Chapter 3: The Future from Here
The next morning...
One night had passed since Rio enacted his revenge on Lucius.
The sun had only just risen in the sky, making it a little early to be awake. A sunny sky stretched outside the stone house without a cloud in sight. A comfortable breeze blew through the air.
On such a morning, Rio was doing his daily training beside the house. His routine had been ingrained in him since his academy days, and he naturally woke up early. With no particular reason to skip his training, he found himself swinging his sword outside the house before he knew it.
Without even the slightest deviation, Rio’s sword moved from point to point. He went through all kinds of forms several hundred times each, reaching his daily goal in what felt like no time at all.
Daily goal, check.
Rio came to an abrupt stop. He didn’t feel like putting away his sword immediately and gazed at the blade in a daze.
Yesterday, I killed Lucius with these very hands...
He suddenly thought back to the day before. He felt no guilt in having killed Lucius. If he hadn’t, other people would have been dragged into it; he truly believed Lucius was a man who deserved to die.
And yet...he felt an indescribable sense of discomfort.
Killing Lucius wouldn’t bring back what he’d lost. His dead parents wouldn’t come back to life, and so Rio’s irritation remained ever present.
He’d probably have to bear this discomfort for the rest of his life. Every time he looked back on the past, his memories would resurface and Lucius’s presence would stay in his mind.
But he had known that from the start. He had decided to pursue the path of revenge knowing there was nothing to gain and nothing to be left behind.
That’s why he pushed forward. He pushed forward and achieved his goal.
I’ve lived with my eyes on the past until now. If it was for the sake of revenge, I didn’t need a tomorrow. That’s what I thought while I pushed forward. But...
But there was a tomorrow. There were people waiting for Rio’s return.
Miharu, Latifa, Sara, Orphia, and Alma in the stone house, and Celia and Aishia in Rodania. Part of him wanted to welcome the new day together with those girls.
It’s strange...
The discomfort remained, but his emotions were calm. Needless to say, the reason why was...
Because I have a place to return to, huh...?
Honestly speaking, was it really okay for him to return after trudging forward according to his selfish desires? Wasn’t it too convenient for him? Part of him thought that as well.
So what if it’s selfish? I’m going back.
He’d return and live the rest of his life peacefully. He’d live for the sake of the people closest to him. Only by doing that would he truly sate his revenge on Lucius.
I don’t want to lose anything anymore—that’s why I’ll live to protect from now on. I want everyone to be happy. For that, I hold my sword. And I’ll return to everyone.
This world was filled with injustice, so he needed the strength to protect others now that he had killed Lucius.
Just then, the door to the stone house opened with a creak. Rio looked in the direction of the door. Two girls had quietly stuck their heads out—it was Christina and Flora.
“Good morning, Your Highnesses.” Rio stopped swinging his sword and greeted the two sisters.
“...” The two of them were frozen with wide eyes.
“Is something the matter?” Rio asked curiously.
“Ah, no. It’s just that your hair is black...” Christina offered hesitantly.
“Oh, I figured there was no reason to hide it while I’m here, so I removed the magic artifact that alters hair colors. I suppose it’s been four years since you’ve seen me with this hair color,” Rio said with a light shrug.
“Hair color really does have a large impact on a person’s looks... When I see you like this, I can clearly see the resemblance to your past self.”
“Yes, just like back then...” Flora nodded while staring at Rio’s face.
“It is a unique hair color in the Strahl region, after all. That aside, it’s still early in the morning—did you get enough sleep?” Rio changed the topic somewhat bashfully.
Christina giggled and went along with it. “Yes. The bed was so comfortable, we were able to sleep soundly. Although we both slept so early, we ended up waking up early too.”
“That’s great.”
“The living room light was on but no one was around, so we thought you might have gone outside. Were you doing your morning training?”
“Yes, though I’ve just finished.”
“You’re such a hard worker even at this hour.”
“It’s just my daily routine.”
“Really? Back at the Academy, I often saw you practicing with your sword alone after class. You also studied fervently in the library,” Christina recalled and giggled.
