Chapter 5: Chance Encounter
The next morning, Rio and the others moved out of the stone house they had been living in and departed for Count Claire’s territory in the eastern end of the Beltrum Kingdom.
Rio, Aishia, and Orphia flew with their wind spirit arts while Celia, Miharu, Latifa, Sara, and Alma rode on the back of Orphia’s contract spirit, the giant eagle Ariel. By traveling like this, they made it to Count Claire’s domain before sundown.
The capital of the domain they had once visited before was called Cleia, where Celia’s family home was naturally located. The plan that had been decided with Celia was to descend in the forest near the city and set up the stone house as their base, then wait for nightfall before slipping through the darkness and sneaking into the estate grounds like before.
Roughly half an hour after entering the domain, the capital city could be spotted in the far distance, but—
“Haruto.” Aishia suddenly called Rio’s name.
“I know. Everyone, there’s still a little distance until the city, but we’re going to descend into the forest below us now,” Rio immediately directed.
“W-What’s wrong?” Celia asked, worried about the sudden descent.
Sara had a solid grasp of the situation, so she explained the reason to Celia. “There’s something flying near the city. We’ll be discovered if we approach like this, so we’re going to descend.”
“Is it an enchanted ship or something?”
“No, it’s probably some kind of creature. I saw a person on its back, so it was probably a griffon...”
“...Was it one of the griffons being kept at my house?” Celia wondered with a tilt of her head. While she did so, the party landed in the forest. They were surrounded by densely-growing trees, so it wasn’t likely that the person riding the griffon above would notice them.
“I’d like to see what’s going on, so can everyone set up the stone house and wait here? I might get lost on the way back, so Aishia should stay here, too. Professor Celia can come with me, since she probably knows the city well,” Rio said, giving his instructions briskly.
“Sure, but won’t we be spotted if we fly?”
“That’s why we’ll be running through the forest.”
“Umm, I can use the enchantment for physical ability, but I won’t be able to keep up with you...”
Celia was a typical non-athletic person. As a well-rounded sorcerer she could use all kinds of magic, but even with her physical abilities enhanced, she couldn’t keep up with Rio’s inhuman spirit art enhancements.
But the bigger problem was the fact that the brain couldn’t keep up with the physical boost of the magic. Just enhancing the physical ability wasn’t enough—the athletic senses to control the enhanced body’s movements was also necessary. Celia was completely lacking in that quality. Running in a forest with such unstable footing was out of the question. However—
“It’s okay. I’ll carry you and run. It’ll be shakier than flying through the sky, though.” Problem solved.
“G-Got it.” Hearing that she would be carried by Rio made a faint blush appear on Celia’s cheeks.
Less than an hour later, Rio and Celia reached the capital of Cleia.
“...Huh? It’s the Aerial Knights of the Beltrum Kingdom. I wonder why they’re here?”
After getting close enough to the city, they stepped out onto the main road, where Celia stopped and looked up at the sky. Circling above them were the Aerial Knights of Beltrum, riding their griffons. Griffons were known as the lions of the skies, famous for being the other rulers of the skies apart from dragons, and were extremely intelligent.
Some kingdoms domesticated them to use as mounts, but they had volatile tempers and mostly lived in mountain habitats. Their upper bodies were like birds of prey, so their high-pitched screeches were characteristic to them.
“If they’ve dispatched the valuable aerial forces, then something big must have happened... For now, let’s get into the city and gather information.”
“Yeah.” Celia nodded with a stiff expression. Thus, the two of them set off for the city.
At the moment, Rio and Celia were in the square of the residential district outside Cleia’s outer walls. They wore plain robes and hid their faces under hoods as they walked.
“It’s not very lively, huh...”
“There are lots of people who don’t seem to have homes to live in... The unemployed and the migrants. And even though we’re outside the walls, there are lots of soldiers on patrol.”
Since the areas outside the city walls were largely exempt from taxes, in any city they were normally lined with stalls and filled with bustling activity. However, as far as Rio and Celia could see, there were few stalls and even less shoppers wandering about. Families and groups of people who had lost their homes were sitting around the edges of the square.
At a glance, there were more homeless people than expected.
“And the soldiers patrolling around aren’t from this territory. They’re all wearing the uniform of the kingdom’s army. What is happening...”
It seemed like the current atmosphere of Cleia was vastly different from what Celia was familiar with. She wore a sullen expression, shaken by the change in the air of her hometown.
