3
The pair in their snappy, white uniforms caught the attention of everyone on the street.
Walking down the shopping thoroughfare in the commoners’ district of the capital city of Lugunica was a handsome man, looking cool and elegant. He was joined by a young woman as beautiful as a blooming flower—a couple of rare loveliness. What’s more, both of them were knights of the kingdom, judging by their uniforms. The white cloaks they wore symbolized their status as members of the royal guard, an elite group of the most skilled and highly trained knights in the country.
However, only one of the two consistently considered this the ultimate source of pride for a knight. At the moment, the other half of the couple was walking with hands clasped behind, thin shoulders bouncing merrily.
“ Royal guard sounds like a nice title, but it turns out to be surprisingly boring meowst of the time, doesn’t it?” The speaker, looking around with wide eyes, was the flaxen-haired, cat-eared healer. A young woman—or at least, someone who looked like one. It was Ferris.
Ferris stretched out his arms, hands still clasped, and stifled a yawn.
“Staying loose is well and good, but yawning? You’re getting a bit too relaxed. And I question that remark about it being ‘boring,’ too. It behooves us to conduct ourselves in such a way that will not bring shame upon this uniform.” This scolding came from the handsome young man who was walking beside Ferris and had by no means missed the cat-boy’s battle with his yawn.
“Oh, you saw that, huh?” Ferris said, sticking out his tongue. “Fine, I give. You’ve got eyes like a hawk, Julius. Don’t you ever get tired, watching everything so closely?”
“It’s part of my job—our job. And anyway, our boredom is good news for the people.”
“Only you could recite a slogan like that and really mean it.” Ferris shrugged his slender shoulders, smiling wryly at his partner’s vigilance. In response, Julius allowed himself a smile that only his friends ever saw.
As it happened, the two of them were patrolling the capital on a public-safety round. The royal guard spent much of its time cooped up in the castle. However, routes like this, inspecting the capital firsthand and helping to prevent any crime, proved another important role for them. The pair’s knightly uniforms stood out even at a distance; two of them walking together would hopefully instill a deterrent effect simply by their presences.
“I feel like a scarecrow in a field. But I guess Ferri and his friend have one thing up on a scarecrow—we can walk around! And we’re better-looking!”
“There are those who would stay their hand in the vicinity of a knight, attractive or not. That gives meaning to what we’re doing… Ah, not that I’m denying your good looks.”
“Aren’t you so diligent and capable? Ferri can feel his heart racing!”
“If it’s joy that causes your heart to race, then it seems you feel much the same thing as I do in conversing with you.”
“Ooh, scary. Not the same way as Reinhard or the captain, though.” Ferris scratched a cheek in embarrassment, his cat eyes darting this way and that.
Julius and Ferris had known each other since the latter’s admission to the ranks of the knights, which was still not even a year ago now. Despite the brevity of their acquaintance, though, they had become fast friends, closer than they were to many of their other colleagues. They got along well, of course, but Julius felt the real driver of their friendship was the fact that they respected each other. The spirit mage had great admiration for those who could do what he could not, as well as others who spared no effort to better themselves. It was the same way he felt about Reinhard.
“Still, I suppose my respect for Reinhard is a beast of a slightly different color.”
“Hmm? Did mew say something?”
“No—I was just thinking, the marketplace seems rife with rumors of the royal family. I doubt it will be long before the royal selection becomes common knowledge. It seems neither wall nor door can truly keep one’s words from getting out.”
“…Yeah, guess you’re right.” Ferris sounded just a little more downbeat after Julius changed the subject.
The rumors currently on all the lips in the capital had to do with the extinction of the Lugunican royal lineage. Official word from the castle was that the king, Randohal Lugunica, was bedridden with illness but recovering. In point of fact, however, he was already dead, and the same illness that had claimed him had also killed every other person of royal blood in the kingdom. The result was that the entire ruling bloodline had been completely snuffed out.
No one knew where the information was coming from, but regardless, most of what floated around the marketplace contained a startling amount of truth, and it wasn’t uncommon to hear many a voice lamenting the future of the nation. Flush with anxiety, a handful of people had already approached the two royal guardsmen.
Perhaps that’s why we’re here.
Marcus, the captain of the royal guard, was not only a brave man-at-arms in his own right, but an astute thinker, attentive to this sort of detail.
“The captain’s wisdom never fails to impress me. The royal selection is rumored to start soon, and I doubt we will be able to avoid getting involved. Especially you, Ferris, my friend.”