“Christina... You were actually watching Sir Rio rather closely, weren’t you?” Flora asked curiously. She remembered Christina frequently warning her against getting close to Rio back then.
“I-I wasn’t watching him; his activities just happened to overlap with mine. In fact, you were with me most of the time,” Christina said, defending herself with a blush.
“It sure brings back memories. I do recall seeing Princess Christina in the library often...” Rio thought back on his academy days.
“I’ll go and prepare breakfast. It’s cold in the morning, so let’s go back inside. I’ll prepare a warm drink for you,” he said as he sheathed his sword and headed back in the house.
Rio and the sisters ate breakfast at the dining table of the stone house before their important discussion. They ate mushroom and egg porridge, fluffy omelets, a garnish of sausage and bacon, soup, and salad. Apple juice was prepared as a drink.
“Thank you for preparing breakfast.”
They began eating.
“It’s delicious...”
“It truly is! It’s amazingly delicious.”
Christina and Flora both pressed hands against their mouths as they gave their thoughts. The older sister blinked and muttered hers, while the little sister expressed her happiness exactly as she felt, making the two of them complete opposites to one other.
“I’m glad it suits your tastes. Last night you only ate porridge because it’s easy to digest, so I thought I’d prepare a little extra this morning so you wouldn’t feel hungry. Please, eat up.”
At Rio’s words, the royal siblings reached for all the different dishes.
“Where did you learn to cook such delicious dishes, Sir Haruto?” Flora suddenly asked.
“I read about the basics of cooking in the library of the Academy, then I trained by cooking for myself. When Miharu was in my care, she taught me all kinds of dishes from the heroes’ world and increased my repertoire.”
“Lady Miharu... We only exchanged brief words at the banquet, but she seemed like a very kind person. She’s in the Rodania outskirts right now, you said?” Flora asked about Miharu.
“Yes. Sara and the others are protecting her in a safe place.”
“You don’t have to answer me if you don’t want to, but you lived with Professor Celia and Miharu before meeting with the Restoration, right? Umm, did they know about...your identity...?” Figuring the change of topic was the perfect chance, Christina watched Rio’s face while asking about Celia. She wasn’t sure how far she could pry, so she seemed a little nervous.
“Yes. Professor Celia knows my identity. I have another stone house just like this one, and Professor Celia, Miharu, and Sara’s group are living there. As long as you keep your promise not to spread word of my past as you promised yesterday, I have no intention of continuing to hide things. I intend on giving you the information you need, so don’t be so nervous.”
Considering Celia’s affiliation with the Restoration, it’d be better to keep a good relationship with Christina and Flora too. On top of answering Christina’s question, Rio offered gentle words so that she could relax.
“Okay...” Her nerves eased a little. The tension in Christina’s shoulders relaxed as she nodded.
“There are a lot of things involved, so talking about it will take some time. Let’s eat first, as the food tastes better when it’s warm.” Rio smiled as gently as possible. The expression was almost like the one he had shown Celia during their academy days.
“Okay...”
Christina and Flora gulped and nodded.
After that, they continued eating while chatting about the dishes cheerfully. Christina and Flora were as hungry as Rio expected they’d be and finished all the food in its entirety, bringing their breakfast time to an end.
After their meal, Rio prepared fresh tea and sat back down at the dining table, facing the royal sisters across from him.
“I’m happy to answer questions regarding my past, but shall we discuss the plan for the future first?” he started.
Christina nodded firmly. “Yes.”
“Two days have passed since the two of you disappeared. Rodania must be in quite an uproar by now.”
“I can only imagine...”
“What effects do you think your disappearance will have on the Restoration?” Rio asked, looking at Christina.
“It’ll definitely be shaken up quite a bit, and it won’t be long before the nobility starts to desert us for the main Beltrum government. At worst, the organization could fall apart.”
“I see. So it’s as I expected.”
Rio frowned at Christina’s bleak reply. When dealing with politics, it was extremely important to have a legitimate reason to justify the actions of one’s faction. Without that reason, the nobles of the Restoration would be no different than rebels of the kingdom. The Restoration’s legitimacy was currently being maintained by the affiliation of the current king’s daughters—the first and second heirs to the throne. The disappearance of these two figures meant the loss of the organization’s legitimacy.