Firstly, it was strange for the kingdom’s army to be stationed on the land of a local lord. With the exception of during wartime, the defense of each city was entirely the responsibility of the lord. It would normally be impossible for the kingdom’s army to intervene.
“Wartime... which we aren’t in right now. Which means the army is here for some kind of investigation, or as a precaution to something...” Rio said, offering some possibilities.
“Hey, you. The man and woman over there. Remove your hoods.” A lone soldier approached them with an order.
“Huh? M-Me...?” Celia flinched in surprise, but Rio removed his own hood.
“...It’s all right. Do as he says.”
“Okay...”
Celia removed her hood nervously. Her artifact-altered blonde hair reflected in the soldier’s eyes.
“...Tch. Get out of here.” The soldier only seemed to be paying attention to hair color, as he clicked his tongue and left.
It seems like they’re searching for someone, Rio presumed from the exchange just now.
One possibility would be the lord’s daughter—the Professor. But quite some time has passed since Celia disappeared. They weren’t as strict the last time we were here, so I doubt they would carry out such a large-scale investigation at this point in time...
Which made it highly likely they were searching for someone else.
“We may get questioned again if we put our hoods back on. I doubt we’d be suspected without cause, but it may be better to move with our faces revealed for now. Shall we leave our hoods down from here on? You may run into someone you know, so try and stay away from the noble district. I’ll go instead,” Rio suggested.
He was concerned that Celia’s above-average appearance would draw the attention of strangers, but it seemed better than being questioned by soldiers everywhere. The noble district was located deep within the city walls, so there was a low chance of encountering an acquaintance, and Celia’s hair was currently altered with a magic artifact so no one would recognize her at a glance. The risks were at an acceptable level.
“All right.”
“It doesn’t seem like the outskirts are doing well right now, so let’s head inside the walls.”
“...Right.”
And so, the two of them went inside the city walls.
Rio entered the city walls and escorted Celia to a cozy cafe before venturing closer towards the lord’s estate alone. He looked around at the state of things for thirty minutes or so before immediately returning to Celia.
“The security around the estate looks pretty strict. As expected, it was surrounded by soldiers as well. What should we do? Should we sneak in tonight as planned?”
“...If it’s possible to sneak in, then that’s what I want to do. But there’s no need to push ourselves if there’s a high risk of being discovered,” Celia said reluctantly. Based on what she had seen of the city until now, there was definitely something going on that bothered her.
“It’s possible. If we use the same secret underground passageway as last time, we should be able to blend in with the darkness of the night. And, on the off chance that we’re spotted, they’re still unaware of our presence here, and there are countless escape routes at night. The risk may be a little high, but I believe it’s worth sneaking in,” Rio said, in favor of infiltration to stop Celia from showing reserve.
“Thank you. I’ll be counting on you, then, Haruto.” Celia gave a pained smile and bowed her head.
Soon after, Rio and Celia went back to the stone house to pick up Aishia before returning to Cleia once more. Miharu and the spirit folk girls were to continue watching the house. Rio, Aishia, and Celia checked into a room at an inn and waited for the late hours of the night before finally commencing their attempt into Count Claire’s estate.
Campfires burned around the mansion, which was located at the top of a small hill. Soldiers patrolled the perimeter at every turn, making it impossible for a typical intruder to even get through to the garden.
However, for Rio, who could fly through the air using spirit arts, blending into the darkness of the skies that the guards weren’t watching wasn’t all that difficult. He knew his way in from the last time they came to deliver Celia’s letter after fleeing her wedding, so they arrived at the underground passageway without any issue.
After fiddling with the ground near the fountain and grabbing the hidden handle that appeared, Rio yanked the door up in a single tug. The staircase down to the passageway stood before them.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
The two of them descended down the stairs. While Rio was returning the opening to how it was before, Celia activated the magic artifacts acting as lamps along the wall.
Once the underground passageway was illuminated, they proceeded forward. After a short while, they stepped out into an open space underneath the mansion. Before them was a staircase that headed upwards, while to the left and right were several doors. Rio and Celia came to a halt before them.
“Let’s have Aishia check the state of the mansion in her spirit form. Are there any essence detection artifacts set up in your house?”
“There are, but they’re probably turned off. We do a lot of magic research using magic essence as a source of energy, so they’d be constantly activated if we kept them on.”
“I see.”
