On the third day of the expedition, we had approached the location of the Holy Sword.
“Stop.”
The commander of the Knights at the forefront signaled us to halt. We had been clearing a path through dense foliage, but now, we were completely surrounded by trees.
“We should move westward, but the path is blocked. We might be able to break through, but it’s risky.”
“What about going around?”
“I can’t assess how long the thicket extends. I can’t measure how much more time it will take.”
Acella rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought. I decided to offer some help with the decision.
“It might be better not to break through this thicket. It seems there are toxic plants mixed in.”
I plucked a blade of grass and showed it to her.
“There’s a paralysis poison on the surface of the leaves. If the leaves graze your skin, you’ll be immediately exposed to the negative effects.”
“Paralysis poison is dangerous. What symptoms will it show?” Tanya asked me.
“It varies depending on the type of leaves. This one causes hearing loss. The duration lasts about two hours. If the toxicity is severe, there’s a risk of permanent loss.”
Acella nodded in understanding.
“Not only the poison but if we can’t secure a clear view, we might not be able to avoid the swamp either. We’ll take the detour but make sure to not neglect searching for the shortest route.”
The Knights responded with vigor and changed formation to resume movement.
Tanya waved her hand to chase away the bugs and said, “At least we haven’t run into many demons. Especially today, we haven’t seen a single one.”
“Demons have territories too. We’re almost at our destination. There’s something dangerous there, which is probably why various demons don’t venture close.”
“I suppose that could be interpreted that way. We should be cautious.”
We moved forward calmly.
*
Sweat dripped from Acella’s forehead. The head maid accompanying her quickly wiped her forehead with a handkerchief and handed her a water bottle.
With no way to bring in a carriage due to the terrain, Acella had been marching on foot for three whole days.
Although the hot and humid environment of the southern realm of the kingdom was tiring in winter, I didn’t want to complain too much.
Heike was going out on expeditions as if it was a daily routine. She would likely be with the knights in even harsher situations. I didn’t want to lose to a competitor.
Moreover, I didn’t want to show any weakness to my attending physician.
It was rare for me to find peace of mind. This was a chance to impress Lars.
The newfound confidence was primarily due to the first night of sleeping together, where Lars had confirmed that he cared for me.
…I regretted not being able to use him as my stuffed toy like before.
Now, he was no longer a toy.
I couldn’t just pull him in as I pleased anymore.
Well, I would like to do that, of course.
Acella glanced back at Lishe.
She was continuing the march with light steps as if she were on a picnic in the back mountains.
Feeling a little whimsical, Acella called out to her.
“Hero.”
“Who, oh, me?”
Lishe hopped over and began to walk beside Acella.
“You look energetic.”
“Hehe, I’m confident in my stamina. Do you need me for anything?”
She was quick to speak up before I even mentioned it.
Consideration and altruism—those seemed to be the basic qualities of someone chosen as a hero.
Acella had always lived thinking it was natural to command from a high position and expect loyalty from her subordinates.
Lishe stood in a position completely opposite to hers.
“Just focus on retrieving the Holy Sword properly. That’s your only duty for this operation.”
“The Holy Sword, right. Yes.”
Lishe looked somewhat uncomfortable. Acella keenly caught on to her attitude.
“Is there a problem?”
“Well, it’s a strange story. I’ve swung that Holy Sword in dreams a few times. And somehow, I felt uncomfortable each time.”
I wondered what she was talking about; it was just a silly dream.
I couldn’t let a vague feeling affect the major operation.
“A dream is just a dream. If you, the hero, don’t wield the Holy Sword, then who will?”
“I’m not really interested in swordsmanship… Oh, but I want to learn about Gothberg’s medicine!”
As soon as Lishe mentioned his name, Acella felt her mood worsen.
She wanted to probe further.
“Medicine is difficult. It’s a field only specialized healers who have trained extensively can handle.”
“That… makes sense. But I still think it’d be good to help people in trouble like the teacher does.”
“You’re still young. What you see isn’t everything. Lars doesn’t heal people without a price either. I pay his salary.”
“Really? So if he doesn’t get paid, will he not treat the sick?”
“Well…”
Acella thought that probably wouldn’t be the case.
“If it’s the teacher, I think he wouldn’t pass by a sick person, even without compensation. Oh, that might just be my speculation.”
Why does this girl, who has known him for only a few days, seem to grasp the heart of the matter better than me, who has been with him for years?
I felt annoyed and cut off the conversation.
“Hero. From now on, I’ll prohibit unnecessary interactions with Gothberg at the Moonlight Palace.”
“Excuse me? Why?”
Lishe looked surprised, as if she hadn’t expected this.
That reaction only irritated Acella more.
“Have you not seen in the last two days? Gothberg and I share the same chamber.”
“Is that so?”
“What do you think that means?”
“Um, well…”
Lishe blinked, looking puzzled.
Acella felt her own intelligence dwindling because of that foolish response.
Her head throbbed. Neither Lars nor Lishe showed any rational sense of crisis.
Only she, who glimpsed the future with Clairvoyance, was getting hot-headed in between.
She couldn’t explain that future, leaving Acella frustrated and about to explode.
“I apologize if I’ve upset Her Royal Highness. I don’t know much about etiquette since I’ve never learned…”
“You know you lack etiquette.”
“Of course. Honestly, it’s surprising for someone like me to be with such dignified individuals. Hehe. Your Royal Highness is so beautiful that I was nervous.”
“…Really? Compliment me more.”