“Duke Huguenot and Marquess Rodan have been politically purged as the leaders of the organization, so they wouldn’t back down at this stage, but there aren’t many low-ranking nobles with the guts to defy the main government without the two of us present as political symbols,” Christina stated flatly.
“But if it’s a political symbol they need, then Sir Hiroaki is still there as the hero...” Flora added nervously.
“Indeed, Sir Hiroaki can play the role of a political symbol, but as long as he isn’t married to me or Flora, his ties to the Beltrum Kingdom are too weak. He’s unfit to be the symbol of opposition to the main government. It would’ve been a different matter if he had married one of us already, but...”
Under the current circumstances, Hiroaki was a great reinforcement to the legitimacy of the organization, but he couldn’t act as the foundation. Figuratively speaking, he was like an accessory worn to make the wearer look good.
“I see...” Flora’s face fell as she comprehended the situation.
Rio spread the map he had prepared in advance on the table, pointing at the location of the Paladia Kingdom. “This is a rough map of the Strahl region. We’re currently in the Paladia Kingdom. If we leisurely made our way to Rodania on foot, it would take roughly one and a half months depending on the weather.”
“...” Christina’s face was as stern as ever.
“Which would take far too much time, it seems? Several weeks of absence could have an irreversible influence on the organization,” Rio pointed out.
“Yes. Duke Huguenot wouldn’t just stand by and watch it fall apart, so I’m sure he’ll enact some form of counteraction, but...”
“But the Restoration doesn’t have such a solution, does it?”
“He’ll probably work out a plan around Sir Hiroaki’s presence. That being said, there’s nothing the Restoration can do on its own, and our political dissolution from the kingdom means we cannot rely on the main government. Which means...”
Christina looked pensive as she answered Rio’s question. She seemed to have finished organizing her thoughts and looked at Rio.
“Sir Amakawa, I have a favor to ask of you.”
“What is it?”
“Could you change our destination from Rodania to Galtuuk, the capital of the Galarc Kingdom instead?” Christina requested.
“I can, but may I ask why?”
“There’s a high probability that Duke Huguenot will seek assistance from Galarc. In fact, the only chance of getting out of this situation is to rely on Galarc. It’s a rather risky last resort, but I can’t think of any other good ideas.”
“What kind of plan is it?” Rio wasn’t familiar with the inner workings of the Restoration, so he had to rely on Christina for more information.
“The minimum requirement needed to raise Sir Hiroaki into a symbol for the Restoration is marriage to a Beltrum royal who hasn’t been demoted to a subject of the kingdom,” Christina explained.
In other words, he had to marry a member of the Beltrum Kingdom’s royal family. Demotions from royalty to subject occurred when a member of the royal family married anyone who was non-royalty.
“The only ones who can fulfill that condition in the Restoration are me and Flora. If they were to search outside the organization for someone to fill that requirement, they would have to avoid the Beltrum main government for the reasons I mentioned earlier. This means the easiest option Duke Huguenot can turn to will be the Galarc Kingdom.”
“There’s someone of Beltrum blood in the Galarc royal family?” Rio asked.
“She’s already passed away, but King Francois’s mother was the little sister of the previous Beltrum king—in other words, my great-aunt. In the case of marriage into foreign royalty, the royal in question is allowed to keep their status in their motherland. They can only claim that status under certain circumstances, but those circumstances also apply to their direct descendants of two generations.”
Direct descendants of two generations meant her children and grandchildren.
“Which means... King Francois’ daughter—Princess Charlotte—would be able to claim status as Beltrum royalty under certain circumstances?” Rio said, bringing up the name of one candidate he knew. At the same time, he recalled Charlotte’s face from when she had teased him at the banquet.
“Yes. Third Princess Rosalie would also fit the conditions. However, the circumstances required to claim status as Beltrum royalty are so limited, one would normally never do it, so it won’t be of much help...”
“If such limited circumstances are to happen, will it cause any issues?”
And what kind of circumstances are they? Rio had asked this, but indirectly.