Like daughter, like family, it seemed. In which case, Aishia could just adapt with the situation as she went. But, just as Rio finished thinking, a door in the underground room suddenly opened. Rio immediately moved before Celia to cover her, putting on the hood of his black robe that he usually didn’t wear.
The person who appeared in the doorway was a beautiful girl. Her light purple hair was long and straight, her pupils were a deep violet, and her facial features held a refined elegance that was clearly of a different quality to the simplistic beauty commoner girls produced. She seemed to be similar in age to Rio.
...Princess Christina?!
It was the Beltrum Kingdom’s first princess, Christina. He had just met her at the banquet the other day, so there was no mistaking it. She was wearing lovely noble clothes that were designed around a purple base, underneath a pure white poncho. As soon as she spotted the hooded Rio in the passageway, she paled.
“V-Vanessa!” she yelled loudly, and another woman appeared in the middle of the doorway. She seemed to be in her mid-twenties; she was wearing a knight’s uniform and had a sword sheathed at her waist.
Her name was Vanessa Emarle, and she was the knight who had once brought the orphaned Rio from the slums to the castle at swordpoint. As soon as Rio came into Vanessa’s view, a sharp look appeared on her face.
“Who goes there?” she yelled, taking on a battle stance.
What do we do?
Should they reveal themselves, or should they run for now? It was hard to make a decision on the spot. In contrast, Vanessa showed no hesitation at all as she charged at Rio.
She didn’t seem as though she intended to kill, as she didn’t draw her weapon, but a dangerous light gleamed in her eyes.
There’s no time to think.
Rio moved forward to counter immediately, and the two of them made contact. Vanessa grabbed at Rio in an attempt to suppress him.
Slap!
He parried her arm lightly. Rio proceeded to grab that arm and immobilize her movements.
“Tch!”
Vanessa shook him off her arm in a hurry, thrusting her other hand at Rio’s abdomen. But Rio threw out a punch to knock Vanessa’s fist off-course, changing her trajectory.
“Fall back to the corridor!”
“Move, Vanessa!”
Rio and Christina both yelled at once, their voices echoing in the room. Vanessa was first to react, jumping aside as Christina held her right hand up and chanted a spell.
“Photon Projectilis!”
A small circle floated above her palm and three bullets of light flew out in succession.
The high speed bullets of magic energy came flying towards Rio. Even for a regular human there was a low chance of death upon impact, but each bullet had enough force to break a bone if contact was made in the right place. Rio used his spirit arts to enhance his physical body and abilities. He focused more magic essence into his hands to strengthen them. The bullets Christina released were all visible to him. His arm, shoulder, body—it was clear they were fired with the aim to seal Rio’s movements.
It would be easy enough to dodge them, but doing so would mean Celia, who was behind him, would be struck instead. Rio followed the path of the bullets and moved his hands.
“Wha...”
The photon bullets Christina had fired scattered and dispersed with the sound of an impact. It was an inhuman feat—even Celia was shocked by what happened.
Meanwhile, Christina felt a strong sense of deja-vu at the feat. The boy she had seen do the same thing at the banquet just two weeks ago was here, she realized, which was why she withdrew.
However, Vanessa suddenly kicked at the ground and approached Rio once again. Rio didn’t miss any of her movements—he was actually one step ahead as he rounded behind Vanessa in a moment and restrained her by pinning her arms behind her.
Rio then turned Vanessa around to face Christina like a shield.
“Princess Christina! Forget me and get this man!” Vanessa yelled at Christina in a panicked voice. She would probably choose death over being held hostage. It was the most admirable mindset of a knight, but—
Rio hesitated for a moment before he spoke to Christina. “...Please wait a moment. I only moved in self-defense, I have no intention of harming either of you.” He glanced back at Celia in confirmation.
Is this okay? He was asking.
The princess of her kingdom hiding in the underground rooms of her family home wasn’t a matter that could be ignored. On top of the army searching for someone in a frenzy outside, it was clear that something troublesome was going on. That was the conclusion he had reached.
Celia was already aware that the other person was Christina and nodded at Rio.
“Please, come forward,” Rio encouraged Celia.
Click. One of the doors that had been closed until now suddenly opened, revealing two boys in their mid-teens. To Rio’s surprise, their racial features were very similar to Japanese people.
“...W-What? What’s going on...?”
The sleepy-eyed boys had yet to fully realize what was going on and looked perplexed. Rio’s eyes widened at the sight of them.
“Don’t come out. You’ll only make things more complicated,” Christina scolded the boys.
