Chapter 87
"This is Leila, a girl I took under my protection."
Adjutant Nona said this to the boy and girl.
Nona glanced at Liana. It was a signal to follow the plan they had discussed.
Once they entered the town, Liana was to use the alias 'Leila.'
"I am Nona, a soldier assigned to guard the highway. On my superior's orders, I have been tasked with escorting Miss Leila to her parents. We stopped in this 'Noza Town' along the way, but──"
"The town was bustling to a surprising degree, so I became curious, and then..."
Liana picked up where Adjutant Nona left off.
Liana's hair was dyed chestnut brown, and she was wearing a hood.
She was dressed in ordinary travelers' clothes.
No one should have been able to tell that she was Princess Liana.
Even so, she was nervous about speaking with two unfamiliar young people.
Until now, Liana had never spoken with anyone her age as an equal.
Nevertheless, Liana continued speaking while looking the boy and girl in the eyes.
"So I heard that an imperial princess was staying in this town... and I wondered if that might be why it was so lively. Since I've come all this way, I wanted to ask the townspeople about it..."
Liana finished reciting the lines she had prepared in a single breath.
Then, when she looked at the faces of the boy and girl,
"What a coincidence."
The boy nodded, looking impressed.
"I was waiting here because I wanted to see Princess Sofia, too."
"Is that so?"
"This girl and I came from a nearby town. We heard that 'Noza Town' had become lively recently, so we came to look around and see whether there might be some business opportunities."
The tall boy looked toward the red-haired girl.
The girl, looking slightly flustered,
"Y-yes, that's right."
"Then we heard that Princess Sofia would be returning to town soon. That's why we came to the gate, too."
"Princess Sofia will be passing through here?"
"Yes. That's what the townspeople have been saying."
The boy was telling the truth.
When Liana strained her ears, she could hear the townspeople talking.
"──Princess Sofia went to encourage the soldiers."
"──She'll be back soon, so I definitely want to see her."
"──Apparently she'll return in about an hour."
They were all talking about the same thing.
That seemed to be why there were so many people around the town gate.
"It seems there is still some time before Her Highness returns."
Adjutant Nona said this to the boy and girl.
"If you don't mind, could you tell us about yourselves in the meantime? I don't often come this far either, so I'd like to hear about the people who live near the border."
"Sure. You're a soldier... um, Miss Nona."
"Yes."
"I'll tell you about myself, too, so could you and Miss Leila tell us about yourselves?"
"About me?"
"Me?"
The boy thought for a moment at the puzzled looks on Nona and Liana's faces, then said,
"Actually, I make furniture and metal products for a living."
"You're a craftsman?"
"Yes. And if possible, I'd like to know what's happening farther south... in the Imperial Capital. Knowing what people need and what's popular would help me decide what to make."
"I see. In that case..."
Nona looked at Liana.
Liana nodded without hesitation.
Liana wanted to know what Sofia meant to the people of this town.
Talking about the Imperial Capital in exchange seemed harmless enough.
"Understood. Let's talk."
"Then let's go somewhere we can take our time. We should be able to hear the townspeople's rumors there, too. It seems like the perfect place for Miss Leila and Miss Nona, who want to learn about this town. The place is──um..."
"Ag... no, I know a place."
The red-haired girl took over for the boy.
"I've heard there's somewhere nearby where we can have tea."
"Thanks. That would help."
"I took my best friend's advice and made proper plans before coming here."
The girl murmured this shyly.
The two of them seemed quite close.
(If Sister and I had been commoners in a town... would we have been able to stay together like this all the time?)
Murmuring this to herself, Liana began walking after the boy and girl.
"I think we can hear the townspeople's rumors here, too. It should be useful to you, Miss Nona and Miss Leila."
"There is a seat in the corner."
The place Liana was taken to was a combination of a tavern and a teahouse.
Perhaps because it was daytime, everyone was drinking tea at the moment.
The boy and girl also sat side by side, drinking tea while listening to the sounds of the town.
"...That boy really is a craftsman."
Nona whispered this into Liana's ear.
"...He has been observing the tools and other items carried by the townspeople the entire time. It's a professional habit. There is no doubt that he wants to gather information for his work."
"...Commoners are remarkably resourceful."
Liana murmured this, then took a sip of tea.
The tea was weak, but sweet. It was delicious, too.
It was different from the tea she usually drank. It tasted like this disorderly town.
The people lived like this, in places she had never known existed.
And those people adored her sister Sofia.
So much that they were waiting at the gate for her return.
Liana had absolutely no idea how something like that had come to pass.