“Yes. Claiming the status itself is simple—it just needs a change of kingdom affiliation. In other words, the transfer from being Galarc royalty to Beltrum royalty. The most important factor of this change is the will of the person involved, and the royal family receiving them cannot refuse without a legitimate reason. Thus, it is possible for Princess Charlotte or Princess Rosalie to become members of the Beltrum royal family,” Christina said, explaining the situations where the exception could be applied.
“Wouldn’t a transfer like that cause all kinds of problems? Especially if they have to receive permission from both kingdoms,” Rio wondered.
If a transfer could be done with only the will of the person involved, they could risk incurring the wrath of the royal family they transfer from or creating a succession dispute and faction dispute in the royal family they transfer into.
“Exactly. The exception was created to allow the royal family member back into their home kingdom in cases such as the foreign kingdom being in peril, or the home kingdom losing all the heirs to the throne. Outside of emergencies, a discussion generally takes place between the two kingdoms involved, transferring only when an agreement is reached. Depending on how the discussion goes, the transfer may not be approved of. But it’s extremely unlikely for transfers to take place outside of emergencies in the first place.”
In other words, the destination kingdom couldn’t refuse an heir from another kingdom, and nor could they repel blood relatives of their own royal family seeking asylum as it was morally unacceptable.
“So if Duke Huguenot were to take in Princess Charlotte or Princess Rosalie, he would be doing so under the clause of a lack of heir to the throne?”
“Yes, he would have to twist things that way. If one of King Francois’ daughters is engaged to Sir Hiroaki, the Galarc Kingdom’s support of the Restoration in the future will be guaranteed... Even if a few people express their doubts over the legitimacy of the organization, the departure of the low-ranked nobles should be prevented this way.”
Christina expected a number of people to have doubts over the organization’s legitimacy, as the strength of legitimacy was weaker than if Hiroaki had married Flora or herself. The Galarc Kingdom would also have more control over the organization in the future, which was another potential point of disagreement.
“In that case, things may become more difficult if Your Highnesses show up alive after everything has progressed.”
Hiroaki would end up marrying a princess of Galarc royalty while Christina and Flora were still alive. If a hero and a royal were to publicly announce their engagement, it wouldn’t be so easy to call it off again.
“That is correct. Duke Huguenot would be in quite a panic, so I’m sure he’d approach the Galarc Kingdom as soon as possible—it’s the only option the Restoration has to survive after our disappearance. That’s why I’d like to avoid any trouble by heading to the Galarc capital directly.”
“I understand... Our destination will be Galtuuk, then. We’ll need to keep to a strict schedule—I wanted to keep an eye on Princess Flora’s condition for a few more days, but we may need to depart earlier than that,” Rio said, looking down at the map.
Flora clenched her fists and tried to demonstrate how much energy she had. “I-I’m feeling much better now! I could even leave today if needed!”
However, Christina immediately rejected that idea. “No. You were poisoned and feverish up until yesterday. There’s no way I’d allow you to move without observing your condition for longer.”
“I agree. Your Highness should rest for at least one more day, just to make sure there are no side effects on your body,” Rio said in agreement.
“Okay...” Flora nodded timidly, yielding to the serious expressions on their faces. However, her lips were pulled upwards into a faint smile, happy that they were worrying for her well-being.
“Since a month and a half is too long, we can shorten the time if I carry the two of you. It’ll take approximately one week to get to Galtuuk that way, I believe.”
This duration assumed good weather and movement via spirit arts. He could actually arrive much faster, but he had to slow down while carrying the two of them, and he also had to set a lower cap for how long he would fly in a day.
“O-One week?!”
“As you know already, I can travel by flying. With that in mind, how long do you think we can delay our departure?” Rio asked Christina, who was still shocked.
“They would continue searching for us for a few days. But since it’s Duke Huguenot we’re talking about, the talks with King Francois in case of our deaths will probably go on at the same time. Considering the time they need to reach an agreement and make the necessary preparations, I’d like the Galarc capital to be informed of our survival by the tenth day of our disappearance. If we can arrive in Galtuuk in a week, then I believe we can spend two or three days on Flora’s recovery. However, in order to be absolutely certain, I have one more request... You could also consider it a suggestion...” Christina looked down at the map.