Acella lifted her chin, feeling pleased with the compliments.
“When I first saw you, I thought you were a doll! Your figure is amazing, your skin is so fair. The dress looks really good on you too. You give off an air of elegance. Oh, and I heard you’re great at magic too. That’s incredible… I’m so bad at magic that I can’t even use basic spells.”
“More.”
Acella kept prompting Lishe to compliment her, and Lishe continued without tiring.
With all those words echoing in her ears, Acella came to one certain conclusion.
“So, you’re not particularly concerned about my attending physician?”
“I want to become friends with everyone I meet here. Your Royal Highness, the head maid, the Swordmaster too.”
Lishe’s innocent and silly attitude, which one wouldn’t find in any imperial palace, finally eased some of Acella’s tension.
“Okay. Do what you want.”
“Hehe, yes.”
She’d probably come to her senses after getting into trouble with some evildoers.
…Am I really worrying about her right now?
Acella shook her head in confusion.
*
“I see the target.”
At Tanya’s report, I lifted my head.
As I pushed through the foliage, I entered a wide area flooded with bright afternoon sunlight.
“It’s a lake.”
An open lakeshore, though not so large that we could see the opposite end clearly.
The ground around the lake was a bizarre terrain, stacked only with stones and lacking any grass.
“There’s the Holy Sword!”
The commander of the Knights pointed with his finger.
In the center of the lake, on a small rocky island that seemed to beckon us over, was a sword with a sacred atmosphere, embedded handle-first.
“What are those things around the Holy Sword?”
As Tanya said, several shapes floated near the Holy Sword.
There were five in total. From a distance, they looked like nuns wearing holy attire. Every one of them was a stunning beauty.
“What else could they be but the guardian spirits of the Holy Sword?”
A coarse voice came from beside us.
A group of armored infantrymen rushed out from the nearby forest. The one who spoke loudly was their captain.
“Tanya, back.”
Leading the charge, the Moonlight Palace Knights took a combat stance.
We could tell who the infantrymen were just by looking at the flag their standard-bearer was holding.
“The royal army.”
“All show and no substance—just a bunch of petty thieves from the imperial army,” the captain of the royal army said, stroking his goatee.
“You all know that this is royal territory. We are within our right to defend against unauthorized intrusion from foreign countries. Even if this becomes your tomb, you won’t complain, right?”
“By the pact of the goddess.”
In the tense atmosphere, I stepped forward.
“In urgent operational actions responding to the joint crisis of the continent, all countries can equally exercise their rights to defend. Oh, and look, we have the Holy Sword and the hero right here. It seems like now’s the time for action.”
I shrugged.
“In this situation, the one who makes the first attack will be considered the instigator. Understand, captain of the royal army, 7th regiment?”
I noticed the tension on the captain’s brow. I recognized him as the commander of the 7th regiment by the insignia on his shoulder.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Gothberg, the attending physician of the Empire’s Inner Palace.”
“Hah, a mere doctor spouting treaties? The empire must be in dire straits if they have so many people scrambling to fill in the gaps.”
The royal army laughed boisterously. However, they seemed to have dropped their intention to fight, putting away their weapons.
“You have no right to run wild in someone else’s territory. We will reclaim that Holy Sword. You can come back later to pay for it. It might cost you about a hundred million gold coins, and maybe the emperor will even hand it over!”
The captain sneered and spat.
They were the royal army who had come with orders to excavate the Holy Sword. The timing was unfortunate.
The empire and the kingdom had a history of conflict during wartime, so relations weren’t great.
For now, avoiding armed conflict was the best option. After all, Lishe was over here, so there were plenty of ways to retrieve the Holy Sword anyway.
‘The royal army thinks those are the spirits of the lake.’
They were going to be in for quite the surprise.
I had no obligation to give them advice, but what should I do?
While I was pondering that, a golden-haired figure brushed past me.
“Who said you could take the Holy Sword?”
Thump, Acella shouted sharply, her voice ringing out.
The royal army turned to look at us.
The captain raised an eyebrow, a grin on his face.
“How could I have expected a noble like you to come in person? This changes everything.”
The captain crossed his arms in front of Acella.
“Depending on the context, I may be willing to make a deal. If I report that we lost the first move, that’s all there is to it. How much do you value the empire’s princess?”
Acella’s eyes sparkled with anger.
“Sometimes prejudice can be helpful. It’s not wrong in this situation.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re as lacking in understanding as you look, you ignorant creature. To think you’d think of this as a negotiation.”
Acella pointed her finger at the captain’s throat.
At its tip, a sharp ice crystal formed.
“The Holy Sword is mine. I decided that the moment my eyes laid upon it. The Empire’s Princess, Acella von Württemberg, declares it.”
“Y-you’re a sorceress!”
The captain, seeing Acella’s magic, took a step back in fear.
“Get lost.”
“Commander!”
The enemy soldiers rushed forward. Tanya stepped up, displaying her sword energy to intimidate them.
“Should you advance any further, I cannot guarantee your life.”
The enemy soldiers hesitated, clearly intimidated; they didn’t charge in.
Seizing the opportunity, I wrapped my arm around Acella’s shoulder and pulled her back.
“Your Highness, let’s step back for now.”
“But Lars, at this rate, we’ll lose the Holy Sword.”
“Trust me. They won’t be able to take the Holy Sword.”
“How can you be so sure?”
I looked at the shimmering surface of the lake and told her, “Please inform the Knights. Tell them to avoid contact with the lake water, no matter what happens.”
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