(...I really did know nothing at all, did I?)
She felt as if this were the first time she had ever seen commoners up close.
The boy and girl across the table──perhaps ordinary commoners were people like them.
While drinking his tea, the boy took a sheet of parchment from inside his clothes.
He also produced a pen and ink and seemed to be taking frequent notes. He was probably writing down the town's rumors. He was an earnest researcher.
Though Liana had no idea how he had managed to keep such a long quill and an inkpot inside his clothes.
The girl was leisurely drinking her tea beside him.
She looked calm and content simply because the boy was beside her.
They looked like siblings, but perhaps they were a young married couple.
While Liana was thinking this──
"What an incredible person Princess Sofia is!"
A townsman in the teahouse suddenly exclaimed.
At the mention of her sister's name, Liana's shoulders jolted.
With a tense expression, she listened closely to the rumors.
"Thanks to Princess Sofia, this town has improved so much."
"I never imagined a princess like her existed. Apparently Her Highness went out again today to encourage the soldiers."
"And she's strong herself, too. I hear she reduced demon beasts to pieces with magic."
(...That's right. Sister fought demon beasts.)
Liana did not know this Sofia.
Still, if the townspeople were saying it, it must have been true.
The people's conversation continued.
"I hear that when she defeated the new species of demon beast, Princess Sofia summoned a guardian spirit!"
"I know, I know. She summoned something powerful enough to frighten the demon beast, right?"
(...Sister summoned a guardian spirit!?)
She did not know. It was impossible.
Even Liana had never heard of such magic.
But the townspeople were saying it.
And their conversation was far from over.
"This is only a rumor, but apparently Princess Sofia can talk to animals."
"So that's why owls and cats gather around her."
"She really is a mysterious person..."
(...Sister has the power to speak with animals!?)
"Even the border trading post was built because of Her Highness's efforts."
"I never thought we'd get a chance to do business at the border."
"The Demon Lord's territory must recognize Her Highness's power, too."
(The Demon Lord's territory... recognizes Sister's power!? The terrifying Demon Lord who defeated the 'Demon Beast Galgarossa' in an instant!? No way!)
"Princess Sofia's frequent trips to the trading post must be related to that, too."
"She seems healthier every time she comes back."
"There's even a rumor that Her Highness discovered a hot spring at the trading post. Maybe that's why she's getting healthier."
(Sister Sofia... have you undergone some kind of super-awakening like a hero...?)
Liana sat frozen with the cup still at her lips.
Reducing demon beasts to pieces with Light Magic.
Summoning a guardian spirit.
Speaking with animals.
Making the Demon Lord's territory acknowledge her power.
Discovering a hot spring.
Liana did not know this Sofia.
Even though she was her twin sister, it felt as though she were hearing about a completely different person.
Of course, these were only the townspeople's words. They were not necessarily true.
Even so──they must have contained some truth.
The people of this town were much closer to Sofia than Liana was.
(...Grand Duke, I really did know nothing about Sister. I... what an ignorant person I am...)
"Is something wrong, Miss Leila?"
"Y-yes!"
Called by her alias, Liana reflexively raised her head.
When she looked over, the craftsman boy was watching her anxiously.
"Are you feeling ill?"
"N-no. I'm fine. The tea is delicious, too."
Liana shook her head and took another sip of tea.
Nona, sitting beside her, looked worried.
"...I'm fine, Miss Nona."
After assuring Nona, Liana looked toward the boy and girl.
"Have you ever seen Princess Sofia in person?"
"Yes. Fortunately, I've seen her up close several times."
"I see..."
"Is Princess Sofia really the kind of person the rumors describe?"
When Liana hesitated, Nona asked the question in her place.
She was probably trying to help without revealing that Liana was Sofia's sister.
"No... I think Princess Sofia is even more impressive than the rumors say."
"More impressive than the rumors?"
"She is very brave, sometimes does things no one could have expected, and is incredibly curious. That's the kind of person she is."
"You speak as if you know her well."
"I'm sorry. That was disrespectful. Please forgive me."
"No, I didn't realize Her Highness was so approachable."
"That's only the opinion of someone from a nearby town. Please don't take me too seriously."
The boy said this and smiled.
"Since Her Highness came here, the imperial soldiers have begun protecting the border region. Thanks to that, people like us who live in nearby towns can travel around more easily. We are truly grateful to Her Highness."
"I-I also think Princess Sofia is a wonderful person! I respect her very much!"
The red-haired girl nodded vigorously, too.