“What is it?” asked Rio, cocking his head.
“On our way to the Galarc Kingdom, could we make a stop at one of our allied cities?”
“I don’t mind, but...what for?”
“Large cities have magic artifacts capable of long-distance communication. Only those of a certain status can use them, but we should be allowed to do so if we reveal our identities. I was thinking of using that to inform Galtuuk of our survival ahead of our arrival in the city,” Christina suggested.
“I see, so you can contact Galtuuk earlier that way. But I thought artifact communicators only had a limited range? Anyone with a receiver within that range can receive the message, so it isn’t recommended for the exchange of confidential information. Are you okay with that?” Rio had only ever read about the artifact, so he wasn’t entirely sure how it worked.
“It’s not a problem. There’s always a city within the transmission range, creating a network that can pass messages on from city to city. It’s true that it isn’t suitable for confidential information, but measures can be taken against that by using code or trivializing the information.”
“I understand. In that case, the best ally kingdom to use is...”
Rio looked down at the map, but Christina pointed her finger at a destination first. “I believe the Rubia Kingdom should be most suitable.”
“From where we are now, it should take under half a day to get there if I carry both of you,” Rio said, looking at the positions on the map.
“U-Under half a day... Amazing...” Christina was shocked even after hearing the travel time to Galtuuk already. It was a distance that would easily take several days on foot.
“Two days have passed since your disappearance. If we were to spend another two to three days on Princess Flora’s recovery, it’d be four to five days. If we spent two days traveling to the Rubia Kingdom, it’d be seven days at most. Once you use the artifact there to send a message, we’ll have plenty of leeway. Is that correct?”
“Yes. That should be more than enough time.” Relief finally filled Christina’s expression.
“I’m glad we can accommodate your request. Is that all that needs to be discussed regarding what’s to come? I will handle the route we take on my end.”
“Yes, it’s perfect. I feel terrible for leaving everything to you once again, Sir Amakawa...”
Rio lightly brushed off her apology. “We’re heading for the same destination in the end, so it isn’t any trouble at all. Don’t let it bother you.”
However, that wasn’t enough for Christina’s expression to lighten. She looked at Rio with determination. “There are so many things we have to be grateful to you for, and so many things we have to apologize for. May I ask a few questions about you?”
“If it’s something I can answer, then by all means.” There was no hesitation in Rio’s reply.
“First, I’d like to ask the details of what happened at the outdoor drill...”
“The incident when Princess Flora fell from the cliff, you mean?”
“That too, but also what happened after you fell from the cliff while you were protecting her. I heard that you were the one who defeated the minotaur in front of Flora...”
The only one who knew what exactly happened after falling from the cliff was Rio.
“Before I tell you what happened, I have a request to make as well. Can I have your word that you’ll never speak of what I say here to anyone else without my permission? I may talk about information that I want to keep secret.” Rio first made the two of them swear they would keep the information he was about to reveal confidential.
“I understand.” Christina nodded with a serious look of resolution. “I, Christina Beltrum, swear I will never speak of what I hear from you to anyone else without your permission. Is that okay with you too, Flora?”
Even if it was just a verbal agreement—no, because it was a verbal agreement, she would absolutely see it through to the end. Breaking this promise would be equivalent to losing Rio’s trust forevermore. For Christina, that was unconditionally taboo.
“Y-Yes. I swear,” Flora nodded nervously, feeling the intensity of her sister’s resolution.
“Thank you very much. Then I will trust the two of you and tell you what happened,” Rio said, bowing his head. “First, there’s something I need to explain beforehand. I’m sure you’re faintly aware of it already, but the ability I use is not magic.”
He decided to talk about spirit arts first. Hiding the existence of spirit arts and explaining around it would cause more trouble than it was worth. It’d only cause suspicion if he hid it, so he thought he might as well reveal it under the agreement of confidentiality. Rio raised his right hand and formed a bubble of water in his hand.
“...”