“Ah, right...”
The boys retreated back into the room, but they left the door open to watch what was going on from inside. Then, Celia walked forward past Rio.
“Princess Christina.” She knelt before her respectfully.
“...Who are you?” Christina asked in confusion.
“It’s Celia Claire. Long time no see.” Celia removed her hood and lowered her head in another show of respect.
“Professor Celia...? Is that really you...? What’s with that hair color? I thought you were missing?” When Celia revealed herself and expressed her respect, the hostility completely fell from Christina’s expression and was replaced with extreme confusion instead.
“After I broke the wedding arrangement with Charles Arbor, I hid myself from society. I waited for everything to cool down before sneaking in here through the underground passage to meet with Father again, but...” Celia explained, giving a vague version of the truth.
At that moment, Rio released Vanessa. “I apologize for my actions. Please forgive my impoliteness.”
“N-No, I was the one who attacked first. We’re, umm, not really in a position to be discovered by anyone right now. My apologies.” Despite her confusion, Vanessa returned Rio’s apology. In that time, Celia had stood.
“So it was by your will that the wedding ceremony was suspended, Professor?” Christina asked in shock.
“Well, yes...” Celia nodded firmly to emphasize that she had left the wedding of her own will, but found herself at a loss for words when it came to explaining the events leading up to it.
“If I may be so presumptuous to speak, Your Highness, I was the one who assisted.” Rio removed his hood. He had determined with certainty from their situation that she was currently in opposition of the Duke Arbor’s faction that controlled the Beltrum Kingdom.
“So you are Sir Amakawa... But why are you with Professor Celia...?”
Christina had anticipated that Rio was Haruto Amakawa after seeing the way he deflected her photon bullet. But she couldn’t shake off her confusion, unable to understand the connection between him and Celia.
“...If I may ask, would you be willing to exchange information? I asked Haruto to bring me here in order to find out exactly what is going on in the Claire territory right now,” Celia said, launching into a simple explanation on how she got there.
“I understand. After I attended the banquet that Sir Amakawa was also present at, I returned to the Beltrum Kingdom. Then, I fled from the castle. Unfortunately, my pursuers caught up with me, preventing me from traveling any further. The only reliable ally I had was Count Claire, and I know that I must be causing him a great deal of trouble, but...” Christina frowned in frustration. Celia’s father, Count Claire, was a loyal noble of the kingdom—in other words, Duke Fontaine’s faction. They were the third faction besides Duke Arbor and Duke Huguenot, though they had the least power.
“I see... When it comes to the matter of our princess, we are happy to help.” Celia shook her head. Though it was hard to process the situation with such a brief explanation, they were in the same boat.
“From the bottom of my heart, I am grateful for your loyalty to the crown...” Christina said respectfully. “...By the way, how did you end up with that hair color, Professor Celia? I remember your hair being a beautiful white color before.”
“Ah, umm. That’s...” Celia mumbled awkwardly. Artifacts that altered hair color generally didn’t exist in the Strahl region. Even a genius sorceress like herself had never seen such a thing until Rio handed it to her.
While there were many spell formulas in circulation in the Strahl region, not all of them were revealed to the public. Some were kept hidden and managed behind closed doors. Sorcery that used such spell formulas were known as secret arts, and they weren’t easily leaked to the outside world. Across the thousand-year history of the Strahl region, there had even been wars between kingdoms over such secret arts.
In this regard, the artifact used to alter Celia’s hair color had the same worth as a secret art, which was why she hesitated to reveal its existence—even to her own princess.
“It is altered by a magic artifact, Your Highness,” Rio answered on Celia’s behalf, whose loyalty had left her conflicted.
“So such artifacts exist...” Christina’s eyes lit up with curiosity, but she didn’t touch upon the topic any further. “Pardon me. Instead of standing around like this, why don’t we move to a different location to discuss things? There is a dining room over there.”
“O-Okay.” Celia watched Rio’s face as she nodded.
“If it would be inappropriate for me to hear the internal matters of your kingdom, I can excuse myself...” Rio voiced his concerns, unable to agree right off the bat.
“No, that won’t be a problem. If anything, I’d prefer to have you present. There’s no point in hiding it, so I will tell you this now: I currently have no power at all. That is, I’m unable to do anything without depending on those around me. That’s why I’d like to ask for the assistance of the honorary knight, if possible. I am aware of how impudent I may sound, but would you at least listen to my story?” Christina asked, boldly announcing the predicament she was in as she bowed her head deeply towards Rio. It would normally be unthinkable for royalty to lower their heads at nobility, much less nobility of a foreign kingdom. That was why this action showed just how desperate Christina currently was.
