「A young man is really nice, un!」
The girl said so with a big smile.
「—How should I say—, I feel young again just by being near! Right?!」
“What’s「Right?!」?”—although he thought so, Dimitar didn’t say it. However, it seemed to have appeared clearly on his face, and the girl, who was bending herself forward through the window of the carriage greatly, pouted her lips and tapped Dimitar on the shoulder.
「Ah—, is that it, are you dissatisfied with my remark or something?」
「I didn’t say anything」
「However, you’re originally a more adorable boy, right? If you make such a sulky look, hora, that, isn’t it appropriate to think you’re dissatisfied or something?」
「…That’s dangerous, Your Eminence」
While clicking his tongue in his mind, thinking “What an irritating woman”, Dimitar pushed the girl back into the carriage gently, quickened the pace of his horse and overtook the carriage.
「Dii」
Lucius, who should have been at the front of the party, stopped his horse and waited for Dimitar.
「What’s the matter? Did something happened?」
「…It’s nothing in particular. However, that Eminence is just annoying, meddling in every single thing」
「She has taken a liking to you」
Lucius laughed in a voice that couldn’t be heard by the surrounding members.
「It’s not a laughing matter」
「Well, it’s not a bad thing to be favoured by that person. Think of the mission and endure it for a while」
「That’s… true」
Dimitar rotated his neck and gazed out over the grandiose party from the front to the rear.
Shakira Babel, the head Dominas of Ahmad guarding the “Hill of Seal” at Holy City Roma, was returning home for the first time in several years. Shakira’s hometown, Selsuru, was a distance of galloping a horse for two days and two nights from Roma, but since this wasn’t a trip where they had to hurry in particular, it had been decided that they’d take about five days to go there at leisure this time.
The ones taking on the responsibility of guards for the journey this time was the Seal Chivalric OrderTempliers Aegis, in which Jeffren Isaac, Ahmad’s crown prince, served as the leader. However, it was Vice-Leader Lucius who was substantially taking command of it. Isaac would sometimes look into the carriage and ask about Shakira’s mood; afterwards, he’d just gaze at the scenery of the countryside, swaying on his horse in a carefree manner.
「Anyway, please do well. If you complete the mission steadily, the assessments regarding you should change, and you’ll also get closer to becoming an official member」
「…It’d be good if that’s the case though」
Dimitar followed Lucius, who had patted him on the shoulder and returned to the front, with his eyes and sighed. The blueness of the sky with few clouds and the vividness of the greenery of the ground were dazzling to his eyes.
Incidentally, the gazes of his colleagues looking at him occasionally were irritating.
「—The youth there!」
Her Eminence, Shakira Babel, was bending herself forward through the window of the carriage again. The attendants accompanying her were frantically trying to pull her back inside the carriage, but she was completely unconcerned by it.
Dimitar responded to Shakira’s call while becoming fed up with her.
「…I’m Dimitar Richternach, Babel-geika」
「I heard that just now. —But hora, there’s another Richternach-kyou here, right?」
「That’s the vice-leader」
「Well then, can I call you “untitled Richternach-kyou”?」
「…If you can call me by that lengthy way of calling every time, it certainly won’t cause confusion. I don’t mind that though」
「That’s good, that’s good~, that sort of spirit. To not curry favour with those in power, I’d like the other members to follow your example too. Right?!」
Propping herself up with her elbows on the window frame, Shakira was smiling radiantly. No matter how one looked at it, she was younger than Dimitar, but this girl—no, this woman here had continued to be a Dominas for almost more than twenty years already.
When Dimitar looked at Shakira fleetingly with a sidelong glance, his gaze entwined with hers.