Christina and Flora held their breaths and froze. Like Rio said, they had the feeling the technique he used wasn’t magic, but it was still shocking to hear it directly.
“This is called spirit arts, a technique capable of creating phenomena different to sorcery. Unlike magic, which takes the spell formula into the body to be utilized, it doesn’t require a verbal incantation, and the phenomena created can vary greatly depending on the caster’s ability. It also takes much longer than magic to learn, sadly.”
Along with his verbal explanation, Rio started moving the bubble in his hand in a way that couldn’t be recreated with magic. He tossed the several-centimeter-wide bubble like a juggling ball, transformed it into the shape of a dog, then transformed it into the shape of a cat.
“A-Amazing...”
“It’s so cute...”
In contrast to Christina’s surprise at the free control of spirit arts, Flora’s eyes were sparkling with excitement at the dog- and cat-shaped bubble.
“I can also do things like this.” Rio placed the water cat on the table and made it walk over to Flora.
“A-Adorable! C-Can I touch it?” Flora became even more excited. She extended a hand timidly, looking at Rio.
“Sure, go ahead.” Rio controlled the water cat remotely, making it climb onto Flora’s hand.
“Wow, it’s cold...” Flora’s hand trembled faintly. The texture of the cat was the exact same as water, but its movements were so real, Flora tilted her head curiously.
“Does this cat have its own will?” Christina asked, examining it closely.
“No, I’m just controlling it. Shall I move it to Princess Christina’s hand?”
Rio made the water cat jump down from Flora’s hand, walk across the table to Christina, then leap onto her hand instead.
“Wow, it really is cold to the touch. Even though it looks alive...” Christina blinked, looking down at the mini water cat. The cat then jumped back down to the table and trotted back to Rio, before vanishing without a trace.
“It was so cute...” Flora muttered in disappointment.
Christina cleared her throat to remind her sister of the time and place. “Flora...”
“R-Right.” Flora nodded.
“If you’d like, I can make it again after I’m done explaining things,” Rio chuckled. Flora’s eyes sparkled again at that.
Christina sighed, then recollected herself. “Spirit arts... It still uses magic essence like magic, right? As far as I know, it isn’t used in the Strahl region at all...”
“In regards to your first question, you are correct. As for its use, the technique became obsolete after the use of sorcery and magic was popularized during the Divine War.”
“Why did it become obsolete?”
“As I mentioned just now, spirit arts require a far longer amount of time to learn than magic. An amateur could learn to use magic in as fast as a month if they have the magic essence for it, right? As long as they succeed in taking the spell formula into their body, they can activate it even with imperfect control over their essence.”
“Right.”
“Meanwhile, in order to learn spirit arts to a usable level, the average person has to train for several years. Though this period can vary depending on talent.”
“It takes that long...” Christina’s eyes widened in wonder.
“Magic is a technique to alter the phenomena of the world, but you are aware most of the altering process is left to the spell formula, right?” said Rio. It was a topic learned in the Royal Academy.
“Yes,” Christina replied immediately.
“In spirit arts, the caster is the one who does the altering the spell would have done on the world. The training for that is what takes several years. The other reason it became obsolete would be because the commanders of the armies back then wanted to unify their troops by making them use the same magic, I suppose.”
“I see...”
“Also, you don’t have to pay too much attention to this part, but once you take a spell formula into your body, you become unable to use spirit arts. The reason why I was unable to use magic when I was in the Academy was because I could already use spirit arts back then.”
The real reason why Rio couldn’t learn magic was because he was contracted to a spirit at the time, but explaining Aishia and spirits was a bit too complicated, so he omitted it for now.
“So that’s why...” Christina and Flora were both wide-eyed.
“I explained spirit arts because it seemed necessary before I could talk about everything else, but I’ve digressed pretty far from the topic. Let’s go back to what happened after I fell from the cliff at the Royal Academy,” he said, getting back on topic. “After I fell from the cliff, I used spirit arts to land on the ground. I immediately climbed back up the cliff afterwards, but everyone was discussing who had pushed Princess Flora, so...”
