were injured as a result.”
“What are you saying? Celia isn’t important to just you, Haruto. She’s important to us as well,” Sara said.
“Yes, exactly,” Alma agreed.
“We’ve all recovered completely and nothing terrible happened. We were all really happy to be able to travel around and learn about the world with you. We’ve never had the chance to travel on foot before, so everything felt new,” Orphia said, flashing a bashful smile.
“You even got Rio to hold you in a bridal carry at the end there.”
“That’s right... Wait! What are you saying, Alma?!” Orphia protested with a faint blush.
Sara watched the two of them and sighed. “We learned a lot from this trip, especially in that final fight with the mercenaries. If you hadn’t taught us how to fight against people, we may have had a much tougher time,” she said, looking back on the battle.
“Indeed. It was great that we were able to get real experience fighting.”
“Yup. And now we know there are lots of strong humans out there, too. The one I went up against was especially tough.”
Alma and Orphia added to Sara’s words with serious expressions.
“The King’s Sword... Was what they called him, right? From what I saw of Rio’s battle, we wouldn’t be able to win against him—not with the limitation of fighting while we pretended our weapons were catalysts for sorcery activation, at least,” Sara analyzed with a stern look.
“However, if you were able to use your spirit arts freely, warriors as skilled as yourselves should be able to hold your own. If things ever get really dangerous, please don’t hesitate to fight using your spirit arts. I do not wish to see anyone else getting hurt from fighting,” Rio requested with a worried face. He had been beside himself with worry when he had arrived to see Orphia and Celia down on the ground before Charles and the others. The village had placed a rule on them to keep their species and spirit arts hidden as much as possible when they departed, but it wasn’t something they needed to worry about protecting at the cost of their lives. At least, that was what Rio believed.
“Thank you very much...” Sara and the others exchanged looks before thanking him with embarrassed joy. They could tell Rio was truly worried about them.
“There’s nothing you should be thanking me for...” Rio said with a pained smile.
“I’m happy that you were angry on behalf of Celia and myself,” Orphia said, closing her eyes and placing a hand over her healed stomach.
“...It was the right thing to do,” Rio said awkwardly. If possible, he didn’t want others to see him being angry and acting violently, since he normally gave off an image of rationality and humanity. He had previously scared Ruri and Sayo like that, too.
“We saw you in a way we’d never imagined before, but it was a really cool version of you, you know?” Orphia said with a grin, staring at Rio’s face.
“Please don’t make fun of me...” Rio’s eyes widened faintly before he ducked his face. He was smiling softly in embarrassment.
“Orphia’s right. It reminded me of when you protected Latifa when the wyvern flock attacked the village,” Alma agreed with a giggle.
“I remember that,” Sara said, keenly recalling those memories.
“It was a long time ago now.”
“It’s been four or five years since then.”
Orphia and Alma reminisced with distant looks in their eyes. Perhaps that was why the room filled with pensive silence.
“Come to think of it, what were you discussing with Liselotte?” Sara asked, changing the topic.
“We were making plans for next month. Liselotte was thinking of bringing Satsuki to her home and hosting a meal, and invited me to attend with everyone in the stone house...” Rio said.
“Oh. We’d love to attend, but...”
“We just decided it would be best for us not to get involved with human nobility and politics.”
Sara and the others were rather attracted to the offer. The amount of politics involved in attending Liselotte’s personally hosted meal was completely different to the act of going to Rodania, but the fact they were contradicting themselves already was apparent. If he had asked at a later time, they may have answered differently, but...
“What do we do?” Alma asked Sara and Orphia.
“We’ll pass this time. Even though having a meal together shouldn’t have any political impact, creating exceptions so easily could lead to a slippery slope of making more exceptions in the future...” Sara declared regretfully, her tone extremely serious.
“It’s too bad, but you’re right,” Orphia agreed.
“There’s nothing we can do about it,” Alma shrugged sadly.
“However, since we’re passing this time, we’ll definitely participate next time! If there’s a next time! Definitely!” Sara said, adding a condition to their refusal.