「N? What’s the matter? Do you have something that you want to say to me, untitled Richternach-kyou?」
「…I heard that you and the head director are old friends」
「That’s right. Dominas are without doubt Ahmad’s magic warriorsMarefikos as well, so it’s not possible that I’ve nothing to do with the magic academyPrasa Marefikos」
「That’s not what I meant. I mean on a personal basis」
「Of course we are」
At present, the one serving as the head director of Ahmad’s Royal Magic Academy was Lucius’s mother and Dimitar’s foster parent, Orvieto Richternach. That Orvieto and Shakira were acquaintances since childhood. It might also be because Dimitar was Orvieto’s relative that Shakira had an eye on him.
Dimitar stared at Shakira and murmured in a whisper.
「…How old is Your Eminence now?」
「You actually asked something that is awkward to ask without any hesitation」
「I don’t think it’s awkward to ask in particular. I genuinely want to know and I felt that you wouldn’t get angry even if I asked」
“Though I also don’t think you’d answer honestly,” Dimitar added in his mind and snorted. It seemed that this girl—no, Her Eminence enjoyed teasing him and watching his reaction. If that was the case, Dimitar wanted to make a small counterattack and satisfied himself even if a little.
「According to the rumour going around town, Your Eminence knows a magic with which you won’t grow old. That’s why you can still be young like that and be a Dominas indefinitely」
「I was certainly told so」
「Is that true?」
「It’s a secret」
He had been completely made fun of by her.
Dimitar’s face, which was usually cold, became even more sour, and he kept his mouth shut.
「—By the way, untitled Richternach-kyou」
「What is it?」
「As one would expect, this way of calling is long and troublesome」
「Didn’t Your Eminence say that you want to call me like that?」
「Un, that’s the case, but I’ve already stopped that. I’ll call you “Dii”. It seemed that the titled Richternach-kyou called you so just now; perhaps Orvieto also calls you so, right?」
「…Well, yes」
「Then I’ll do so too. It’s short and simple. —Hey, Dii-kun」
「…What is it?」
「You don’t fit in with the other members, huh」
Although Dimitar felt his cheek twitch reflexively, he calmed his heart, which was beating fast, and answered in a particularly low voice.
「…You can tell, huh」
「That’s only natural, since I’ve been watching you the whole time from the time we left Roma. The observation of adorable boys is one of my hobbies♪」
Resting her chin in her hands, Shakira spoke as if singing. The figure of her doing so was just like a girl from anywhere, but Dimitar was starting to vaguely feel that she was a middle-aged woman that was hard to deal with on the inside.
「You’re fifteen?」
「Yes」
「There are many nobles who want their sons to join the Seal Chivalric Order, right? After all, it’s an honour」
「Even if you call it an honour, it’s not as much as that of Dominas-sama」
「I’m guessing that… the other members are jealous of you? Though you’re an apprentice, it’s rare to become a member of this chivalric order at the tender age of fifteen, after all」
He certainly thought so. He heard that they also made quite a fuss when Lucius became a member at fifteen as well. Considering that he was appointed vice-leader in merely four years after that, Lucius must be much more amazing than Dimitar, but the fact that no one was jealous of him because of that—though it seemed that a section of the members was jealous of him—might be due to Lucius’s gentle personality and his perfect ability.
「In their case, it must be better for their mental health to think it was because the vice-leader and the head director of the magic academy pushed it through that you could become a member」
「I guess so. …I’ve never ask the people themselves though」
Dimitar was aware that he wasn’t welcomed here. He understood this from the cold gazes and the atmosphere.
However, he didn’t care about it.
「—Oh, I can see a town!」
As if forgetting that the atmosphere had become worse due to the subject she herself had broached—or rather, this important person surely wouldn’t think it had become so because of herself in the slightest—Shakira gazed at the silhouette of the town that had appeared dimly in the path of the party and clapped her hands.
♦♦♦
The quota of the Seal Chivalric Order was fixed to be eighty-nine people.
Since its establishment, it had neither increased nor decreased. Even if a vacancy appeared, since a great many people wanted to join, the vacancy would be filled immediately. The status of a Seal Chivalric Order member was that valuable to the young noblemen.