Rio explained the truth that Christina and Flora weren’t aware of. Since he had told them about spirit arts already, he didn’t need to go into detail about how he survived the fall from the cliff.
“So you were there back then...” Christina grimaced, recalling the conversation that had taken place at the time.
“Yes. I was unable to show myself, so I watched the discussion from behind a tree. It was Duke Huguenot’s son himself who claimed that I shoved him, causing Princess Flora to fall off the cliff.” Rather than seeming mad, Rio had a tired smile on his face.
“I apologize for the situation...”
“I-I apologize too.”
Christina and Flora spoke with pale faces.
Rio shook his head flatly. “No. Princess Flora, you were a victim of the incident; and Princess Christina, you weren’t the one who falsely accused me. There’s no need for either of you to apologize.”
“But...”
“You didn’t see with your own eyes who pushed Princess Flora, right? And I recall Princess Flora tried to stand up for me. So please don’t worry about it,” Rio said, stopping Christina from objecting further.
“Do you know who pushed Flora off the cliff, Sir Amakawa?” Christina asked, seeking the truth.
“I do, but there’s no point in asking that now. There’s no guarantee that what I say will be the truth, and there’s no way of obtaining any objective evidence.”
“Even so, as I said yesterday, I believe in your words. Back then, Stewart Huguenot claimed that you lost your mind in fear of the ambush and shoved him when he was injured. But I cannot believe a warrior like you would lose yourself over an ambush of that scale,” Christina stated immediately. There wasn’t even a hint of doubt in her words.
“In that case, you can listen to this from the perspective of an eyewitness testimony. Do you remember how the monsters threw wooden spears from the forest and injured some of our squad? It was a very sudden ambush, so the scene immediately turned into chaos...”
As a result, everyone’s attention was turned to the attacking monsters, and no one witnessed the moment Flora was thrust off the cliff. This meant Rio was the only one who had seen things properly, so he added context to his explanation.
“Yes. Stewart was injured during that attack.”
“When he was injured by the spear, he started wailing for someone to pull it out and thrashed about in a panic.”
“Wait, does that mean he pushed Flora off the cliff?” Christina’s expression turned grim.
“It’s true that he was pushed first, causing Princess Flora to get caught in the process. The only difference in my testimony is that it wasn’t me who pushed Duke Huguenot’s son, but another male student he sought help from. And so, when Duke Huguenot’s son was pushed away, he crashed into Princess Flora and caused her to fall.”
“The male student who pushed Stewart must be aware he was the culprit, but was Stewart also aware that it was that male student who had pushed him?” Christina’s voice was trembling with anger.
“Most likely.”
He must have been looking at the face of the person he was seeking help from. “He knew, and he chose to blame you instead of that male student?”
“If he was truly aware, then that would be the case.”
“I truly cannot apologize enough,” Christina said, her face full of shame. She wasn’t just angry at the boys who tried to blame Rio, but also at herself for silently watching the whole thing take place.
“Not to repeat myself, but you do not need to feel any responsibility for the crime that I was accused of. I may have disappeared with a false accusation on my head, but I planned on leaving the Beltrum Kingdom after graduating from the Academy anyway. It merely hastened my departure,” Rio said casually, explaining how there was no need to be bothered by this.
“But if you weren’t falsely accused, you wouldn’t have had to use an alias like you do now,” Christina said, pointing out the inconvenience Rio was suffering right at this moment.
“That may be true, but if acting as a different person is all it takes to avoid involvement with the people who accused me of the crime, then I’m happy to do so.” Rio’s voice remained simple and steady as he spoke.
“Your view of this is too philosophical... You have more than enough reason to hate them, the Beltrum Kingdom, and the two of us. Yesterday, you said the things the Beltrum Kingdom and I did weren’t enough reason for you not to save us, but I cannot believe it. There’s no way you can feel so indifferent after suffering so much. Am I wrong?” Christina asked firmly, her refined face twisted in pain.
“I suppose it would be a lie to say I feel nothing... I have no intentions of retaliation, but big or small, I no longer trust Beltrum’s nobility.” Rio frowned, hesitating.
“It’s not something that can be settled with just distrust. It’s something worth hating for. You should be angry.”
