Chapter 63
Beatrice closed the box containing the weapons. Then she turned to Lydia with a sly grin, ready to tease her about what she’d overheard.
She chuckled and said,
“Hehe! By the way, what a surprising hobby. Who would’ve thought our adorable princess liked going around in such a daring outfit? If the people of Gallia found out, do you think they’d be able to sleep at night?”
“….”
Lydia closed her eyes.
“….”
Damn it,
she’d heard.
‘She’s going to tease me all day again.’
As expected, Beatrice slyly linked arms with Lydia and whispered. Her sweet tone tickled Lydia’s ear, as if they were lovers whispering to each other.
“If people saw the princess sneaking around in a bunny outfit in a dark alley, her charm would probably make their hearts race like they were about to burst. Or maybe they’d be racing out of fear of being charged with insulting royalty? Hehe!”
“….”
It was far too suggestive,
but it was Beatrice’s own way of joking around.
Lydia let her tease her a little.
‘She doesn’t even talk to people unless she’s close to them. And it looks like someone’s about to stop her, so I’d better stay quiet.’
Beatrice lightly brushed Lydia’s cheek. Her hand moved very slowly, lingering for just a moment.
“Then, you know.”
“….”
Then she bit her lip and said,
“Why don’t you and your big sister try on something even more daring….”
“….”
But her seduction was soon cut short by a quiet strike from a maid who appeared behind her.
The princess’s maid appeared like a shadow.
Mirian smiled as she gently tugged Beatrice’s black hair. Then she offered a gentle but firm warning.
“That’s enough, Beatrice. Lady Lydia only wore it once for her infiltration. Just how far are you going to nitpick and tease her about it?”
“Ugh?! Ow! My hair, Sister Mirian!”
Beatrice hurriedly wriggled free.
“Ah! Sister, how can you suddenly grab my hair from behind? Do you know how much I spend every month keeping it so silky?”
“Would you like me to give you an efficient style that won’t cost you a single coin from now on?”
“….”
The thirty-something beauty puffed out her cheeks.
“Jeez, I was just trying to have a little, ahem, fun dressing up in naughty clothes with the princess….”
“You were clearly planning to turn a little ‘ooh’ into a full-on ‘ahh,’ so stop pretending you’re aggrieved.”
“Ah, you caught me?”
“Sigh. You use Lady Lydia’s generosity as an excuse to tease her whenever you get the chance. You really need to learn when enough is enough.”
“Ah, yes, yes, Mom. I get it~”
“….”
Mirian disappeared like a shadow, then appeared behind Beatrice and tugged her hair again. This time, her grip was rougher.
Whoosh!
Beatrice was subdued in an instant. She waved her hands around and screamed.
“Ow! Sister! I get it, I’m sorry!”
“…Hah.”
Mirian let go,
and Beatrice glared at her with tears welling in her eyes.
“Tch, if all my hair falls out, I’ll never forgive you! You’ll regret underestimating the grudge of a beautiful girl.”
“….”
Mirian gave a wry smile.
“If being able to call herself a girl after thirty is one of Beatrice’s strengths, then I suppose it could be considered a strength.”
“Ho ho! As long as a woman keeps the heart of a girl, she can be a girl forever! You didn’t know that?”
“Hehe, that’s a very cute belief, but I don’t want to know more.”
Mirian looked at Lydia helplessly as she spoke. She had the look of a mother seeing her daughter bring home a stray cat.
“Lady Lydia, you don’t have to indulge the whims of this thirty-something girl. This adorable child at heart won’t cross the line, but if you don’t refuse her, she’ll keep edging right up to it.”
“…Is that a compliment or an insult?”
Lydia smiled at the two of them.
“I know. But it’s thanks to Beatrice’s efforts and connections that the Ember Knights can operate smoothly. If this much physical affection makes her feel rewarded for her work, I don’t mind.”
“Your Highness…!”
Beatrice’s eyes sparkled, and she linked arms with Lydia again. Unlike her earlier, sultry touch, this time her closeness was more like that of school friends(?).
“Aww! I knew the princess was the only one who thinks of me…. Everyone treats me like a child! Even though they all know less about bedroom matters than I do!”
“Knowing a lot about bedroom matters doesn’t mean you aren’t childish, though.”
“Hehe….”
Beatrice’s eyes curved into crescents. Then she lightly licked Lydia’s earlobe and said,
“Then shall I show you in detail? Bedroom matters. In just two months, I can make the princess a budding Black Rose….”
“….”
That seduction
was blocked once again by Mirian, who appeared from behind.
“That’s enough.”
“Wah?!”
And so, the chaotic game of tag came to an end.
The three began a serious meeting as members of the Ember Knights. The topic was the aftermath and cleanup of the recent incident.
Beatrice commented on the Kingdom of Gallia’s half-hearted response.
“I suppose this wasn’t a major incident from the kingdom’s perspective. It’s hardly the first time shady deals and suspicious organizations have run rampant in Saintroix.”
“….”
But they hadn’t come away with nothing.
They had definitely made a discovery.
“We learned that this was connected to the ‘Black Temple.’ And we happened to cut off the ones who’d started infiltrating Saintroix. Even just finding this trail is a major gain.”
