Chapter 86
──Inside the carriage heading toward the northern border──
"What is the matter, Princess Liana?"
They were in a carriage traveling from the Imperial Capital toward the border.
Grand Duke Charon spoke to the girl seated across from him.
"You seem to have been frightened ever since we left the Imperial Capital."
"...It's nothing like that."
At Grand Duke Charon's words, Princess Liana lowered her head.
"I am not frightened. This is not my first demon beast subjugation, nor my first trip near the border with the Demon Lord's territory. This is a mission assigned by the High Officials' Council. I may feel honored, but frightened is not a word I would use..."
"Your face is pale, and your hands are trembling. Anyone could tell at a glance."
"...Grand Duke."
"Would you tell me what the Holy Sword Princess, who fears neither demon beasts nor the Demon Lord's territory, is afraid of?"
"But..."
"From now on, Your Highness and I will be conducting this investigation together. I want to know my partner better."
"No... Someone like me could never be the Grand Duke's partner..."
Princess Liana hurriedly shook her head.
"Indeed... I may be frightened. I... I no longer know what to believe about the things I've trusted until now."
"You no longer know?"
"Zagran, and Sister Sofia... I wonder if I ever tried to understand what either of them was thinking, or what kind of people they were..."
Gazing blankly out the window, Princess Liana murmured.
Her shoulders were trembling in small shivers.
Hugging herself with both arms, she chattered her teeth as though trying to endure the fear surging through her.
"I knew nothing at all."
In a voice that seemed about to disappear, Princess Liana said,
"Zagran, whom I trusted... sent Sister Sofia to the border without telling me anything. I only learned about it much later. And on top of that, Zagran's subordinates provoked the demon beasts... putting Sister Sofia in danger..."
"I know."
"Zagran told me! He said there was absolutely no chance Sister would be put in danger! And yet..."
"I hear that Princess Sofia defeated the demon beasts with 'Light Magic.'"
"Y-yes. And then Sister built a 'trading post' at the border for the villagers."
"You have a fine older sister."
"But that... isn't how the sister I knew would have done things."
"Is that so?"
"Sister Sofia was... frail, delicate, like a flower that might scatter in the faintest breeze. She was modest and never put herself forward, which is why I could consult her about anything."
Liana closed her eyes and murmured.
"The Sofia I knew was not someone who would face down demon beasts or negotiate with the Demon Lord's territory to build a trading post. If that's the case, either Sister has changed, or I never knew the slightest thing about her until now..."
"Hmm. Are you afraid of Princess Sofia, then, Holy Sword Princess?"
"I was never worthy of being called that."
Her voice sounded as though she had forced the words out.
Clenching both eyes shut and digging her nails into her arms, Princess Liana murmured.
"I knew nothing. Not what Zagran was thinking, nor what kind of person Sister Sofia was... It feels as if the world I knew is collapsing around me... and that terrifies me."
"I see. Then go and visit your sister."
"...What?"
Princess Liana's eyes widened at the Grand Duke's words.
"If my partner is frightened, it will interfere with the mission ahead. If you don't understand your sister, you should go to the town where she is and hear what people have to say about her."
"B-but the High Officials' Council said, 'Liana must not meet Sofia'..."
"They didn't tell you, 'Don't enter Noza Town,' did they?"
Grand Duke Charon gave her a conspiratorial wink.
"If you enter 'Noza Town,' you can hear what people think of your sister. Perhaps you'll learn what she is like now, too?"
"But... if I go, Sister will find me."
"Then disguise yourself."
"Disguise myself?"
"I have a capable adjutant. She can temporarily change the color of your hair with dye. Use it to alter your appearance, change your hairstyle and clothes, and leave your sword behind. You'll merely be visiting a border town as an ordinary village girl. There should be no problem."
"That would be disobeying orders. As a tool of the Empire──"
"You would not be disobeying orders."
"But..."
"Hmm. Come to think of it, there was a traditional art from the otherworldly heroes called 'finding oneself.' The Empire is the heroes' successor. There is nothing wrong with Princess Liana of that Empire disguising herself to 'find herself.' I will take responsibility. That is all."
"W-what do you mean?"
"You must go to the town where your sister is. That is all."
Grand Duke Charon twisted his lips into a smile.
In contrast, Princess Liana clutched her head.
What Grand Duke Charon had proposed was for her to 'disguise herself and go see Sofia.'
This was not in her orders.
At least, it was not part of Zagran's teachings.
He would never have allowed such a thing.
But Grand Duke Charon was urging Liana to take an action not included in her orders.
Moreover, the Grand Duke was Liana's superior now. Charon, the Grand Duke and former Sword Saint, was practically like a sibling to the Emperor and had more influence than Liana, despite her being a princess.
She could not displease her superior.
That, too, was one of Zagran's teachings.
But acting outside her orders frightened her as well.
Liana had absolutely no idea what she should do.
"...Huh? Um... what should I...?"
"Well, it's merely a matter of curiosity. I want to see how people change."
Saying this, Grand Duke Charon laughed.
"I simply want to see how someone educated by Zagran and the others reacts after stepping into the common world as a town girl."
"...Haaah."
"See the world from the people's perspective, and learn what they think of your sister. Then perhaps you'll understand why Princess Sofia changed."
At Grand Duke Charon's words, Liana found herself nodding.
Seeing this, Grand Duke Charon clapped his hands and called over his adjutant.
The Grand Duke and his female adjutant discussed the matter and began making arrangements to disguise Liana.