“Doesn’t that defeat the point?” Alma laughed at Sara.
“It’s fine! We have to demonstrate our self-control here, so that the next time we can reward ourselves for doing so,” Sara said, turning away in a huff.
“Right,” Orphia giggled.
“Ah, but Latifa can go ahead and attend. She’ll probably be sulking when we return to the stone house anyway, saying we got to have all the fun. It’ll be a good social experience for her to meet Liselotte,” Sara added.
“I understand. I’m sure Latifa will be delighted as well. I’ll pass on what you’ve said to Liselotte about your attendance, too,” Rio nodded with a gentle expression.
Just then, a knocking sound came from the door.
“Was that a knock...?”
Everyone’s attention gathered on the door.
“Maybe it’s Celia?” Sara stood up and walked over to the door, opening it with a clack.
“’Sup!” The door opened to reveal Hiroaki, standing there with Flora and Roanna.
“The hero, Princess Flora, and Lady Roanna...” Rio immediately stood up, eyes widening in surprise as he greeted the three of them.
“Hello...” Sara met Hiroaki’s eyes and nodded her head in greeting.
“Sorry to disturb you in the middle of your fun—I heard from this lady that you were in this room,” Hiroaki looked around and snorted. Standing on either side of him was a flustered Flora and awkward Roanna. Behind him was Chloe, who had probably led them to the room; she looked bored.
“Did you need something?” Rio asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing much. I just had a request for you, considering your abilities.”
“By which you mean...?”
“Do you want to have a mock battle with me?”
“May I inquire as to the reason why...?” Rio looked confused at the sudden challenge. He was unsure if he should readily give his consent to it.
“Well, I’m sure you’ve heard the legends of how mighty the Divine Arms the heroes possess are, but there haven’t been any opportunities for me to unleash mine at full power. It’s a bit of a nuclear weapon... Like magic capable of genocide. Using it carelessly could change the terrain of the land, causing all kinds of secondary disasters. I suppose it can’t be helped, since there’s no knowing how much damage might occur, but if I don’t practice fighting while drawing out its power to some extent, I might not be able to control myself when the time comes, you know?” Hiroaki lamented with a sigh, stating his perfectly reasoned argument.
“Well, I suppose,” Rio said in a dull tone, still unable to read Hiroaki’s intentions. The statement wasn’t entirely incorrect, but it had come too quickly out of the blue.
“But if I fight with my Divine Arm’s abilities activated, even in a mock battle, the average person is unfit to be my opponent. Even if I have no intention of killing them, I fear they’ll be unable to evade my attacks and die on me. I need to fight a warrior that’s actually strong. That’s when I realized you’d be a good opponent, since you defeated Rui and the King’s Sword. I feel bad for singling you out like this, but can I ask this of you?” Hiroaki said, then glanced over and watched for Rio’s reaction.
“Umm... I’m sorry for the unreasonable request. We haven’t consulted with my sister about it yet either, so it’s okay if you refuse him.” Flora, who had been anxiously listening to Hiroaki talk, was unable to contain herself any longer and spoke up.
“Eh?” Hiroaki let out a small noise reflexively. Flora was a coward that normally didn’t speak up, yet she had to go and do something unnecessary now. Why did she decide to speak up this time? Because it concerned Haruto? That thought agitated him.
I see. So it’s just him being selfish. Rio had thought it was strange Christina wasn’t here to begin with, but the exchange just now instantly helped him make that guess.
“I am unworthy of such high praise. However, if you wish to demonstrate the power of your Divine Arms, the time and location must be selected carefully. It is not something I can lightly accept at my own discretion. Once you obtain Princess Christina’s approval, I will gladly accept,” Rio said, cheerfully giving his consent with a condition. However, he wasn’t saying it as a diplomatic excuse to avoid causing offense through rejection—he really didn’t mind fighting as long as the conditions were met.
I may potentially fight with other heroes in the future. Rui had held back from the beginning of our fight, and I want to know more about the powers hidden within the Divine Arms.
