Chapter 41
Lydia was walking through the dungeon at an easy pace. Morgan and Mave were beside her, both looking relaxed.
“It’s quiet.”
“It is.”
“Hmph, we took care of everything up ahead.”
It felt like a stroll.
The scenery around them was appalling,
but not even the monsters’ corpses remained.
‘Thanks to Arti and Aria, who got a massive stat boost all at once, this is incredibly convenient.’
A flash of light,
followed by an explosion from up ahead.
-Sacred Sword Manifestation—!
-A-Aria! Slow down a little…!
A shock wave strong enough to reach Lydia’s group from dozens of meters away surged toward them. It was as if the morning sun had flickered into existence in the dim dungeon.
KABOOM—!
-That did it! We wiped them all out! Arti, take the Sacred Sword, then cast a support spell on me. Hurry!
-O-Sun God—!
-Come here, minions of evil! I’ll exterminate you all today!
-Aaaagh?! Aria! Why are you tearing the monsters apart with your bare hands?! That’s gross!
-I shall grant you the mercy of a painless death! I offer your blood to the Sun God—!
“….”
Lydia recalled not her game knowledge, but what she knew of the world she now lived in.
‘Aria’s hometown is in the northern Theocracy… The north is barren, and they have a culture of strengthening their faith by hunting monsters in the woods.’
The Sun God’s teachings contained no prohibition against killing.
Monsters were too cruel and evil
to live alongside humanity.
Aria had probably thrown a few stones at goblins in the forest as a child. It was a local custom to vent the hardships of life in a harsh environment on the enemies of mankind.
‘In an ordinary medieval world, that sort of anger could easily turn into human sacrifice or witch hunts. In this world, it’s directed at monsters instead.’
Should she be glad this was a fantasy world, or feel sorry for Arti, who had to soothe all that deeply ingrained anger…?
-Arti, I shall exterminate every monster that hurts you! That is a Saintess’s duty!
-I-I don’t think that’s quite right…
Hmm…
Anyway, the two of them would have to work it out together.
At least as far as Lydia knew,
Aria didn’t take that anger out on people.
Her kind, gentle nature hadn’t changed.
“….”
‘…Probably.’
Thinking that,
Lydia said to Morgan,
“Come to think of it, finals are coming up soon.”
“Hmph, the freshman-level exam is easy enough to cram for in a day.”
“That’s because you’re a genius.”
“H-hmph…! Who said I’d be happy just because you praised me like that?!”
Mave narrowed her eyes at Morgan.
“Your voice goes up a pitch every time you say that.”
“Shut up, knight trash.”
“Hmph, I already know you’re all bark and no bite. Do you think that’ll make me cower? I’m Lady Lydia’s trusted retainer, after all.”
“W-what? Why are you Lydia’s retainer?”
“A retainer is someone who fights at her side and receives her noble teachings. And I’m even a squire of Gallia. I’m an honored knight serving alongside my own country’s royalty before I’ve even become a full-fledged knight.”
“….”
Damn it,
if she pulled the fellow countrywoman card, there’d be nothing to say.
The Republic and the Kingdom were too far apart.
“….”
Morgan lowered her head a little. Her ears, visible between strands of red hair, had turned bright red. Her fingers fidgeted incessantly.
“I already live with her now. I-if that’s the case… doesn’t that make me the one who’s closer to her…?”
Lydia and Mave fell silent.
“….”
“….”
“….”
An awkward mood settled over them.
All they could hear were the voices of the two rampaging up ahead.
-The time has come! Sacred Sword Manifestation—!
-Aaaagh! Aria…!
“….”
“….”
“….”
Lydia gave a wry smile,
while Mave shook her head.
Morgan bristled at their silence.
“W-what? What’s with this atmosphere…! Knight trash! Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You’re the one who said something weird first, and now you’re getting mad.”
“W-what, what, what?! What was weird about it?! Huh? What! Was I w-wrong about anything?! I made a perfectly logical argument!”
“We weren’t even competing over who was closer to Lady Lydia in the first place.”
“…That’s…!”
Just as Morgan was about to snap back,
Lydia stepped in to mediate their endless emotional squabbling.
“You are both undoubtedly dear friends of mine, so there is no need to worry. We can look back and reflect on what to call our relationship another day. For now, let us simply treasure the fact that we are here together.”
“Understood.”
“…Yeah.”
Morgan nodded weakly.
Then she followed the two who had gone on ahead.
“!”
Mave looked around and marveled. The area was filled with monster blood and remains, as well as stone walls that had been brutally torn apart.
It was the aftermath of a storm.
The path all the way to the room where the dungeon’s boss awaited had been completely cleared out.
“Lady Lydia, c-could two people really do this to an intermediate dungeon? Turn the whole place upside down like this?”
“With two people who are sturdy fighters, beloved by God, and wielders of the legendary Sacred Sword, it’s possible. Put another way, each one is doing the work of three… so they’re equivalent to a six-person party.”
“Sun God, have mercy….”
Even as she answered, Lydia turned over the matter that still bothered her.