All current eighty-three official members and about twenty apprentices, who were aiming for the remaining six quotas, were participating in the mission this time. The rest were the ten or so attendants who took personal care of Shakira. It was a large group of more than one hundred people in all.
Almost all of them were putting up countless tents on the outskirts of the town and encamping at night.
In short, it was also because of that that Dimitar was shouldering the spear, which he wasn’t accustomed to using, and standing up straight near the bonfire.
The Seal Chivalric Order, which was composed of influential nobles’ children, often used military exercise as a pretext for leaving the holy city, but the fact was that it was a mere journey to go on a pleasure trip. After all, the members were merely green young men from well-to-do families who didn’t know hardships, so they absolutely wouldn’t encamp at night. The planned site for the military exercise would always be close to a large town, and all the members would stay at an inn. Rather, places that didn’t have inns at which all the members could stay wouldn’t become the proposed site for the military exercise from the beginning.
That it’d become a situation where they had to encamp at night for tonight was simply because there wasn’t an inn that had a capacity of that much in this town. In the first place, if not for the irregular mission to guard the Dominas returning home, this west Selsuru wasn’t a town that the Seal Chivalric Order would come to. In the end, only Shakira, the Crown Prince and Lucius could rest on soft beds; most of the members had to pitch camp outside the town and encamp at night.
However, for Dimitar who wasn’t very particular about the softness of the bed, whether it was the bed of an inn or a mattress of grass, either was fine. If he could be freed from Shakira who would irritatingly play with people, he even thought it was also fine to sleep outdoors without a tent.
「…This is sufficient as long as it doesn’t get colder」
Stifling a yawn, Dimitar stroked his neck.
Figures of members sitting down and dozing near the countless burning bonfires could be seen here and there. Only a very few members besides Dimitar were standing guard seriously.
In a sense, the Seal Chivalric Order, which the Crown Prince led, possessed a nature like that of a squad of imperial guards, but honestly, its quality wasn’t high. Being composed of nobles’ children meant that, roughly speaking, many behaved like a spoilt child and had no willpower. The few decent members would break free from the lower position soon, so the ones assigned such painful work, which would come up occasionally, were dropouts of good lineage who didn’t even want to make an effort to get out from there, or new apprentices like Dimitar.
Nevertheless, these lazy appearances of theirs were painful to watch. Lucius said that the Crown Prince seemed to be thinking about changing the nature of such a chivalric order; at this rate, the chivalric order of imperial guards that the Crown Prince led would certainly be shameful.
It wasn’t for the sake of guaranteeing the safety of those lazy guys that Dimitar was keeping night watch seriously. Dimitar, who had made his neck produce a “koki koki” sound, decided to leave that place and patrol somewhere else.
Shakira was born in the Selsuru further east of here. It was once a small village, but with the matter of bringing a Dominas into the world as the impetus, it became a town that had a moderate population now. That Shakira would frequently stop by the neighbouring towns and villages whenever she returned home—though it might be very troublesome for the army and chivalric order that were assigned the role of guards—might be because she wanted to spend money, even if a little, in her birthplace.
—When Dimitar shouldered his spear and walked while thinking about such a thing, he heard the scream of a girl.
「—」
Dimitar sighed softly and walked towards the voice at a quick pace.
Although one might call it a town, west Selsuru was originally a small agricultural village, and cultivated land spread out along the highway. If one left the camping site, the surroundings were already pitch dark.
In the darkness with just the starlight, a small light was moving in an appearing and disappearing manner. That light, which had become more distant from the camping site and gone into a cornfield prior to its harvest, was dragging along an intermittent scream that seemed to be muffled. A bottle of wine, of which its cork wasn’t pulled out yet, a lump of big cheese and also an empty basket were lying around nearby.
「…Humph」
Dimitar thrust his spear into that spot and rushed into the cornfield while rolling up the sleeves of his uniform.