If his opponent was willing to reveal his own hand, then it wouldn’t be a bad idea to accept this opportunity. There was no need for him to actually win, so he could fight with the abilities that people knew he had without showing off anything new. If he couldn’t win like that, that was fine.
Hiroaki seemed to be displeased by the lack of an immediate acceptance on Haruto’s part, as he looked slightly sullen, but he refrained from saying anything more, sensing that it would be too pushy to do so.
“Thank you very much. Then we shall inquire with Princess Christina.” Roanna said her thanks and promptly wrapped up the conversation. She must have disagreed with deciding this without Christina’s permission, as she looked somewhat relieved.
“Please do,” Rio bowed his head respectfully, closing the curtain on this discussion.
Later that night, Christina summoned Rio to her, as she wished to speak to him directly. He walked to the designated meeting room to find Flora and Christina together, which made him slightly confused. There was no one else in sight.
It feels kind of strange being with these two together...
It was something that had never happened once throughout his days in the Royal Academy. The reason why he was called here was almost certainly because of the mock battle with Hiroaki, but considering the events of the past and what happened after reuniting with these two, Rio couldn’t help but feel a little awkward.
“Thank you for coming so late at night. Please, have a seat,” Christina said, politely gesturing at a chair. Rio nodded and sat down.
“Thank you.”
“I called you here because I want to discuss the mock battle with the hero. Flora said she wanted to sit in and listen too. I hope you don’t mind?” Christina asked.
“No, of course not.”
“Then, to get straight to the point—are you really okay with having the mock battle?”
“Yes. As long as Your Highness has consented, I don’t mind.” Rio nodded his head easily at Christina’s prying question.
“If you’re wary that refusing the hero will cause problems or offense, you’re allowed to decline without concern for others. I will deal with things on my end.”
The partial agreement between Rio and Hiroaki made it hard for Christina to decide whether to give her permission or not. However, it would be a different matter if Rio expressed a desire to refuse.
“I am not acting out of concern for others. If anything, I am concerned as to what Your Highness thinks. If a mock battle between Sir Hiroaki and myself would cause inconvenience for you, I will readily withdraw at your word,” Rio replied with a smile as he looked at Christina.
“The matter that worries me the most is whether this is troublesome for you. If so, I can only offer my utmost apologies.”
“It may become a problem if I receive frequent challenges to mock battles, but this one case doesn’t particularly bother me.” Rio would have preferred more thought to have gone into the timing of the request, but Christina understood that without Rio having to complain, which was why she looked so apologetic.
“And what is the next matter that worries you?” If she had a matter that worried her the most, then there must be something else, Rio thought.
“This is less of a worry and more of a request. Can you win against Sir Sakata in the mock battle?” Christina asked with a serious expression.
“I’m afraid I won’t know until we actually fight...”
Rio still didn’t know of the extent of the Divine Arms. The abilities of Satsuki and Takahisa’s Divine Arms were sealed in close combat when he had sparred with them, and Rui had been aiming to immobilize rather than kill when they were fighting. Above all, Rui had hesitated, making the bad choice of approaching Rio even though he was an archer.
Based on his experience fighting the other heroes until now, Rio didn’t think they were opponents worth fearing when brought into close-ranged combat, as they hadn’t received any combat training while in Japan. Veterans like Alfred, Gouki, or Uzuma were more formidable.
However, depending on the extent of the power within the Divine Arms, that could change. If they could maintain a distance as they attacked him freely with attacks on the level of natural disasters, then they’d be much more of a problem.
“Would it be better for me to lose the mock battle?” Rio asked. If the hero was allowed to use his abilities and seriously take him on in the mock battle, losing would be a bad look for the Restoration. That’s what Rio assumed, and why he didn’t mind losing in the first place.
“No, the opposite. If you can win, I’d like to ask that you please do.”
“Huh...?” Flora let out a sound of confusion from beside her, possibly because she hadn’t heard of this in advance.
“May I inquire as to the reason why...?” Rio asked.