To them, Liana's sister was someone approachable and worthy of respect.
Liana felt that there was no need to ask anything more, and she found herself at a loss for words──
She had realized that her sister possessed something she did not.
"Then could you tell us about the Imperial Capital?"
The boy looked at Adjutant Nona as he spoke.
"Since you guard the highways, you must go to the Imperial Capital, too, right?"
"Y-yes. Once every few months, to submit reports as well."
"The Imperial Capital... um, is it a place where soldiers can live comfortably? Are there any inconveniences, or things you wish would be done differently?"
"The Imperial Capital is the capital of the great Empire."
Soldier Nona said this to the boy.
"It is the center of the Empire's population and culture. It is safe, and you can find almost anything there. Above all, it is where His Majesty the Emperor resides. The information that comes in and the technologies available there are probably the best on the continent."
"Is that so?"
"'Noza Town' seems to be growing more crowded as well, but it still cannot compare with the Imperial Capital."
"What about farther south?"
The boy asked.
"Is the war in the south still going on?"
"It's a series of skirmishes with the coalition of small kingdoms. I cannot discuss the details, but..."
"Anything you can tell me is fine."
"Why are you interested in that?"
"I'm a craftsman. When a country changes, the things it needs change as well. I want to anticipate what lies ahead and make things that will help everyone."
"That's an admirable ambition."
"...I think so, too."
Before she knew it, Liana was nodding along with the boy's words.
His eyes were shining. He must have been proud of his work.
The girl beside him watched him with warm eyes.
For some reason, Liana envied the two of them intensely.
"The southern front will end in victory for the Empire. Soon. With the Empire's overwhelming power."
After a brief pause, Nona spoke.
"That's what the soldiers are saying. That's all I can tell you."
"Thank you."
The boy seemed satisfied with that.
He took notes on his parchment and muttered, "The things I should make from now on are──"
His creations probably would not change the course of the nation, but he had an admirable ambition.
(Did Sister change through interacting with the people like this...?)
As she thought about this, Liana looked around the town.
The teahouse faced the main street. From here, she could easily see the flow of people.
Her sister seemed to have become an extraordinary person, but the town itself remained ordinary.
The only difference was the large number of owls and cats.
Liana had heard that the people of 'Noza Town' looked after them to keep away pests and rats.
There were cats in front of the teahouse, too.
A small white kitten and a black kitten.
The white cat was staring intently at Liana. It tilted its head curiously, as if unsure whether to approach. It even brought its face close to the black kitten's, as though discussing something with it.
Come to think of it, Sister had always liked small creatures──remembering that, Liana reached out toward the cat.
But the white cat smoothly dodged her and went over to the boy and girl.
It climbed onto the boy's lap without hesitation and said something in a tiny voice.
"...Huh?"
The boy's eyes suddenly widened──and he looked at Liana.
"Is something wrong?"
"...No, it's nothing."
'Meow meow meow meow meow.'
The boy and the white cat shook their heads.
"More importantly, I think Princess Sofia will be returning soon."
"How do you know?"
Did he ask the cat?
As Liana wondered this, the boy turned toward the outside and said,
"Because it's getting noisy near the entrance to town."
"...Oh, I see."
"Let's go." "We should go."
Liana and Nona paid the bill with the boy and girl and rose from their seats.
The craftsman boy and the red-haired girl walked side by side, while Liana and Nona followed behind them.
When they reached the main street, they could see people gathering in front of the town gate.
(Sister Sofia will be coming back soon. When she does, I will see her and...)
Liana still did not know what she wanted to do after that.
The High Officials' Council had told her, 'Princess Liana is forbidden from meeting Princess Sofia.'
But Grand Duke Charon had told her, 'You were not told not to enter Noza Town.'
Furthermore, before they departed, he had said,
'Princess Liana is forbidden from going to meet Princess Sofia. But if Princess Sofia happens to find Princess Liana by chance and wants to see her, surely there would be no problem?'
──That was what he had told her.
It was an absurd argument. Liana understood that much.
Even so, she also understood that Grand Duke Charon had said it out of kindness.
"...Your Highness. It seems it will be soon."
"...Yes, Miss Nona."
Liana nodded back when Nona whispered beside her ear.
More than anything, she wanted to see her sister.
Thinking this, she walked toward the town gate.
That was why she noticed the commotion so late.
"S-someone! Stop that man──!"
A shout rang out.
Liana reflexively looked toward the voice──and saw a woman collapsed in front of an alley.
Across the street, a man carrying a young girl under one arm was running away with a dagger in his hand.