「—Oi」
「!?」
Inside the forest of tall corns, four men and women looked back at Dimitar’s voice. Three of them were young men wearing uniforms identical to Dimitar’s—in other words, they were members of the Seal Chivalric Order. And then, the other person was a girl of approximately the same age as Dimitar. Judging from her clothing, she was most likely a girl from this town.
However, the girl’s mouth was covered by the young men, and her cheeks were wet with tears; the clothes she was wearing had been torn here and there with all their strength.
「Well, it’s obvious at a glance」
Dimitar, who had spat out in a whisper, with the force of rushing in, drove a kick into the solar plexus of the man who was covering the girl’s mouth.
「Gubuo—」
The young man who was blown off flashily clutched his stomach and groaned.
「You—!?」
「Richter—」
He also drove his fist into the remaining two young men in succession and tore them off from the girl for the time being. The lantern the young men were holding dropped to the ground, and the surroundings became dark in one breath, but Dimitar’s eyes, which had got used to the darkness, caught the young men’s surprised expressions clearly.
「Your reactions are so bad」
Dimitar protected the girl behind him and looked down at the three people lying down on the ground. Although he didn’t know their names, the three people were all official members, so they were equivalent to seniors to Dimitar.
When Dimitar had looked back over his shoulder at the extremely frightened girl and put his index finger up in front of his lips, telling her 「be quiet」 with the gesture, he turned round towards the three people again.
「…With all due respect, what on earth are you trying to do on the land related to Babel-geika, Seniors?」
Even though Dimitar asked so, the three people didn’t answer. One person had been continuing to leak out groans while clutching his stomach since just now. Although the remaining two people’s noses were crushed and they had fallen on their bottoms, it didn’t seem that they couldn’t talk. The gazes they were directing at Dimitar were overflowing with intense animosity.
Immediately afterwards, it became a realistic action and erupted.
「This…! Stupid brat!」
The young man whose half of the face was coloured deep red by the nosebleed jumped to his feet and tried to pull out the sword he was carrying on his waist.
「…Do you not understand the meaning of me purposely dealing with you barehanded? You’re so stupid」
Extending his right leg lightly, Dimitar pressed the hilt of the other party’s sword down with the sole of his boot. Easily preventing the other party from drawing his sword with that, he casually hit the startled young man, whose movement had stopped, hard on the side of the face.
「Bogu…—gya」
Just when the other party staggered, leaning to the right, he did a follow-up attack with a hook from the opposite side like a counter. With a muttered groan, the young man made one full turn and collapsed.
Without a moment’s delay, Dimitar stared at the other young man.
「Doraaa!」
From Dimitar’s point of view, the movement of the young man who had somehow drawn his sword and was about to cut him down was really clumsy, and perhaps his nose was clogged up by the bleeding, even his shout of fighting spirit sounded strange in some way; Dimitar had more trouble suppressing his laughter than dodging it.
「…You should have run away first」
Dimitar easily dodged the thrust, which the other party didn’t put his back into, lightly drove his left and right fists into the young man’s face and lightly kicked him in the groin from below as the finishing.
「Nga—!?」
Dimitar kicked the young man, who had clutched his groin and sunk down to the ground, hard in the nape of the neck, making him faint completely, took a deep breath greatly and looked around his surroundings.
Among the three ruffians, one person continued to squirm the whole time while vomiting the contents of his stomach. However, as for the degree of his injury, one could say that his was the lightest. The nose of another person was completely broken, and the last person lost a few molars, and they were all suffering from concussion. There was no doubt that their faces would most likely swell up horribly tomorrow morning.
Nevertheless, even though things might appear this way, Dimitar thought this should still be light as punishment for the dishonourable attempted rape that the people of the chivalric order of imperial guards had perpetrated.
「…Though a person of low standing like me saying this is that, we’ve done something inexcusable」
Dimitar looked back at the trembling girl, who was squatting down on that spot, and gently held out his hand to her.