So please act angrier at me, Christina implied bitterly.
“As someone who finally sated their desire for revenge against someone, I know how tiring it is to hate someone and feel constantly angry. Approaching someone I hate would be out of the question when I can just live my life forgetting them. So I’d rather leave myself distanced without any contact. I’ll save my anger for the things I cannot forgive and forget,” Rio said with a lopsided smile. Only he knew the weight of his words, as he had fulfilled his revenge.
“You’re... You’re truly too detached.”
Christina averted her eyes from Rio as though he was too bright to look at. She muttered with her head down, her voice nearly faded. Rio’s complete lack of malice had left her shocked and somewhat disappointed.
“That’s not true. A lot of the memories I have of Beltrum I can forget about with the passage of time, but there are some things that I absolutely cannot forgive.”
Rio purposefully increased the sharpness of his tone. He was recalling how Duke Huguenot had raised Latifa as a slave.
“What... What happened in our kingdom?”
“It involves someone other than myself, so...” So it wasn’t something he should tell them.
“Does it have to do with Professor Celia?” Christina asked.
“It doesn’t involve Celia, so please drop the subject. If I have a chance to tell you in the future, I shall do so then,” Rio said, slowly shaking his head.
“I understand...” Christina nodded, exchanging a look with Flora.
“We’ve somewhat strayed off track, but that’s basically why Your Highnesses shouldn’t feel any responsibility about what happened to me in Beltrum.”
“But...we still cannot allow that,” Christina protested with great difficulty.
“Why not?”
“Even if you hold no hate for me, I still did something terrible to you.”
“I did too! I caused Sir Haruto so much trouble...”
Christina and Flora both objected to Rio’s words.
“I don’t really know what you’re talking about... Princess Christina, are you possibly referring to the slapping incident?”
“L-Like I said, the slap was... No, the slap is part of it.” Christina blushed faintly, her spirit chipping away.
“I had a bad temper back then myself... It’s possible I glared at you rebelliously and scared you. I also touched a princess with my dirty hands,” Rio said jokingly.
“You weren’t dirty. You weren’t dirty at all!” Christina immediately interrupted firmly.
“Christina...?”
Flora looked at her sister in surprise—Christina didn’t raise her voice often.
“I was the dirty one—me. You had nothing but pure intentions, saving Flora as you did, yet I said horrible things to you in the slums. I was far dirtier than you.” Christina confessed her sins from her beautifully shaped lips.
“The situation was what it was.”
“There you go again...” Trying to forgive her. To Christina, that was brutally painful—but this could be her punishment. Rio forgave her, but she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself. And probably never would.
“Will you let me thank you and apologize? Even if you never make contact with me again as Rio, I want to express my remorse when interacting with you as Haruto.”
Now that she knew Haruto was Rio, an apology was absolutely necessary. On top of that, she would be indebted to Rio for the rest of her life. She wanted to repay that debt no matter what.
“I’ve already gotten words of gratitude and apology from you...” Rio made a pained face.
“Just saying it isn’t enough. This is a matter of sincerity. In addition to expressing my gratitude for every favor you have done for us, I apologize for all the wrongdoings that have occurred to you in the past. It’s not something that should be forgiven now, but allow me to swear that your kindness will never be returned with spite again.” Christina bowed her head towards Rio firmly.
“Thank you very much. And I’m very sorry. It was because of me that you became a wanted criminal. I’ve only ever caused you trouble...” Flora bowed her head like her sister.
“I understand. I forgive you, so there’s no need to go this far. What if I told you this: I had an ulterior motive in saving the two of you,” Rio said, a little flustered by the two princesses bowing at him.
“An ulterior motive?” Christina cocked her head.
“The stability of the Restoration means the guarantee of Celia’s safety and comfort. That’s why I want to send the two of you back to the organization. That is my intention behind protecting the two of you.”
So there’s really no need to feel overly indebted or worried about it, Rio more or less said without words.
“In that case, we’re sincerely grateful for Professor Celia’s kindness and your generosity,” Christina said with a hint of guilt in her smile, bowing her head once more.
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