‘It’s still a mystery why Aria suddenly became able to wield the Sacred Sword, and why Aria’s physical abilities rose to match Arti’s…’
It was something that never happened in the original story.
Mave stared ahead with a hollow expression.
“….”
Sure enough.
Up ahead, an intermediate monster with enormous bull horns lay sprawled helplessly. In the boss room, Arti and Aria were fooling around.
Arti had placed one of the severed horns on their head and squinted at Aria. Aria clutched her stomach and burst out laughing.
“Ahaha! Arti! What is that supposed to be?”
“That monster from earlier… Didn’t it look like this?”
“Ahaha—! Hahaha! It doesn’t look like it at all, but it’s exactly the same!”
The Hero and Saintess were playing around.
Lydia sighed as she watched them.
“Whew.”
‘They’re absolutely covered in monster blood. I’ll have to get them cleaned up and fed as soon as we get back. They’re bursting with energy. Lately, I’ve even caught them sneaking off to play at the training grounds.’
It was good that they had opened up to each other.
But they had become so innocent that they were country brats all over again.
The ones most shocked were the Theology Department cadets.
-The Saintess… was she always such a tomboy?
-W-what?! Weren’t they the Hero and the Saintess?
-They’re acting like country bumpkin kids.
“….”
‘In other words, they never had anyone who would accept this side of them. Aria and Arti…’
As Lydia approached,
Arti and Aria came over to her with bright smiles.
“Lydia!”
“Lydia! Look, Arti and I got them all! I cut its head off in one stroke with the Sacred Sword!”
“And I broke its horns.”
“My body feels so light, I can even tear goblins apart with one hand! And also…!”
As if they were boasting to their parents,
the two told her about their accomplishments.
Lydia smiled and patted both of them on the head. Their sticky monster blood smeared onto her, but she didn’t mind.
‘This must be their way of showing their gratitude for how I’ve looked after them.’
Lydia gave them both a warm hug.
“Well done. You’re both a proper Saintess and Hero now. Wherever you go, keep believing in and relying on each other like this. I’m proud of you both.”
“Hehe….”
“Hah…!”
Aria and Arti smiled broadly.
For a Hero and Saintess who fought against the darkness…
their smiles were far too bright and innocent.
*
After washing and feeding the two little rascals,
Lydia saw Morgan and Mave off, too.
-I have business here, so you go on ahead.
-But…!
-I’ll be back soon.
-Okay….
“….”
Lydia headed for an alley behind the shopping district. Evening was settling in, lending the place a gloomy atmosphere. But no thugs tried to bother her.
She heard hushed whispers from between the alleys.
“…The princess, huh.”
“Just let her go.”
“Even so, she’s…”
“That’s not what matters… she saved our lives….”
They quietly got up and went on their way. Even as they left, they politely said, ‘Thank you for saving us from the monsters last time.’
They were surprisingly polite thugs. One of them had probably been chased by those mad holy knights.
Lydia chuckled.
“….”
‘If this were the original adult game, an NTR event would’ve happened by now. Even more so if she were a useless princess who couldn’t even protect herself.’
It was a somewhat perverted thought,
but the difference from reality was so absurd it made her laugh.
Lydia went deeper into the shopping district’s back alleys. The noise from the taverns and suspicious shops gradually faded. Somewhere deep in here was what she needed to find.
“….”
She found it.
“!”
A black entrance, cleverly hidden in the shadows,
invisible unless you paid attention.
She opened the door.
Creak—
A cheerful girl in her thirties greeted her.
“Waaah! It’s the princess—!”
“!”
She was an ally.
Lydia didn’t avoid her.
Beatrice pulled Lydia right into her arms. She didn’t care that her bare skin, exposed by her black dress, touched Lydia.
Beatrice buried her nose in Lydia’s golden hair.
“Sniff~! Haa….”
“…Lady Beatrice.”
“Hold still. Sniff…!”
“….”
“Done! Princess recharged!”
“What on earth…?”
Without paying Lydia any heed, Beatrice took her by the hand and led her into the dark room. Two people were already seated inside.
They were Zach and Mirian. They sat side by side at a table, sipping their drinks.
“Oh, Lydia!”
“Welcome. Did you see your friends off safely?”
Lydia smiled at Mirian.
“Yeah, they’re all taken care of.”
“That’s a relief.”
Zach scratched his cheek as he spoke. He looked like a huge bear grooming its fur.
“You look rather cheerful. I’d say that chill of yours has faded quite a bit since you enrolled in the academy…”
“Our old man says the weirdest things!”
“Be quiet, Lady Beatrice.”
Lydia nodded.
“It really is convenient to get things done ahead of time.”
“I see.”
Zach smiled.
“That’s a relief.”
“And…”
“?”
Lydia said,
“Now… I feel like I’ve got the things I need to do over the break sorted out, too.”
She pulled a piece of paper from inside her clothes. The members of the Ember Knights looked at it with interest.
Indeed,
what could it be?
What was the next plan our Golden Princess had decided on?