Chapter 16
Although she had an assigned lady-in-waiting, Rainy poured tea into Jade’s teacup herself.
Not only that, she even met with him alone.
Haines had offered to attend her, but Rainy flatly refused.
She wanted to handle this matter by herself.
“It didn’t go well. I thought the lord’s castle would have quite a few magical items, but there weren’t many.”
“Magical items?”
Rainy’s eyes opened wide.
She found it strange that a spirit mage was looking for magical items.
“I need a subspace bag. I have a lot to store, and it would be convenient to have one. It would make managing food easier, too.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
Rainy soon nodded in agreement.
She knew very well how convenient a subspace bag could be.
And after becoming fugitives, she had felt the need for such things even more keenly.
“Since I’m out anyway, I’m thinking of going to the capital. I heard the kingdom’s capital has a magic shop managed directly by the royal palace.”
“That’s right. It’s quite large. Many nobles visit the capital because of it.”
Rainy’s eyes sparkled.
They were planning to go to the capital themselves the next day.
They intended to use the teleportation gate.
Since Jade was also going to the capital, it seemed they could somehow travel with him at least that far, even if the worst possible outcome came to pass.
“I’m looking forward to it. If possible, I’d like to buy a subspace bag with the largest storage capacity.”
“This should help.”
Rainy gave him a bright smile and took out a small bag she had prepared in advance.
It was the bag containing the reward they had discussed since the Great Forest.
However, it seemed to be fairly heavy, as Rainy grunted while setting it down in front of Jade.
“Is this the reward?”
“Yes. It’s rather late, isn’t it? I’m sorry.”
“Not at all. I didn’t do it for money.”
“Of course I know that. Still, a promise is a promise. You acted out of goodwill, Lord Jade, but what you did was an enormous help to us. If not for you, neither Lloyd nor I would be here in the Lord’s Castle of Morkas. I want to thank you once again.”
Rainy rose from her seat and bowed deeply, her heart filled with gratitude.
Jade waved his hands in refusal.
He had not helped them in order to receive such thanks.
Nor had his motives been purely selfless.
“It isn’t enough to warrant such thanks. Someone of your status shouldn’t bow so carelessly.”
“I believe I have every right to do so. I realized this time that everyone is equal before death. And as you may have guessed, I’ll take this opportunity to introduce myself properly. I am Rainy le Polstein, First Princess of the Kingdom of Polstein.”
Rainy greeted him gracefully.
It was the sort of greeting one might see only at court.
Yet Jade’s expression remained calm despite her manner.
Even with a princess standing before him, he was not the least bit flustered.
‘As expected.’
Although he was a commoner, status meant little to someone as powerful as Jade.
He was no mediocre fighter; he was a master-level powerhouse.
Moreover, he was a powerhouse acknowledged by Haines, the kingdom’s greatest swordsman, so Rainy did not find his lack of reaction strange.
A master-level warrior had every right to act that way even before a princess.
“Until now, I haven’t had the chance, but now that things have settled down a little, I thought it was only right to introduce myself properly. I also kept delaying the reward after promising to give it to you.”
“It’s fine. I’m not so short of money that I’m desperate for it.”
“Still, having more never hurts.”
“Indeed.”
Jade readily nodded.
If he had not found the Big Crow’s nest, he would not have been able to afford such an easygoing attitude.
He might have had the Black Drake’s bones, but they were useless if he could not turn them into cash.
There was no wealthy person in a small village who could afford to buy Black Drake bones, after all.
“I asked to see you not only because of the reward, but because there’s something personal I wanted to say.”
“Something personal?”
Even after she revealed that she was a princess, Jade’s attitude barely changed.
He had already suspected as much from the fact that she had a Sword Master serving under her, and although his body may have been born on the continent of Arphedia, his mind was that of an Earthling.
As a result, he found it novel, but he was not intimidated or cowed in the slightest.
“I think you know something about the current situation in our homeland.”
“Yes.”
Jade did not deny it.
He had not particularly wanted to know, but he had naturally heard things while traveling all the way here.
And it would have been stranger to claim ignorance, so Jade readily nodded.
“To be honest, Lloyd and I need you, Lord Jade. I believe you understand why without my having to explain it. But I’m not shameless enough to simply ask you to help us without offering anything in return. I’ve already received a great deal from you. So, is there anything you want?”
Rainy spoke with a more serious expression than ever before.
Yet there was not the slightest hint of servility in her demeanor.
She knew very well that a true deal only held its proper force when both parties stood on equal footing.
Of course, Jade was the one holding the upper hand.
She desperately needed Jade, but Jade did not need her.
Although he was from the Kingdom of Polstein, someone as powerful as Jade had no reason to be attached to his birthplace.
He could become a noble of the Kingdom of Arhan simply by declaring his intention to become a naturalized citizen.
Knowing that all too well, Rainy spoke frankly from the very beginning.
‘We absolutely need Lord Jade—not only to set this rebellion right, but for the future of the kingdom as well.’