“I first noticed this when we met at the banquet, but after reuniting at this fortress and speaking more, I’m now certain. The hero seems to be a little arrogant,” Christina stated plainly.
“...” It was a difficult statement to both agree and disagree with, so Rio was silent and waited.
“At any and every moment of time, he has to be treated with the highest priority. If things don’t go his way, he shows his displeasure—and it’s so obvious that everyone around him can see it. It may have been part of Duke Huguenot’s plan, but I believe he’s been spoiled a little too much in the time it took for me to reach Rodania. Of course, I cannot completely fault the plan if it was for the sake of the organization...” Christina said with difficulty. “But there’s a limit to how far you can go. I believe there are no exceptions to this, whether you are the princess of a kingdom like me, a king, or a hero. Above all, if things continue like this, neither the hero nor we will benefit from it. That’s why I believe it would be good for him to lose some of that pride of his.”
Not even royalty could speak out too strongly against heroes, said to be the embodiment of divine majesty. However, that didn’t mean they could allow his arrogance to continue unhindered.
“And your wish is that I play a role in doing just that. Is that correct?”
“It’s not a matter that can be left to the average person, and I cannot ask anyone I do not trust. No one even knows about this apart from the three of us here. I am voicing my private thoughts for the first time here.”
Which meant...
She hasn’t consulted Duke Huguenot or Roanna, then. No—Roanna aside, she couldn’t consult with Duke Huguenot. Their plans oppose each other.
Christina got to work as soon as she joined the Restoration. She was a fast worker indeed—perhaps that was why Flora was also surprised to hear this for the first time.
“I have no one else I can ask right now other than you, Sir Amakawa. Of course, I am aware that it would be too convenient for us to force the role onto you when we should be bearing the responsibility. However, if you say that you don’t mind facing the hero in a mock battle, could you consider taking on this request at the same time?” Christina bowed in request.
“I don’t mind accepting the mock battle and trying to win. However, I’m not sure if simply winning will be enough to fulfill Your Highness’ desires.”
In other words, whether that would hurt Hiroaki’s pride or not.
“Yes. That is why I would like you to bring out the hero’s true strength, then defeat him to make a show of your power difference.” Christina described her ideal vision. Not an instant defeat, but not a drawn-out struggle either. Essentially, she wanted him to fight squarely and force Hiroaki to yield.
“That’s a rather unreasonable request.” Rio couldn’t help but chuckle.
“My apologies. Of course, I vow that no backlash will fall upon you for your victory, and I shall reward you separately with regards to the escorting matter. You are also free to decline if it is unfeasible, but if you could give it your consideration...” Christina bowed her head broodingly.
“I accept.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Please raise your head.” Rio protested in a slight fluster.
Having her bow her head to me so many times really doesn’t feel right.
Their first meeting had been what it was, and with how their relationship during his academy days was like, he still couldn’t shake off the odd feeling he got from the way Christina was now.
“But what will you do about the time and place?” Rio asked, changing the topic.
“I’d like this mock battle to be held privately. I apologize for the rush, but we’ll hold it in a discreet location tomorrow, before departing for Amande. Lady Liselotte has the perfect place in mind and will show us the way there.”
If they sparred after returning to Rodania, they would attract too much attention from the nobles of the Restoration and leave a bad impression. That was probably why she had gone to Liselotte. It was likely that Liselotte wanted to witness the power of the Divine Arms, too.
“I understand. That won’t be a problem.”
Thus, the date of Rio and Hiroaki’s mock battle was officially decided.
“Then, if you would excuse me.”
Rio left the room with those words, leaving Christina and Flora alone in the room.
“We finally have time to talk alone,” Christina said first. After her conversation with Duke Huguenot, word of Hiroaki’s mock battle reached her ears, so she had to make adjustments for that. Hiroaki and Roanna were present for dinner afterwards, so they hadn’t had any time alone until now.
“Yes,” Flora said, quietly watching her sister’s face beside her. Suddenly, Christina turned her body to face Flora, staring at her closely.
“So, don’t you have something to tell me? About Sir Amakawa.”