They also decided that the Grand Duke's party would take several days off in the next town, and began discussing arrangements for an inn.
Liana watched blankly as everything was decided one thing after another.
This had never happened before.
Zagran had taught her to consider what benefits every action would bring.
Every action Liana took was for the benefit of the Empire.
Even meeting her sister Sofia had been justified as a way to stabilize Liana's mental state and strengthen the bonds among the imperial family.
For the first time in her life, someone had accepted her simple desire to 'know her sister.'
"I'm sorry, Your Highness."
The Grand Duke's adjutant bowed her head.
"His Excellency the Grand Duke sometimes says things like this. If you would rather not, you may refuse..."
"...No."
Liana pressed a hand to her chest and said this.
The fear was still there.
Perhaps she had known nothing at all about her sister or about Zagran, her instructor—the thought circled through Liana's mind.
Her sister Sofia might be different from the person Liana had imagined, and might reject her when they met.
Perhaps everything Zagran had taught her was wrong, and Liana would have to be punished for it.
(If that's the case... I have to find out.)
She was afraid.
Liana had always done nothing but follow Zagran's words.
Even when she went to see Sofia, she felt as if she had talked one-sidedly about her own complaints regarding her work.
What had her sister felt as she listened?
She had been frail, unable to leave the detached palace.
Perhaps her sister no longer wanted to see Liana... No, if that were so, it would be strange for her to send letters. The fact that she told Liana about her circumstances meant she cared about her. But perhaps it was only a sense of duty, and she truly had no interest in Liana. Perhaps if Liana went to see her, Sofia would coldly send her away...
"...Grand Duke."
"What is it?"
"Would you mind coming with me...?"
"That won't do. I would attract too much attention."
Grand Duke Charon indicated the scar around his right eye and his left arm, which did not move properly.
The former Sword Saint's distinctive features were widely known.
If he accompanied her, disguising Liana as a village girl would be pointless.
"I'll have my adjutant accompany you as your guard. You should go."
"...Grand Duke."
"I am not forcing you. You may skip 'Noza Town' and proceed with the demon beast investigation instead."
"..."
"But I have heard a rumor that the son of my unworthy former disciple, Barga Rigas, has entered the Demon Lord's territory without hesitation. I hear he entered an unfamiliar land and fit right in."
Grand Duke Charon said this and looked at Liana.
"It seems there's quite a remarkable person among my unworthy former disciple's family as well. I would like my partner, the Holy Sword Princess, to find the courage to do the same."
"...I understand... Grand Duke."
Her body was still trembling.
Having lost Zagran and been separated from Sofia, Liana felt as if she were standing naked on the roadside. She felt helpless and anxious, with no idea where to go.
Grand Duke Charon had shown Liana where to go.
She felt that if she refused, she would no longer be able to go anywhere.
"Please, let your adjutant accompany me to Noza Town as well."
"Certainly."
The Grand Duke's adjutant bowed.
"When we reach the next town, I will alter Your Highness's appearance for you."
"Please do."
"Please call me Nona. We'll say Your Highness is a village girl I rescued. As for the details... I think it would be best to say you've become separated from your parents and are traveling around asking after them."
The carriage came to a stop.
Princess Liana moved to the carriage carrying the adjutant, Nona.
Some time later, the party arrived at a town south of Noza Town.
That was to be their base for the border investigation.
Grand Duke Charon claimed that he was feeling the fatigue of the journey and declared several days of rest.
During that time, Princess Liana and Adjutant Nona made their preparations and headed north.
Several days later, they arrived in Noza Town.
"This is... 'Noza Town'?"
Princess Liana stood frozen after passing through the town gate.
This was the first time she had entered a town as a traveler.
Normally, she rode in a carriage, went straight to an inn, and then proceeded to the destination of her demon beast subjugation.
She had hardly ever walked through a town on her own.
"I heard this was a town at the far northern edge, but it's remarkably lively."
"No, something's wrong."
Adjutant Nona tilted her head.
"There are far too many people. A town this close to the border should not have so many. Perhaps people have gathered here from the nearby towns as well."
"Is that so?"
"Let's ask one of the townspeople. Who would be best?"
"If possible... someone around my age."
Princess Liana tightly gripped the hem of her skirt.
She was now dressed as a village girl; her hair color and style had both been changed. She carried no sword, either.
Of course, if she had so much as a stick in her hand, she could put up a decent fight. But this was unfamiliar territory. Other than Nona, she had no allies.
Unless she revealed her identity, no one would help her.
(...I've been protected all this time, haven't I?)
Only now did she realize it.
She had been strong because she was the Holy Sword Princess, protected by soldiers.
And yet she'd had the nerve to speak to the Demon Lord like that.
She had wanted someone important to him for herself, treating that person as a 'tool.'
Liana remembered how the Demon Lord had shouted at her then.
She would have had no right to complain even if he had killed her then.
"Your Highness? What is the matter?"
"It's nothing. More importantly, let's ask one of the townspeople some questions. Could you stop someone around my age who looks easy to talk to?"
"Understood."
Adjutant Nona spoke to a nearby passerby.
The person she stopped was a boy and girl walking together.
They looked about the same age as Liana. The boy was a little taller. The girl had bright red hair. Judging by the metal pendant at her chest, she was probably from a respectable family.
Neither of them was carrying a weapon.
When Nona spoke to them, the boy's eyes lit up with curiosity.
The girl, however, wore a troubled smile.
Good. They looked approachable enough to talk to.
With that thought, Princess Liana waited for Adjutant Nona to return.