“...I understand. In that case, I will sit in with you,” Rio agreed.
“Thank you. Then let’s move right away... Oh, I forgot about Vanessa. Vanessa, introduce yourself to Sir Amakawa first.” Christina was about to head to the dining room right away when she realized Rio was still unacquainted with Vanessa.
“Yes, Your Highness. My name is Vanessa Emarle. I sincerely apologize for my actions earlier. I accompanied Princess Christina to the banquet, so I witnessed your feats first-hand. If possible, I hope you can lend that power to my princess.” Vanessa bowed her head deeply at Rio.
“I cannot promise anything now, but I intend on listening to her words. If I recall, you were the one behind Princess Christina at the tea party. Is that right?”
“I am honored that you remember.”
“I didn’t realize you were a familiar face while we were fighting. That aside, if you are an Emarle, does that make you a relative of the King’s Sword, Sir Alfred?” The King’s Sword was the title given to the strongest swordsman in Beltrum Kingdom.
“...You are aware of my brother?”
“Though I haven’t met him formally, when I was helping the Profe... Excuse me. When I was helping Lady Celia escape from her wedding ceremony, I crossed swords with Sir Alfred, who was one of the pursuers.” Rio explained their unexpected connection with a wry smile.
Vanessa stared at Rio with astonishment in her eyes. “I-Indeed, my brother mentioned such a thing... Since you successfully removed Celia from the ceremony, does that mean you accomplished your escape after crossing swords with my brother?”
“Well, yes.”
“I-I see... You must truly have impressive skills.”
“Not at all. Shall we relocate now?” Rio said.
“Please, come this way.” Vanessa led the four of them towards the door of the dining room. But, before they reached it, a boy called out to them.
“Umm... What should we do...?” One of the two Japanese-looking boys that had been completely ignored in the earlier fight raised his hand nervously.
“Who are they, Princess Christina?” Celia asked, glancing at the two boys.
“They’re... People who came to this world after being swept up in the hero summoning. How they came to this exact place is a bit of a longer story, though...” Christina pressed a hand against her head and looked perturbed.
“I see, so they’re Sir Rui’s friends,” Rio guessed immediately.
“D-Do you know Rui?” the other boy said. His words were not in Japanese, but the language of this world.
“Yes, we met at the banquet the other night...”
“I see...” A faint shadow appeared over the boy’s face.
“Is something the matter with Sir Rui?”
“N-No, nothing. Sorry for bothering you...” Though he denied the question, it was clear that something was the matter.
“How about the two of you introduce yourselves, as well?” Christina prompted.
“Ah, yes! Umm...” The boy with some kind of connection to Rui nodded nervously, but seemed to be at a loss on how to introduce himself.
“I’m Saiki Rei. Ah, that’d be Rei Saiki in this world. I’m an upperclassman to this guy and Rui, but I’m not someone so important that you need to remember. Anyways, it’s nice to meet you,” the other boy said. The words he used weren’t Japanese, either, but the common tongue of Strahl.
“No, I will remember you. I’m Haruto Amakawa. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” It was an amusing introduction, Rio thought as he returned the favor with a chuckle.
“Haruto Amakawa...” Hearing that name made Rei stare at Rio’s face. He probably thought the name sounded oddly Japanese.
Celia, who was familiar with Rio’s past life, could guess the reason for Rei’s suspicions. She greeted him to emphasize her presence. “Umm, I’m the daughter of the count who owns this mansion, Celia Claire. It’s nice to meet you, Rei.”
“Ah, h-hello.” Rei bobbed his head at her.
“And who are you?” Celia asked the more timid of the two boys.
“I-I’m Kouta. Kouta Murakumo. Nice to meet you.” Kouta bowed his head nervously and watched Rio and Celia’s faces. He also used the Strahl common tongue instead of Japanese.
Since they know Rui, these two are most definitely Japanese. I’m a little curious about how they learned the language of this world, though... Rio was interested in them, but now was not the time to be asking such questions.
“Hello. Nice to meet you,” Rio and Celia replied at the same time.
“We won’t keep you for any longer, then. Let’s talk again next time.” Rei urged Rio and the others to get back to their business.