“Huh?” Christina’s abrupt question made Flora tremble in alarm.
“You’ve been overly aware of him ever since we arrived at this fortress, and you insisted on following me here like this when I said I was going to speak to him. I thought you had something to say to him, but you barely said a word. That’s why it must be me you want to talk to, and it must be something about him. Am I wrong?”
“What? I haven’t been cognizant of him at all...” Flora awkwardly struggled for words, having been completely seen through.
“So, you’re engaged now,” Christina suddenly mentioned. At a glance, there was no change in her expression, but it looked like she was faking her composure.
“You heard about it?”
“Yes, from Duke Huguenot...” Christina offered no words of congratulations.
“I haven’t thought much about marriage...” Flora hung her head. She was still just a fifteen-year-old girl, after all.
“A woman with a fiance shouldn’t be paying so much attention to a man other than her fiance. While the hero’s ego may be hard to tolerate, that is a different matter. One of the reasons why he’s displeased right now partially has to do with you,” Christina pointed out sharply.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“You can just fix things starting tomorrow.”
“Yes...” Flora responded dejectedly to Christina’s curt words.
She hadn’t wanted to see her little sister make this face. These weren’t the words she wanted to say. And yet, she could only say it in this way. “So... What about Sir Amakawa has your interest? If something’s weighing on your mind, try saying it out loud. I’ll hear you out.” Christina cursed her own incompetence as she addressed Flora in a slightly gentler tone. Now that Flora was engaged to Hiroaki, keeping the fog in her heart bottled up wouldn’t be good for the Restoration’s future.
“I... I said, there’s nothing...” Flora looked like she wanted to say something, but quickly looked down and swallowed her words.
“That’s not what it looks like to me,” Christina said with an ambiguous smile. She had her suspicions, but she wasn’t about to utter them herself without any hard evidence.
After a while, Flora spoke up. “How did you travel here from Cleia?”
“How? We either walked or I was carried while running.”
“Sir Haruto carried you?” Flora’s interest grew stronger.
“No, he didn’t. Sara, the silver-haired girl, carried me. Sir Amakawa carried the two boys that traveled with us,” Christina said with a slightly exasperated laugh.
“I see... Then, what kind of person is Sir Haruto?” It was another sudden and vague question, and about Haruto no less.
“He’s an amazing person.” Christina couldn’t reply with a mean-spirited question as to why Flora was asking such a thing, so she replied vaguely instead.
“Amazing... Yeah, he’s amazing.” For some reason, Flora looked delighted, and Christina was able to guess why.
“Yes.”
So she’s noticed. She’s noticed, and for the same reasons as me, she...
She wouldn’t bring up the subject of Haruto’s identity herself. Instead, she was sounding out whether Christina had noticed too.
What a hopeless child, honestly...
Christina found that a little bittersweet and pitiful at the same time.
It was too obvious like this. At the very least, it was instantly clear that she had feelings towards Haruto. Hiroaki was probably displeased by that, too.
“How do you feel about him?”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Flora cocked her head curiously at Christina’s question.
“What kind of person is he to you?” Christina explained with more detail.
Flora thought carefully, facing her feelings before giving a short reply. “...He saved me.”
“Do you want to do something for him?”
“Yes. Gratitude... Isn’t what I want to do, though.”
“Then what can you do for him?”
“I can’t... do anything.” Flora’s shoulders suddenly slumped, vexed by her own answer.
“Then you don’t have to do anything,” Christina said plainly.
“Huh...?” Flora was stunned.
“If you can’t do anything for him, then that’s fine. There’s no need to be impatient about it. If you force yourself to do something for him, you might end up creating a problem for him instead, no?”
“Right...”
“If you’re still pained by the fact you can’t do anything, come talk to me. I’ll be beside you from now on, so you can vent to me.” Christina nervously moved her hand and patted Flora on the shoulder. Flora had been alone. Her position as a princess meant she couldn’t confide in anyone, so she was isolated the whole time in the Restoration. When Christina realized that, she wanted to touch her. To tell her that she wasn’t alone anymore.