Beatrice brought out various documents and reports as she spoke. They detailed the suspicious activity the Black Temple had left behind in Saintroix.
“This group seemed to be a different faction from the ones who interfered with the Hero’s party. But headquarters will be confused when they find out that two organizations operating inside Gallia have suddenly vanished. And they’ll try to get to the bottom of it.”
“So they’ll now begin a full-scale investigation into the cause?”
“That’s right. From now on, they may start looking for ‘us’ in earnest.”
“….”
A full-scale confrontation.
She had expected it would come someday….
‘As expected, the faster we grow, the more traces we leave behind.’
In that case, we have to move even faster.
The original story had already gone off course and twisted out of shape.
We had no choice but to race ahead like mad and surpass it.
Thinking that,
Lydia said to Mirian.
“What happened to the people who were captured?”
“Those who came to their senses relatively quickly seem to be in a state of extreme confusion. In the worst cases, some had been abducted near their hometowns decades ago.”
The people who had been inside the jars.
Those who had been frozen in an intermediate state between dolls and humans had awakened. It seemed the force restraining them had been focused on the ‘Bishop of Greed,’ so they woke without any particular follow-up measures.
‘If they’d been conscious slaves, they would at least have known how much time had passed and where they were….’
They were confused.
-Where are we?
-Why were we here?
-What day is it?
Once they realized the truth, they despaired.
-W-what…? Twenty years have passed?! That’s a lie!
-I-I… I’m going home.
-Lies, it’s all lies!
Some of them eventually ran away.
Beatrice’s faction did everything it could to accommodate them, but it simply wasn’t enough to protect everyone. So they couldn’t stop those who chose to leave.
“….”
‘What can’t be helped, can’t be helped. All we can do is help those who remain here live as well as possible….’
And so, Beatrice agreed to handle things inside Saintroix. It couldn’t be helped, since this was where her faction and abilities were most useful.
Lydia spoke with an apologetic expression.
“Then from now on, Lady Mirian and I will head to the western city currently being visited by the Western Caravan. Lady Beatrice, thank you. I’m sorry to leave the people who were kidnapped in your care.”
“Don’t mention it~ Saintroix is my backyard. It’s not like I’ll have to work that hard anyway.”
Beatrice laughed cheerfully as if it were nothing.
Lydia grinned at her.
“…You’re planning to come back to the academy someday, right?”
“Of course! Once I sort this out, I’ll come running right back~”
“Wearing the bunny outfit?”
“Of course!”
*
One day, a carriage left Saintroix.
It passed through a tall, sturdy gate.
The road stretched toward a vast, open plain.
Clip-clop—
It was hard to get in, but easy to leave.
It was three weeks after they had entered Saintroix. Few knew that a princess, a Hero, a Saintess, a knight, and a witch were riding in that carriage.
That was why the group could travel in peace. Instead of taking the main road they’d used to come from the academy, they passed through areas frequented by the Western Caravan.
‘The others seem to like it more precisely because it isn’t the same old boring road….’
Lydia looked around.
A stream beside the road.
Arti and the others were playing there. It was the spot they’d chosen as a campsite while they let the horses pulling the carriage rest.
Aria giggled like a country girl.
Since they were playing in the water, droplets flew from her hair in every direction. She playfully splashed Arti with her palm as he sat idly on a rock.
“Arti! Take this—!”
Splash!
A huge wall of water swallowed Arti.
Arti panicked and scrambled away from the rock.
“Wah?! What is this—?!”
Splash—!
In the end, he looked like a drowned rat.
Watching that,
Mave waved her fishing rod around and said,
“Hey! Aria! If you splash around like that, won’t all the fish swim away?”
“Huh?”
Fish were floating all around the puzzled Aria. They’d been stunned by the shock wave caused by her splashing.
Mave saw them and dropped her fishing rod.
“…I can’t believe it.”
“Hehe, we’re having grilled fish for dinner.”
“….”
In the end, Mave gave up fishing,
and joined Arti and Aria in splashing around.
“Take this, you country bumpkin!”
“Aah?!”
“Ahaha! Come catch me, Arti—!”
Splash!
Leaving that scene behind,
Morgan was reading a book in the shade beside the carriage, far away. Every so often, she glanced at Lydia, then turned her gaze back to the page. Her red hair swayed in the cool breeze.
“….”
Lydia watched them and chuckled.
“How peaceful.”
Was that a flag?
Suddenly, the voice of a clumsy middle-aged man came from far away.
-H-huh? Saintess?
“?”
Lydia turned to look beside her.
A merchant stood there, looking flustered as he watched Arti and the others playing in the water. Their eyes met in an instant.
“Oh! Uncle Ross?!”
“S-Saintess….”
Aria suddenly furrowed her brows and strode over aggressively.
“Come here! Because of you, I ended up at that weird bunny party!”
“I-I really didn’t know it was a place like that…!”
“Do you usually go to places like that?!”
“N-no! I really didn’t know!”
Lydia got the gist of the situation.
“….”
‘Was he the one who happened to lead Arti and the others there?’