「N, no—」
「Are you from this village?」
「Yes」
「I’ll take you home」
「T, thank you very much. B, but—」
The girl, who had borrowed Dimitar’s hand and stood up, looked at the three young men and faltered. It seemed that the trouble she was involved in had somehow become a serious matter, and she might be feeling uneasy in another sense.
「You don’t need to worry」
Dimitar urged the girl and started to walk.
「—If you don’t feel satisfied even though things may appear this way, I don’t mind if you tell the leader of the chivalric order to that effect. He’ll hand down appropriate punishment to those three people」
「No, I’m not dissatisfied…」
The girl, who had finally regained her composure, showed a small but awkward smile and shook her head.
Dimitar came back to the place where he had stuck his spear upright and picked up the wine and cheese that were lying around.
「I’m really sorry. You intended to deliver food and drink to us, right?」
「Y, yes… my father said to at least deliver sake to the members who couldn’t stay at the inn—」
「Please tell your father that we accepted them with thanks」
Brushing the dirt off lightly and biting into the cheese, Dimitar smiled.
♦♦♦
People in the world were saying that Shakira Babel had cast a spell on herself. That was to say, she cast a spell with which she wouldn’t grow old.
In reality—although one might say that, it was a hearsay Lucius heard from his mother—it seemed that Shakira had hardly grown older. Shakira, who was chosen to be a Dominas at merely thirteen years old, was praised as the possessor of the greatest magic ability in Ahmad at that time, but Shakira’s appearance would pass as a thirteen-year-old girl even now. In fact, Shakira, who was sitting at the same table as Lucius and having a meal, only looked like a voracious girl that could be found anywhere.
「—Is there something on my face, titled Richternach-kyou?」
Shakira carried the wine glass to her mouth with both hands, looked at Lucius with upturned eyes and asked.
「It’s not like that in particular… I’m sorry, Your Eminence. The, um, “titled” you’ve been saying since just now is—?」
「It’s that, to differentiate between the untitled Richternach-kyou and you. Titled Richternach-kyou」
「Isn’t that… troublesome?」
「Un, it’s troublesome. That’s why I decided to call that person “Dii-kun”. I overheard you calling him so, after all」
Wiping her lips lightly with the tip of her little finger, Shakira narrowed her eyes. At first glance, she was a girl; however, there was clearly a brilliance that gave one the impression of an adult woman in those pupils.
「Lucius-kun, what have you been talking about with Her Eminence since just now?」
The Crown Prince gracefully cut the roast of a calf, on which gravy containing mushrooms was poured, into small pieces with a knife, carried it to his mouth and then asked Lucius.
「We’re talking about Dimitar who joined recently. He’s my relative」
「Ah, him. …That’s why you call him “Dii-kun”, huh」
Isaac nodded exaggeratedly and smiled.
「—Our Vice-Leader is much more capable than me, but it seems that he’s very soft on that relative of his」
「That seems to be the case」
「With all due respect, I don’t mix work and private matters」
「I think answering back like that, for instance, is the cause of you being called soft on him」
「……」
Pointed out by Isaac, Lucius kept his mouth shut.
Even without Isaac saying it, the fact that Lucius was too overprotective of Dimitar had been pointed out—mainly by the maid in his home, Thial—several times so far. However, it was natural that Lucius would worry about Dimitar who was like a brother, and Lucius didn’t think that was overprotective. Most importantly, paying attention to this and that word and action of Dimitar, who wasn’t good at associating with people, was not only for the sake of avoiding needless trouble but was also necessary for the sake of the House of Richternach.
“That’s why I’m paying attention to Dimitar in various ways, so I’m by no means overprotective”—enduring the matter of wanting to assert so, Lucius moved his knife and fork. He’d surely be teased by both Issac and Shakira again if he said that.
「—The food here is delicious」
The salad, of which violet flower, lettuce and onion were cut fine and an orange-flavoured dressing was sprinkled from above, though simple, was very delicious. The rabbit stew, which was seasoned with spice, was also on the same level as what one would spend money to eat in the capital. It seemed that there was quite a skilful chef in this inn.