Although she and Lloyd had been driven out, the rebellion had not yet succeeded.
The king was still alive, though bedridden, and not every noble followed the Second Prince.
Furthermore, some nobles had taken a neutral stance, so there was still ample room to turn things around.
But Rainy was thinking beyond that.
She was also considering what would happen after everything returned to its proper place.
‘If the marquis dies, Sir Haines will be the only master left. But Sir Haines is old. Even if he receives treatment in the capital, he won’t be able to display the martial prowess he possessed in his prime.’
It was a cold assessment, but that was reality.
Haines himself knew it as well.
That was why Haines also wanted Jade to join them.
Even if he died during the civil war, Polstein’s national strength would not decline too severely as long as Jade remained.
‘But the problem isn’t the terms.’
The most important thing when making a deal was knowing what the other party wanted.
Once she knew that, she could secure an advantageous position at the negotiating table.
Yet Rainy gave up on that approach despite knowing it.
‘Binding someone with terms only works temporarily. In other words, if someone offers better terms, they might switch sides. If so, the only way is….’
Rainy bit her lip.
No matter how much she thought about it, she could not come up with a more certain method.
“What I want.”
“Yes. For example, I can give you a title or a territory.”
“I see.”
“You’re not interested?”
Rainy bit her lower lip.
He had shown no particular reaction even after she gave those examples.
Of course, she had anticipated that this might happen.
Jade was not an ordinary person—he was a spirit mage.
“To be honest, I’m not interested in things like that. I’m not particularly comfortable ordering people around, either.”
“Then is there something else you want?”
Rainy swallowed dryly as she spoke.
She needed Jade desperately.
As a result, she inadvertently let her urgency show.
“This is also a rather sudden proposal, so I understand if it’s disconcerting.”
“That’s understandable. I’m sorry. I was thinking only of us.”
Rainy belatedly realized how hasty she had been and composed her expression.
However, she could not completely hide her impatience.
She had behaved maturely, but she was only eighteen years old.
Naturally, there were still many things she could not handle smoothly.
‘A title.’
Meanwhile, Jade fell into deep thought.
He had known what Rainy wanted for quite some time.
No, it would have been impossible for him not to know.
He might have had little experience in this world, but Jade had lived a life on Earth that had taken him through all sorts of hardships.
-Ohhh! Are you becoming a noble?
-Jade as a noble doesn’t seem bad, either.
-If we get a territory, will we be the ones managing it?
-I suppose so.
-That sounds fun!
Jade could do nothing but wear a wry smile at the two spirits’ conversation, which gave him no time to rest.
Silestin in particular never gave him a moment of peace and quiet.
Elestra was rather talkative in her own subtle way, too.
‘My original plan was to take moderate advantage of the princess’s party.’
His help in the Great Forest had been partly out of pure goodwill, but he had also had another motive.
They looked unmistakably noble, so he had helped them with the intention of obtaining things he needed.
This was a world where there was bound to be a difference between what a commoner could acquire and what a noble could obtain.
But things had taken a slightly strange turn.
‘I didn’t expect them to cling to me this much.’
In fact, there was far more that Jade had kept hidden than he had revealed.
But apparently, even that much had seemed extraordinary to the princess’s party.
-What are you going to do? The princess looks really anxious!
-She’s fidgeting, isn’t she? She’s trying to keep her expression under control, but maybe she’s still young. It’s written all over her face.
Yaaawn!
Unlike the two spirits reporting everything in real time, Whid seemed bored and yawned repeatedly.
Eventually, he closed both eyes and fell asleep.
‘From what I’ve heard, the master on the Second Prince’s side seems to be the biggest obstacle.’
The reason Princess Rainy was being so proactive was clear.
Although she had Haines under her command, he was old.
Moreover, given the severity of his injuries, at best he would only be able to fight the master who had joined the Second Prince’s side on equal terms.
That meant Jade’s value could only continue to rise.
“Lord Jade.”
“Ah, yes. Go ahead.”
Perhaps because he had spent too long thinking.
Rainy called out to him with an expression that suggested she had made a decision.
“If you wish, I can offer myself to you.”
“Excuse me?”
Jade’s expression had been calm throughout, but he suddenly looked aghast.
He was that shocked.
The unexpected words had genuinely startled him.
Yet Rainy, who had spoken them, was calm—unlike how anxious and restless she had been moments earlier.
“The surest way to receive your assistance, Lord Jade, is for us to become family. If we simply make a contract by matching terms, you could move to another faction if they offered you better conditions.”
“……That is true.”
“But if we become family, you’ll support Lloyd and me with all your strength.”
“You’re serious.”
“Yes.”
Rainy did not avoid Jade’s gaze.
Once she had made her decision, she neither hesitated nor felt ashamed any longer.
And that was why Rainy had kept Haines away and met with Jade alone.
If she had brought this up in front of him, Haines would have tried to stop her with all his might.