“You two wait there. If you need anything, we’ll be in the dining room. Shall we go?”
Christina left behind instructions for Rei and Kouta before encouraging Rio, Celia, and Vanessa to move. Thus, the four of them left the two Japanese boys behind and seated themselves around the dining table.
Christina was first to open her mouth, providing the information Celia sought. “Professor, you said you wanted to meet your father—Count Claire will make his way to this basement later, before morning comes. The search party is staying inside the mansion, so it is difficult for him to move around.”
“Is that so... I was worried he’d be in the capital and we would have come here for nothing, so that’s good to hear. In that case, it seems like it’d be better to wait here until Father arrives.”
“Yes. There should still be some time until then, so I hope we can discuss various things in the meantime.”
“What shall we start with, then?”
“Let’s see. The first thing I am curious about is how the two of you fled from the castle. No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like you were abducted from that wedding ceremony...”
“I was not abducted. Like I said earlier, I asked Haruto to remove me of my own will,” Celia stressed.
“May I ask for the reason why?”
“...Embarrassing as it is to admit, I wanted to run away from my duties as a noble.”
“The duty you speak of is the political marriage with Charles Arbor—is that right?” Christina asked.
“Yes. A noblewoman will not always be able to marry the person they desire. I understand that this is the duty of all noblewomen, but I just couldn’t accept my political marriage to him,” Celia stated clearly, a dark expression on her face.
“Well, that’s only natural. I believe you made the right decision.” Christina supported Celia’s choice easily.
Celia’s eyes widened in surprise. “...It was the right decision?” she asked hesitantly.
“Indeed. Those in our positions are unable to freely choose our marriage partners. However, that is because we must marry for the sake of our families, or for our kingdoms. If a political marriage has no such benefits—or rather would bring about more evil than good—then there is no worth in adhering to such agreements,” Christina said with a smile.
Hearing Christina go as far as calling the marriage “evil”, Celia blinked in surprise. “...Your Highness, are you saying my political marriage with him would have been considered evil for the kingdom?” she asked.
“The existence of Charles Arbor and Duke Arbor are what is evil for the kingdom. Didn’t you flee from the marriage because you thought so, too, Professor?”
“...I did feel that it was wrong. They did achieve desirable results, but the methods of the Duke Arbor family were too high-handed.”
“But you didn’t have confidence in your decision?”
Celia smiled weakly. “It wasn’t up to me to decide whether I was right or wrong.”
“Then, did you regret it? Having Sir Amakawa take you away.”
She paused before shaking her head firmly. “...No, I have no regrets there.”
“Then it all worked out well, no?” Christina said with a smile. “Of course, there are some nobles who would disapprove of your decision and actions. However, you thought Duke Arbor’s ways were wrong. You believed it was right to leave the castle. You stuck to that belief of yours, and you have no regrets. Whether it was wrong or right doesn’t matter, because the ones to determine that will come in the future—it’ll be determined by us, the people who live in this kingdom... And I don’t know about anyone else, but I personally support your decision, Professor.”
“I’m fortunate to have you say that, but...” Celia smiled, not sure as to how to react.
“Isn’t it more important to think about what you want to do from here, Professor Celia? The fact that you’ve returned to this mansion means that you haven’t abandoned your status as a noble of our kingdom completely, no?”
“That’s... I don’t know whether I have the right after running away...” Celia looked anxious at Christina’s question.
“Oh? If it’s a matter of being a runaway, then I’m the same as you. But just because I left the castle doesn’t mean I’m abandoning my position as royalty. What matters is what I do from here on out as a royal, and what results I leave behind. I believe everything depends on that.”
Celia’s eyes widened at Christina’s determination. “...You’re a very strong person.”
She had been thinking something similar, but she lacked the confidence and wondered if she was allowed to do so or not. In contrast to her, Christina showed strong confidence and resolution. There was no doubt she had worried over it, too. There was no way a princess could have left the castle without any concerns—doing so was a sign of utter nonchalance or ignorance, and Celia knew Christina was neither.
So why in the world would Christina leave the castle?
“May I ask a question, too?”
“Of course—go ahead,” Christina replied without falter.
“Why would you go through such dangerous lengths to leave the castle?” Celia asked.
“I did it because Father entrusted the future of the kingdom to me. I left in order to seize that future. If I remained in the capital like that, at the very least, there would be no future for me. That’s why I decided to leave the kingdom, even if it was dangerous.”