"A robber... He took my child──! Somebody──!"
Copper and silver coins were scattered around the woman's feet.
Apparently, the man had tried to rob the woman, met with resistance, and then taken the child and fled.
"Don't come any closer! Nobody come closer! If you do, I'll──!"
The man raised his dagger.
Nona looked at Liana as if asking permission.
Liana nodded, gripped the dagger hidden beneath her robe, and ran.
(I can't allow a ruffian to run wild in Sister's town──!)
──But she was too far away.
If only someone could stop the man's movements. Just as Liana was thinking this──
'Omawari-saaaan! Not Isaac, Omawari-saaaan!!'
Liana jolted.
A voice rang out from within the crowd, and the man carrying the child froze.
The strength left his hand, and he dropped the dagger.
As if he had sensed the presence of something terrifying, the man looked around wildly.
Immediately afterward──
"I won't let bad people get away with it!"
The red-haired girl had seized the man's arm and restrained him.
(When did she...!?)
Liana and Nona had started running as soon as they noticed the incident.
The craftsman boy and the red-haired girl should have been near them.
And yet, how had the girl already reached the robber's side?
Had she slipped through the crowd with incredible speed? Like water?
"L-let go──!"
The man tried to wrench himself free of the girl's grip.
But the girl did not budge.
Instead, she grabbed his other hand with her free hand and twisted it behind his back.
"Are you all right?"
The girl smiled gently at the child she had freed.
"That was scary, wasn't it? But everything is all right now."
"...Y-yeah."
"I'll hand this man over to the soldiers."
With a flip,
the red-haired girl easily threw the man to the ground.
Effortlessly.
As if she were swinging around a paper doll.
A cold sweat ran down Liana's back.
She had never imagined there could be someone this powerful in the border region.
'Omawari-saaaan! Come quickly, Omawari-saaaan!!'
The voice rang out from the crowd.
Each time it did, the man's body convulsed as if he had been struck by a whip.
His face was terrified, as though he were looking at some gigantic creature.
And then──
"Did someone call?"
Perhaps they had heard the commotion, because soldiers came running from the other side of the street.
They were imperial soldiers. Every one of them carried a spear.
"This man was trying to abduct a child, so I caught him."
"Oh! Thank you. We should have noticed sooner."
"In any case, I'll hand him over to you."
The red-haired girl handed the man to the soldiers.
The robber had stopped resisting.
He was simply trembling in fear.
"Thank you. And you are──?"
"I'm in a hurry, so excuse me! Goodbye!!"
The red-haired girl said this and ran into the crowd.
The remaining soldiers tied up the man.
Then they called out to the townspeople.
"We apologize for our slow response! Our security force was only recently established, and it seems our communications were not working properly."
One of the soldiers bowed to the people.
Then, all together, they declared,
"We are a unit directly under Commander Isaac."
"We are the 'Omawari-san Unit,' responsible for maintaining public order in 'Noza Town.'"
"As the number of people entering and leaving the town has increased, we established this unit with the permission of Princess Sofia and Commander Isaac. If you have a problem, come to our headquarters."
With that, the soldiers hauled the man away.
The people saw them off with applause.
(...The 'Omawari-san Unit' for maintaining public order... They even created something like that.)
Once a trading post was established and the population increased, undesirable people would come as well.
That was why they had created a unit to protect the people.
Her sister Sofia had thought that far ahead.
(Then were those two also among her associates?)
Thinking this explained why the two of them knew so much about her sister.
It also explained why the red-haired girl had been frighteningly fast.
(Has Sister... managed this town... so magnificently...?)
Liana felt as if the ground had suddenly begun to sway beneath her feet.
She had understood nothing about her sister.
Once again, she had been forced to realize it.
"Perhaps Princess Sofia discovered new talent in this border region."
"New talent?"
"Yes. Otherwise, the town could not have changed this much in such a short time."
"That may be true. But wasn't gaining that talent also the result of Sister's power?"
"...Your Highness."
"Let's go to the gate. I want to see Sister as she is now."
Liana began walking toward the town gate.
She could feel her heart pounding.
Come to think of it, she had not been able to thank the boy and girl.
For listening to her. For teaching her so many things. For giving her a precious opportunity to speak with commoners──she would have to thank them the next time they met.
Not as an imperial princess, but as Sofia's sister. So that she would not sully her sister's name.
"Princess Sofia has arrived!"
A voice came from the direction of the town gate.
A carriage entered the town, guarded by soldiers. It was a small carriage.
A girl in a dress was waving from the window.