“Mmm, mew’ve got that right. Ferri won’t stop at anything to help Lady Crusch!” The slight demi-human clenched a fist, his sweet features drawing tight with determination.
Although he was a sworn knight of the guard, Ferris’s formal allegiance was to Duchess Crusch Karsten. The duchess, regarded as one of the most talented women in the land, had been chosen as one of the candidates for the so-called royal selection, which would determine the next king of Lugunica. Once all five candidates were assembled, it would be incumbent on Ferris to support his lady as her first knight.
“Duchess Crusch Karsten…” Julius knew of her, though only in passing. She was a widely applauded genius of high ideals. The purple-haired man could certainly sympathize with the woman’s position, as she succeeded to the head of a prominent noble estate at such a young age and was now poised with the future of the kingdom potentially on her shoulders. Without a doubt, she was the most qualified candidate for the kingship. Beyond that, Crusch and Ferris had both kept close ties to the former royal family; the throne doubtlessly held no small importance to either of them.
Their passions must be equal to their histories. As Ferris’s friend, Julius had nothing but admiration for the cat-boy’s dedication to his mistress. Yet there remained a shadow of doubt, like a thorn prickling his heart.
Julius repressed the sensation. “Just be mindful not to exhaust yourself. Too much dedication can be a poison of its own. Remember to care for yourself as well.”
“Yeah, yeah. Julius, mew’re such a worrywart.” Ferris sounded no more bothered than usual.
“I knew you would say that. But still, as your friend—” Julius cut off his words midsentence.
“…? What’s up?” Ferris looked at him, puzzled. Julius seemed fixated on a bustling restaurant across the street, or perhaps it was something inside. The building was characteristic of the many other little establishments on the shopping boulevard, featuring a cramped interior with just a counter and a few tables to sit at. There were only a handful of customers; it was already too late in the day for lunch. However, one of the patrons stood out, though their back was to the knights. This person wore a short jacket dyed bright blue; their indigo hair was tied back behind their head. Underneath the jacket, they wore an unusual outfit called a kimono, the customary dress of the people of Kararagi. On this person’s feet were a kind of sandal called zori, which hailed from the same place as the kimono.
If that had been all, this person might have been just another distinctively clad traveler. But there was more.
“Huh…? Isn’t that—?” Ferris’s eyes went wide as he noticed the young man Julius was looking at. The spirit mage didn’t respond, for he was simply too shocked.
At the person’s waist hung two swords—it was unmistakably the distinctive appearance of someone who sought swords as prizes. Yet Julius wished it was a mistake, for it was too astonishing to see that person here.
“Ahhh! Now, that was a meal. My goodness, the food in the capital is ever so satisfying!” The young man nodded pleasantly, setting his empty bowl on the counter without ever noticing the two utterly stunned knights watching him.
“Very kind of you to say so, sir,” the clerk replied, pleased to see the empty bowl and the gusto with which the traveler had eaten. “Don’t often see a lad wolf down his food quite like that. Take it you were pleased?”
“And then some! I might say the quantity was a tad stingy, but the flavor more than made up for it. I’m used to big, bold flavors, so all the little details of kingdom cooking are a treat for my mouth.” The young man reached into his kimono for his purse as he shared this amicable conversation with the clerk.
The clerk’s eyes went wide when he saw the copper coin the blue-haired man had given him.
“Huh? Hey, mister, this—”
“Ah, I’m certain I don’t have any foreign currency left in my purse, so don’t worry if it’s a bit too much. Frankly, it would probably be worth less if I kept it, and I so rarely get to feel this way. Look at you, making money!” The young man stood from his seat, smiling at the flabbergasted shopkeeper. He gathered up the smattering of belongings at his feet and was about to leave with the same breezy confidence when…
“Oh?”
He noticed two pairs of eyes on him and stopped. The young, sword-bearing man traded stares with Julius and Ferris for a long moment, clearly in thought, then clapped his hands. “I remember now! Yes, you’re those slightly amazing people who managed to escape me alive!”
Julius and Ferris exchanged a look at hearing the young man’s voice so enthusiastic and at seeing his eyes so bright. The man in the kimono waved to them and sauntered over as if greeting his best friends.
“Hello, hello, long time no see! The Blue Lightning of Volakia, Cecils Segmund, appears before you once again!”
Cecils stood there with a completely earnest smile. The empire’s strongest fighter had evidently come to the kingdom uninvited, unchallenged, and completely unconcerned.
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