“Can I really...?” Flora asked, looking at Christina’s face.
“Yes. What do you think I came all the way here for?”
“For the kingdom...” Flora answered timidly.
“As a princess, yes. But that isn’t all. I came as your older sister, in order to lessen your burden and protect you. Though I may not be very dependable.”
“T-That’s not true. You’re amazing.” Flora suddenly hugged Christina with a fleeting smile.
“Really?” Christina gently caught her little sister’s body, mouth loosening into a soft smile.
“Yes. You seem to know everything about me... No, about everything around you.” Flora praised her sister while clinging to her adoringly.
“I know you because I’m your sister. As for anyone else, I don’t know everything. But because I’ve observed so many people, I’ve simply learned to predict what emotions people feel at certain times.” Christina had a faintly bitter expression as she patted Flora’s head. She had seen more exchanges between corrupt nobles than she had ever wanted to. Because of that, she thought she understood things—when she really didn’t know anything.
If she had known, she wouldn’t have been cornered like this. She should have been able to conduct things better.
“May I sleep in the same bed as you tonight?” Flora asked, tightening her hold.
“How spoiled of you.” Christina gently patted her little sister’s back.
Around the same time, Rio visited the room where Celia and Sara were staying.
“Excuse me for intruding,” he said before entering.
“Welcome back. How did it go? What did you talk about?” Celia immediately asked worriedly.
“It’s going to be tomorrow after all. There’s nothing to be worried about, so please rest assured,” Rio replied gently.
“I see... But is it really okay? I don’t doubt your strength, but Sakata is going to use his Divine Arms, right? Like Sir Shigekura did...” Celia said, worrying anyway.
“Well, it’s a mock battle, so we won’t be fighting with the intention of drawing blood,” Rio said, glossing over his answer. He expected Hiroaki would attack him by manipulating a phenomenon of considerable scale. In fact, Rio was accepting the challenge with the intention of bringing out the power of the Divine Arms.
“Don’t get hurt...”
“Of course.”
“I don’t want to see you falling down wounded,” Celia said while looking at Orphia. She must have recalled the image of her wounded in the battle with Alfred.
“The same goes for me.” Rio didn’t want to see Celia and Orphia fallen over ever again. Of course, the same went for Sara and the others, too. With that thought, Rio nodded.
“Good evening.”
Light particles gathered in the middle of the room to form Aishia’s image.
“A-Aishia...” Celia and the others were shocked.
Rio was the only one who smiled softly. “So, you were nearby after all.”
“Yup. The stone house has been set up a fair distance from the fortress. Miharu and Latifa are looking after the house. It looks like there was a battle by the border—was everything okay?” Aishia asked.
“A lot happened...” Celia looked at Sara’s group.
“As you can see, nothing is wrong.” Orphia clenched her hand into a fist.
“That’s good to hear.” Aishia’s face softened slightly... Or so it seemed, but it was probably a trick of the eye.
“Just to be sure, are there any soldiers still near the border?” Rio asked.
“Nope. They all retreated to the nearby fortress cities.”
“I see. That’s good, then.” Rui must have kept his promise.
“It’s a relief that everyone is safe. Miharu and Latifa were worried too,” Aishia said, which was why she was visiting.
“Everyone is as healthy as can be, so please tell them not to worry.” Sara cutely flexed her biceps to show off how healthy she was.
“Also, it’s been decided that we’ll head to Amande by enchanted ship tomorrow, then stay one night before heading to Rodania via enchanted ship again. It would be better for Sara, Orphia, and Alma to avoid too much contact with human nobility, so they’ll be returning to the stone house from Amande. Could you pass on that message?” Rio requested.
“Got it. If Sara and the others are returning to the stone house, shall I go to Rodania in their place? I can stay in spirit form as Celia’s guard,” Aishia suggested.
“I would be very grateful if you could do that...”
“Okay. I’ll be off, then.”
Thus, it was decided that Aishia would accompany them after their arrival in Amande.
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