Shakira spoke while rolling a boiled egg vigorously on the table.
「—It seems that they went out of their way to call in a chef to coincide with me returning home」
As Shakira would stay here without fail when she returned home, this inn, which was the only one in the town, added a detached room just to accommodate her. Twice in several years, Shakira would just stay overnight each time when going and coming back; it was never opened for other guests. Thinking about that, it was probably nothing special to employ a competent chef for a limited time.
Moreover, Shakira returning home provided economic financial leeway to the towns and villages which were along the way to the extent that it was profitable nevertheless.
「The truth is that I quite wanted to retire, but when I think of everyone at my hometown, I feel that I have to cling on to my position at all costs」
「Cling, you say… Your Eminence is indispensable to our country. It’ll be troubling if you retire so easily」
「Oh my, Your Highness said a compliment you don’t really mean」
Shakira sprinkled salt on the boiled egg and smiled.
「Even though Your Highness was still nowhere to be seen when I became a Dominas, you’ve become able to speak quite good like this now… then of course I’ll grow old too」
Although her manner of speaking was just like an old woman’s, the boiled egg she was nibbling should be the seventh one, if they remembered correctly. Her body was small, but she ate a lot.
Lucius sighed lightly and poured wine into the Crown Prince’s and Shakira’s glasses.
「—I heard that Your Eminence seems to be the same age as my mother」
「Is that so?」
「I heard it so from Mother」
「It’s that, you’ve been deceived. After all, I’m younger than Orvieto as one would expect, you see」
As Orvieto also possessed an outward appearance that was far younger than her actual age and an unsurpassed magic talent, she was called by a second name which was “Witch of Sunlight”. From the fact that she and Shakira were collectively called the “two matchless people”, the extent of her true strength could be understood.
「That girl too—, you don’t know what she’s thinking about in her mind while she’s smiling, right?」
Even if she said “right?”, it was impossible that Lucius, who was Orvieto’s son, would answer “that’s right”. Ignoring the glum vice-leader, Shakira drank up the next wine she had just received in one gulp and put the glass on the table with a tap as if requesting Lucius to pour wine.
「Even though she was only thinking of becoming a Dominas together with me, she started talking about quitting halfway… and when I realised, she had already taken a husband; on top of that, she even gave birth to a child with a “poron”」
「I wasn’t born with a “poron” though…」
Lucius cleared his throat softly and poured wine into Shakira’s glass again.
It seemed that Lucius’s mother, Orvieto, and Shakira had a relationship where they competed with each other, aiming to be Dominas together. However, Orvieto quickly dropped out from the competition with the reason that it was for the sake of giving birth to a successor to the House of Richternach, but without neglecting her diligent study of magic only and after continuing to polish her skills, she had taken up the responsible position as head director of the Royal Magic Academy now.
Shakira playing with Dimitar and teasing Lucius like this might be because of the rival relationship between Shakira and Orvieto, which spanned twenty years.
At that moment, Shakira’s head suddenly dropped to the table.
「Hey—?」
「Your Eminence!?」
Seeing Shakira’s forehead knocking against the table, not just Lucius, even Isaac half-rose to his feet from the chair reflexively.
「Your Eminence! What’s the matter!?」
「…How nice it must be for Orvieto…」
「Ha…?」
「She has a son who is so well-balanced and serious, and an adopted son who is slightly naughty and mischievous; on top of that, both are handsome young men… isn’t that unfair?」
「Y, Your Eminence…?」
「Oh dear… it seems that our Eminence is drunk」
Isaac evaluated Shakira, who was grumbling while lying flat on her face on the table, so and leaked an insipid laughter.
「—Babel-geika who is called “Dominas of Eternity”Domina Permanence probably also has various hardships that we ordinary people can’t understand」
「……」
Lucius shrugged his shoulders and looked down at Shakira, who had started to breathe quietly while sleeping before they realised it.
