Chapter 157 - Recognition (1)

The phantasmal beast was dead.

Not that anything particularly good came of it.

There was no hidden treasure vault or artifact with amazing abilities. Barbisia's god had been a parasite feeding on mages' souls, so killing it left nothing behind.

It hadn't even cured Bibi's inherited disease.

We had merely crawled out after being stuck in a swamp.

This wasn't about gaining anything. It was just a struggle to put what was wrong back to how it should be.

For me, the purpose was to divert attention from memories I wanted to erase, and I achieved that.

All I hoped for was to return to a healthy state before meeting Silveryn.

But Bibi seemed unwilling to send me back empty-handed.

On the second night after catching the phantasmal beast, Bibi sat hugging her legs before the campfire and said, "Is there anything you want...?"

"...No."

"Tell me anyway. You saved the Principality's only bloodline. Whether you're from another country, a different race, or even a criminal, it's principle to give rewards fitting the merit."

"I haven't solved all Your Grace's problems. Having a connection with Your Grace is enough."

I wouldn't be settling in the Principality anyway. If we returned safely, we'd each return to our daily lives carrying our own problems.

Bibi tugged at the rope on her wrist with a mischievous expression and said, "You think nothing I can give would be helpful?"

"We haven't escaped here yet. That conversation would be better after reaching the Principality."

"You must be living without want."

"..."

"...No matter how great your master is, she can't have more money than the Principality's treasury."

Bibi seemed to have some lingering attachment, but there was a reason I said we should talk after reaching the Principality.

Neither of us was in good physical condition. Since it wasn't over until we returned to the Principality, I didn't want to count our chickens before they hatched.

But Bibi seemed to sense we'd return soon.

The next day, we were discovered by the Principality's search party earlier than expected and were urgently transported.

The unit of dozens of mages and knights tried to kill me as soon as they saw me with the Duchess, and only after Bibi screamed at the top of her lungs did the chaos settle.

I still couldn't forget the search party's dumbfounded expressions at Bibi's unexpected shouting.

Unfortunately, I didn't remember anything after that. I fell into a long forced sleep after drinking potions for treatment.

It was the deepest sleep I'd been in a long time. A very deep sleep where I didn't even dream, couldn't feel time passing, and even my unconscious mind wasn't working.

***

Trisha was slumped at her desk. She idled with her eyes wide open, sometimes picking up random books to read or doodling on the desk.

"I'm bored..."

Then she suddenly jumped up and threw herself on the bed. Like an animal, she sniffed the bedding and wrapped herself in the blanket.

"I'm bored..."

The only difference from usual was that the room she was idling in was Damian's room.

Trisha meaninglessly punched the pillow repeatedly.

"When are you coming..."

***

As always, fresh sunlight poured into the art club's greenhouse. Though club activities had ended, most members remained to continue their work.

Only the scratching sound of brushes could be heard in the quiet greenhouse.

Then a girl burst through the greenhouse door. A parchment fluttered in her hand.

"Hey, hey! Hey!! This is no time for this."

The students drawing all turned to look.

The person who burst in was Rosalyn, a third-year art club member.

Seemingly unconcerned about completely ruining the quiet atmosphere, she shouted loudly, "It's an insane incident. You need to know what kind of crazy person joined our art club."

She ran straight to Haley, the art club president.

"Look at this. You know Damian, that new student who followed the Duchess Gainax?"

"...What about it?"

"Look."

Haley took the parchment Rosalyn handed over and examined it with a dubious expression.

"This is... Torin's letter."

It was a letter from Torin, a third-year combat department student who was dispatched with Damian on the Duchess' guard duty.

"Right. Torin told me everything Damian did in the guard."

"..."

The other female students all put down their brushes and listened intently to their conversation.

Haley read the letter's contents slowly, "Beat up the Principality's knights like dogs...? Got on the Duchess's bad side? Did he cause trouble?"

"Ah, ah! Look at me, I brought last week's letter. Anyway, yes, he did cause trouble, but there's something even bigger."

Then Zenia, sensing something more serious, tried to stop Rosalyn.

"Hey, if it's bad rumors, don't spread them around—talk privately."

Rosalyn shook her head vigorously.

"No, no, ah geez, I'll tell you. This is really important. Everyone needs to hear this."

"...?"

Rosalyn explained in detail what happened to the guard passing through Barbisia. Damian getting on bad terms, Barbisia's festival, the knights gradually going mad, and even trying to kill the Duchess.