"...Is that Sister Sofia?"
Liana reflexively rubbed her eyes.
Her sister inside the carriage seemed to be shining.
Of course, it must have been an optical illusion.
Sofia was merely wearing a gentle smile.
Even so, she seemed like an entirely different person from the sister Liana knew.
Her eyes shone with vitality, and her skin was radiant.
The hand she waved toward the people was vigorous, with none of the frailty she had possessed in the Imperial Capital.
More than anything, there was something strange about her sister's expression.
Sofia kept looking around with an expression as if she were expecting to meet someone precious to her. Of course, she could not have been looking for Liana.
Sofia did not know that Liana was here.
And yet, their eyes met.
Sofia's gaze stopped on Liana, who was wearing a hood.
Sofia tilted her head curiously as she looked at her.
And then──
"...Let's go, Miss Nona."
"...Are you sure?"
"...I can't! I don't know how I could possibly face Sister right now..."
Murmuring this, Liana turned on her heel.
Then she slipped into the crowd and headed into an alley.
After Sofia's procession had passed and the crowd had thinned──Liana fled the town as if running away.
"Are you really sure this was all right, Your Highness?"
Once they had left the town, Nona stopped.
She turned around to question Liana, who was following behind her.
"Grand Duke said that if Princess Sofia wished to meet Princess Liana, it would not constitute disobeying orders."
"...This is for the best, Miss Nona."
Liana shook her head.
"I have no right to stand before Sister Sofia in my current state."
"But, Your Highness──"
"My mission is to investigate the new species of demon beast. First, I will fulfill that duty and achieve something worthy of recognition. Only then will I meet Sister Sofia."
"You do not need to push yourself──"
"I'm not pushing myself!"
Before she knew it, Liana had raised her voice.
"As a princess of the Empire, I have achieved nothing comparable to Sister. How could I possibly face her like this!? I need achievements. First, I must accomplish something. To do that... I will lead the investigation and subjugation of the demon beasts myself."
"Are you truly certain this is what you want?"
"Fortunately, no one discovered my identity. Sister did not realize I was Liana in that brief moment, either. As long as Miss Nona and I keep silent, it will be as though Liana had never been here."
She would achieve something worthy of an imperial princess. Something that could rival her sister's achievements.
Then she would be able to stand before Sofia with her head held high.
Fortunately, no one knew that Liana had been here──
"If I may ask... are you Princess Sofia's younger sister?"
When Liana turned around──the boy and girl who had been with her moments before were standing there.
The boy was holding a white cat. It was the cat they had seen at the teahouse.
The cat pointed at Liana with its forepaw and murmured something.
The girl stood protectively in front of the boy, watching Liana intently. She was poised to move the moment Liana and Nona drew their swords.
The boy bowed once, then asked Liana again,
"Allow me to ask once more. Are you Princess Liana Dolgaria, the twin younger sister of Princess Sofia Dolgaria?"
"Who... exactly are you?"
Adjutant Nona reached for the sword at her waist.
At the same time, the boy climbed down from the girl's back. The girl watched Nona warily.
"Stop, Miss Nona."
"Miss Leila... no, Miss Leila?"
"You can tell as well, can't you? That girl is no ordinary person."
The girl's strength was impossible to gauge. They should not fight her.
Liana's instincts as a warrior told her so.
"Why would you get that impression?"
That was why Liana asked in a calm voice,
"I am familiar with the name Liana Dolgaria. But would it not be disrespectful to Her Highness to mistake me for someone like that?"
"I have a friend who knows a great deal about Light magic."
'Meow.'
"It told me. It sensed powerful Light magic."
"──!?"
"Apparently, it is similar to Princess Sofia's magic. I thought the only person who could possess such powerful Light magic was Princess Liana Dolgaria."
"...You are..."
"I have already informed Princess Sofia of the situation as well."
The boy said this.
Behind him──a horse was approaching from the direction of the town.
There were two riders.
One was a soldier. Behind him was a girl whose face was hidden by a hood and cloak.
The girl was holding a black kitten. It was the one that had been with the white cat at the town teahouse earlier.
"It's been a long time, Liana."
On horseback, the girl raised her hood.
She had lustrous white skin and pink hair slightly shorter than Liana's.
Liana's sister, Sofia Dolgaria, was there.
"...Sister Sofia."
"You came all this way. Why did you leave?"
Sofia used the boy's hand for support as she dismounted.
Then she extended a hand toward Liana──
"Welcome, Liana. There are so many things I want to talk to you about."
──Liana's sister Sofia said this with a gentle smile.