“Seize the future of the kingdom... Just what were you trying to do, Your Highness?” Celia asked in awe, sensing the force of Christina’s determination.
“My first goal was to head to Rodania and join forces with the Restoration. After that, I’d carefully wait for the right time to move against the Beltrum government being controlled by the Arbor house and uproot their legitimacy and influence, promoting the Restoration as the legitimate power and reversing the power balance.”
Christina’s tone was truly dignified. But even if the Restoration had the second princess Flora and hero Hiroaki, with the current king and the hero Rui on the Beltrum government’s side, there was no way the Restoration could surpass their legitimacy. The kingdom’s side would be shaken if Princess Christina joined the Restoration, but it still wasn’t enough to overthrow them.
“...Can you do such a thing? How...?” Celia asked, incredulous.
“I can’t tell you at present, but I will be able to tell you once I reach Rodania. That’s why I must leave this basement by any means necessary and head to Rodania.” An unshakeable light dwelled within Christina’s eyes.
It was at this moment that Rio sought permission to join the conversation. “May I ask a question, too?”
“Yes,” Christina agreed.
“With all due respect, it sounds like the Arbor house has already seized power over the kingdom in every substantial way. I am curious about what more they would desire on top of that. If you have no objections, I would like to hear more regarding that,” Rio asked, probing after Duke Arbor’s goals.
“Sure. If Duke Huguenot is a rational and ambitious person, then Duke Arbor is an insatiable and ambitious person. He’s the type of person who wants to have his cake and eat it, too, whereas Duke Huguenot won’t cross that line. Can you figure out what I’m saying with this?” Christina stared at Rio closely.
Rio answered after a faint pause. “...Duke Arbor wants the crown.”
“Exactly,” Christina nodded.
“That means the current high-ranking royal successors to the crown are a hindrance in Duke Arbor’s eyes.” That meant the existence of the Restoration that was backing the second princess Flora was probably a thorn in Duke Arbor’s side.
“Yes. If I remained in the capital like that, I believe I would have been erased sooner or later,” Christina said in a calm and gentle manner.
“H-How could he! Such an unjust act of brutality would never be accepted...!” Celia yelled in shock.
The crown of the Beltrum Kingdom was succeeded by blood—this was absolute. The next king was decided in the order of those with higher rights to succession, and the absolute condition of succession was to be a direct descendent of the king. It was impossible for someone with less right of succession to inherit the throne when someone with higher rights was present.
The current children born between King Philip the Third and his first wife Queen Beatrice were Christina and Flora, who possessed the title of First Princess and Second Princess in succession, respectively. Below them were the children born from concubines.
Duke Arbor’s youngest daughter was one of those concubines who wedded King Philip the Third, but the right of succession for her child, Loris, was rather low.
“But it can be. Legitimacy can be provided by the hero, Rui. A hero is a disciple of the Six Wise Gods, the very beings who support the power and legitimacy of the throne. It wouldn’t be impossible for him to overthrow the throne succession to hand his own grandchild the next crown. That’s why the Arbor house had been strengthening their internal influence so greedily. In order to squash those who may object to that legitimacy.”
“Guh...” Celia gulped involuntarily.
“But, unfortunately for him, the hero Rui was summoned alongside his sweetheart. He tried to make his granddaughter Loris approach him to be his wife, but their efforts were in vain. Furthermore, Professor Celia’s abduction sullied their presence before the general public, so their influence has waned a little. Thanks to that, I was able to move a little more than before and decided to make my escape. I owe Professor Celia and Sir Amakawa my gratitude in that regard,” Christina said, smiling. Then, she looked at Rio. “That aside... Sir Amakawa. May I ask you several questions?”
“Yes. I shall answer to the best of my ability,” Rio agreed with a light shrug.
“I appreciate that. Then, may I ask about the relationship between you and Professor Celia?”
“I owe Lady Celia my life, you could say.” There were many ways he could express his relationship with Celia, but this was probably the most convenient one to use at the moment.
“You owe her your life, hmm... Incidentally, how did you two sneak in here? The security outside should be fairly strict...” Christina asked, narrowing her eyes.
“We did exactly that—we snuck in here normally,” Rio answered easily.
“Is it possible to do such a thing...?” Christina found it unbelievable, and looked at Rio as though to say just that.
“Yes, with Lady Celia alone. We’d certainly be able to leave here, as well.”
“You sure make it sound easy, when we can’t even leave if we wanted to,” Christina said with a dry smile.