"Damian said it right to the Duchess' face. That he was just going to cool his head."

The story continued, "...The entire guard went mad and the Duchess was about to die—guess who saved her?"

"...No way?"

"That new student Damian jumped in and saved the Duchess alone."

While it sounded like an amazing heroic tale, rumors were always exaggerated. Haley, listening quietly, questioned skeptically.

"Isn't this a bit inflated?"

Rosalyn beat her chest in frustration and said, "No, the atmosphere in the Principality right now is no joke. The details are being kept confidential so I don't know exactly, but it seems there was another serious incident. And there too, Damian protected the Duchess until the end, sacrificing his body. They were missing together in Barbisia for over a week before appearing."

"...Is that true?"

"That's not all. More, more..."

Rosalyn stopped mid-sentence, caught her breath, swallowed, and said, "The Duchess is doing things for Damian that she never did for other men, drawing lines. How do you think she felt when this guy she marked as trouble and tormented ended up protecting her without holding a grudge?"

Haley responded dubiously, "...Maybe it hurt her pride more?"

Then Rosalyn shouted in frustration, "No! She fell head over heels!!"

Rosalyn's voice echoed loudly, and the greenhouse fell dead silent for a while. The female students listening had their mouths slowly drop open in disbelief.

They knew well what sequence of events would follow if it was true that the Duchess had fallen for him.

Then suddenly from behind the greenhouse plants came the sound of something shattering.

"Ah, you startled me."

"What was that? Is someone back there? Can someone go check?"

A second-year student nervously approached where the sound came from. After checking, she returned and said.

"Nothing there except a broken glass flowerpot. Seems like someone dropped it while moving it..."

"What? No one’s there?"

Haley immediately got up and went to check herself. Glass shards were scattered across the floor.

"...?"

As her junior said, though there was no exit nearby, the person had vanished.

To Haley, it looked more like the pot had been thrown deliberately rather than dropped. 

Is it malicious mischief? 

It seemed like someone had vented their anger in extreme fury.

***

When I opened my eyes, I wasn't in the rainy swamp or inside a rattling carriage.

The first thing I encountered upon regaining consciousness was a bed curtain gleaming with gold.

The chandelier on the ceiling was dripping with jewels that clinked together when the cool wind blew in through the window.

Come to think of it, even the window frame was gilded. Though I worked with metals and jewels, I'd never seen such golden windows in my life.

I rose from the bed.

I was momentarily stunned by the majestic cityscape spread out beyond the window. 

Is this the capital of the Yulisia Principality?

Then my left wrist caught on something.

Where Bibi's rope had been tied, a thick handcuff was now fixed to the floor. 

What is this?

My belongings, including the wooden sword and other artifacts, were all neatly placed on the bedside table.

And on the table was a golden call bell. I immediately grabbed the bell and rang it.

I kept ringing until someone hurriedly opened the door to my quarters.

It was a man in neat servant's clothes. He bowed politely to me.

"You're awake now. It is truly an honor to meet you, Sir Damian."

"Where is this?"

"You are staying in the Liteskillys Palace, located in the center of Grancardia, the capital of the Yulisia Principality."

I slightly lifted and shook my left arm while speaking.

"Right. There seems to have been some misunderstanding, could you remove this?"

"I apologize, but I don't have the authority to remove it. Sir Damian, you are being detained as a prisoner."

"I'm a prisoner...?"

"That's correct."

"Whose orders?"

"We are simply following the laws of the great Yulisia Principality."

"..."

I think I know who.

He smiled at my face and added.

"More precisely, the order was 'He's unpredictable and might run off anywhere, so find any excuse to keep him here.' So we thoroughly reviewed Sir Damian's actions, applied all violations of the law, and now Sir Damian is a prisoner."

Only one person would say such things. It was Bibi's order.

Even children would know I wasn’t a real prisoner. What kind of prisoner would stay in such a luxurious palace?

"I have somewhere I need to go."

"We sent the Principality's position to Eternia, and Eternia has acquiesced."

"..."

I need to go to Silveryn, not Eternia. The longer I was delayed, the more classes I’d miss.

"Sir Damian will soon face trial."

"Trial?"

Isn't this just making excuses? Is there any need to even have a trial?

He smiled with satisfaction and said, "Yes. And Grand Duke Gainax will also attend the trial."