When she was like this, she really looked like nothing but a girl who still retained her innocence, but if she felt like it, the current Seal Chivalric Order could be annihilated by her in the blink of an eye.
That was a skilled Dominas.
「—Come to think of it, Lucius-kun」
Isaac spoke to Lucius, who had carried Shakira to the bedroom together with her attendants and then came back, while shaking his wine glass.
「When we arrived here in the evening, the mayor of this town consulted, …or rather, appealed to me when I was drinking tea together with Her Eminence」
「What is it?」
「It seems that a nasty bunch has been making frequent appearances in this area recently. He doesn’t know whether they’re bandits or a group of robbers though」
「Ah… if I remember correctly, I heard that the bandits who had made an abandoned fort in north Selsuru into their headquarters were subjugated and annihilated by the army about half a month ago. Isn’t this most likely the deed of those remnants?」
「That’s to say, this is the jurisdiction of the army, right?」
「At the very least, it’s not a domain we should interfere in」
「I see… well, our top priority mission is to drop Her Eminence off and then pick her up later while we’re doing a military exercise」
「Yes. …However, from Babel-geika’s point of view, she’ll probably want to do something about it immediately」
Shakira was regarded as the head of all the Dominas by not only Ahmad but also the “Holy Alliance”Liga Santourear; the situation where degenerate ex-bandits were rampant in Shakira’s hometown, her home territory, so to speak, would probably pain her heart, and it was by no means a glorious matter for Ahmad.
「Let’s make a request to organise a punitive force immediately」
Putting his empty glass down, Isaac stood up.
「—Not being able to catch all the bandits in one fell swoop is the ineptitude of the punitive force. I have to say a few words to Minister for Military Affairs Garrido-kyou」
「Your Highness, writing a letter to him is all right, but please be careful with your expression」
「N? Expression?」
「Garrido-kyou is a proud person. Failing to catch a section of those thieves is certainly the ineptitude of the punitive force, and regarding the military movements, the minister for military affairs should take responsibility in the end, but having said that, if you write in a way which criticises that situation too much, since it’s that Excellency, he might get angry…」
In which case, the response would, on the contrary, be late, and the people on this land would be troubled as a result. Minister Barjols Garrido was not only proud but also stubborn; he was an ex-soldier of such an old-fashioned type.
Isaac put his hand on his chin and nodded with a triumphant expression.
「I see… you have a point there. In short, you want me to aptly flatter that sort of stubborn old man in order to get him to do things?」
「…In summary, you’re not wrong」
“I didn’t say that Garrido-kyou is a stubborn old man though,” Lucius added and smiled wryly. If he didn’t deny that properly, this Crown Prince was a young man who might tell a lie like 「Come to think of it, Lucius called you a stubborn old man」 to the person himself.
♦♦♦
The next morning, when Dimitar and the others came out from their tents, the town had already woken up completely and was starting to spend a day that was the same as usual.
Although it was called a town, this place was originally a local agricultural village, and the lifestyle wasn’t so different from before. One would get out of bed at first light, do farm work until evening, and then go to bed without staying up late. In the eyes of such people, the chivalric order group who got out of bed after the sun had risen on the other side of the mountain ridge must have looked very lazy.
When Dimitar was fastening his luggage to the horse’s saddle in preparation for departure, Lucius came here at a quick pace while receiving morning greetings from many members.
「Dii」
「Yo」
Raising one hand lightly, Dimitar raised his lips.
The fact that Lucius, who would distinguish between public and private matters properly, addressed him as “Dii” in a low voice for fear of attention meant that Lucius probably didn’t call out to him to instruct him on something as the vice-leader. Therefore, Dimitar also responded as the younger childhood friend.
「Is your preparation completed?」
「Almost」
「If that’s the case, let’s take a walk」
「We’re departing very soon, right?」
「Her Eminence is still washing her face. It’ll take nearly one more hour」
Saying so, Lucius patted Dimitar on the shoulder lightly and started to walk.