“Umm, if the search parties are focused around Cleia, does that mean your location has pretty much been revealed, Your Highness?” Celia asked.
Christina nodded with a frown. “Most likely. It seems like Count Claire is being suspected of treason for assisting in our escape from the castle.”
“Did Father initiate your escape?”
“The king made the request of Count Claire to guide us. Leaving the capital and arriving here went smoothly enough, but our pursuers were sent here due to the suspicion on Count Claire. That was when we became unable to move further and have been hidden in this basement for several days now,” Christina said, explaining the events that had occurred until now.
A grim look appeared on Celia’s face. “...That makes sense, considering the current situation. That means this underground basement isn’t exactly safe, either.”
“Yes. The count is doing his best feigning ignorance, but it seems like he’s quite heavily suspected and it won’t be long until they run out of patience and forcefully conduct their search here. That’s why we were planning an all-or-nothing attempt to escape...”
“Which was when we appeared.”
“Exactly,” Christina nodded, watching Rio. Then, she bowed her head deeply. “Sir Amakawa. I am aware that this is a most impudent and reckless request, but could you lend me your power in order to escape this predicament? If I can overcome this desperate situation, I vow to give you the greatest reward in my power...”
“...What are you asking for, specifically?”
“To assist our escape from this mansion and escort us from Cleia to Rodania.”
“Your means of travel is by land—in other words, on foot, is that correct? And the subjects you want me to escort will be yourself, Vanessa, and Rei and Kouta in the other room,” Rio said, confirming the conditions without promising anything.
“Yes.”
“Even if we took the shortest route, it would take two weeks to reach the boundaries of the Restoration’s influence. Duke Arbor would have predicted your target destination of the Restoration already, making it necessary to make detours around every road and checkpoint there. Your Highness has light purple hair that stands out, and the two boys in the other room have black hair and unique features, too. There must be a search party in every city on the lookout for that, so moving in such numbers would be fairly difficult...”
Actually, most people would be stuck just trying to escape from this mansion itself. That was why Christina was hiding in the basement with no way out, after all.
“...Yes.” Christina nodded with a frown.
“I understand. If you accept all of the conditions I present to you under contract, then I shall accept your request,” Rio said eventually, a hand pressed to his mouth in thought.
“...Really?” Christina’s eyes filled with hope.
“Yes. Even if I refused, Lady Celia would have ended up accepting, anyway. She isn’t the type of person to abandon her kingdom’s princess in such a predicament, after all,” Rio chuckled, looking at Celia.
“Ah, umm...”
Celia, who had held her silence until now, made an uncomfortable face at having her sentiments utterly seen through.
“...I see. And what are your conditions, Sir Amakawa?” Christina smiled faintly as she asked for Rio’s conditions.
“Setting the minor details aside, I only have one main request: your complete support of Lady Celia if she ever decides to return to the kingdom as a noble. She should obviously face no repercussions for slipping away from the wedding ceremony, and you should make any and all necessary arrangements if trouble ever comes her way,” Rio said, entrusting the First Princess Christina to set the table for Celia’s return to nobility.
“For someone as great as Professor Celia, I would have happily done so even without being asked to...” Christina blinked as though to ask whether that much was enough.
“W-What are you saying?!” Celia asked Rio in shock.
“Whether you return as a noble or not is your choice, but it doesn’t hurt to secure better conditions for your options, don’t you think?” Rio grinned impishly.
Celia struggled to find her words. “Uh... Oh, fine. Thank you...” She ducked her face and thanked him shyly. Just then, a rumbling of something moving could be heard outside the dining room. It was followed by the sound of a buzzer ringing twice.
“It seems Count Claire has descended the stairs.” Vanessa immediately moved to open the dining room door.
“Oh, so you were in the dining room. And Princess Christina is here, too, perfect. I don’t have much time, so I shall give my report quickly—Hmm? Who’s that over there...?”
The voice of a dandy middle-aged man came from the other side of the door. Count Claire spotted Vanessa inside the room and briskly shuffled inside, coming to a sudden stop when he spotted Rio and Celia seated across from Christina.
Celia greeted her father a little awkwardly. “Ahaha. Long time no see, Father. Oh, right...”
She realized her hair color had been altered and removed the artifact, changing her hair back to normal. Celia’s father, Roland Claire, gazed upon her in a daze.
“C...Celia?! Why are you here?!” he shouted hysterically.
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