「—The town mayor came to the inn early this morning to greet us」
「He’ll probably come to see us off at the time of departure anyway. This town mayor is so free」
「Rather than greet… he came to thank us for another matter」
Lucius looked at Dimitar fleetingly with a sidelong glance.
「…It seems that the town mayor sent people to deliver food and drink to the chivalric order last night while they were encamping at night」
「Ah…」
「Do you know?」
「We were treated to cheese and wine」
「The town mayor’s only daughter was among the people who brought the food and drink, …but it seemed that that child was almost raped by the people of the chivalric order」
「That’s terrible. Even though she specially brought the food and drink, the person herself was almost eaten, huh. What a big problem」
Dimitar answered as if it was somebody else’s problem and smiled. Lucius saw that and dropped his shoulders with a sigh.
「As expected, it was you, huh…」
「I’m not so hungry for women that I’ll attack such a young girl, you know. In the first place, young girls aren’t my cup of tea」
「I’m not saying that you did that kind of inexcusable behaviour. …The town mayor said that he wanted to properly thank the young member who had saved his daughter when she was in danger. You were the one who saved that child, right?」
「…Hmm, I guess so. I never knew that that girl is the town mayor’s daughter though」
Since he understood that it was pointless to play dumb, Dimitar nodded honestly.
「…You overdid it」」
「Is that so? Did I do something unnecessary?」
「No… you did well in a sense that you prevented a dishonourable action of the group, but—」
「You’re not speaking clearly. What on earth do you mean?」
「That’s why I said that you overdid it. The other parties whom you beat up are a little…」
「The other parties? Come to think of it, I couldn’t tell exactly because it was dark, but who were they?」
「They’re probably Michel and his followers. This morning, they said that they’d by no means come out from their tents, so when I went to see the situation, their faces were covered with conspicuous bruises and were terrible」
「I suppose so. —So, those people said that I did it?」
「The people themselves said that they got drunk and fell down, but I know that that’s not the case when I saw it. Those are injuries from being hit」
「Well, they tried to rape the town mayor’s daughter who had come to deliver food and drink, after all. They’re probably idiots」
If they told Lucius the truth, even their own dishonourable criminal act would come to light. Besides, it took them three people to deal with a barehanded apprentice; moreover, it was probably so embarrassing to be beaten up without even being able to counterattack even though they drew their swords that they couldn’t say it at all.
Standing on top of a slightly elevated hill that was slightly distant from the camping site, Dimitar spoke while watching the tents being folded.
「—I’d like them to think they were fortunate that it ended with that extent instead. Properly speaking, all three of them should be permanently expelled, right?」
「Strictly speaking, that’s the case, …but the present situation is that we can’t do so. Michel, in particular, has a big backer, after all」
Lucius muttered with a bitter expression. Worried about that, Dimitar peered at his childhood friend’s face quizzically.
「…That Michel, who’s he?」
「You don’t know?」
「No」
「Please have an interest in other people a bit more. I said that you won’t be able to conduct yourself well if you don’t broaden your knowledge, right?」
「Sorry. …I’ll pay attention to that matter after this, so tell me」
「…The one whom you hit last night was Michel Bolieiro」
「Bolieiro…? Is he a relative of the House of Bolieiro by any chance?」
「Rather than a relative, he’s the son who will succeed the head family. The other two people were—ah, Héctor and Hugo? Anyway, they’re also from the Bolieiro clan; if I remember correctly, they should be Michel’s cousins」
Lucius put his hand on his forehead and leaked a heavy sigh again.
The House of Bolieiro was a prominent great nobility even in Ahmad. Although it wasn’t really so in recent years, it had produced many ministers from among the clan during the period of the previous king, and its power was still big.
「Will their authority in the royal court influence this chivalric order that the Crown Prince leads?」
「The House of Bolieiro is at the top in terms of amount of donation to the chivalric order every year」
「They’re at the top in that sort of thing, huh. It seems faster to count their sons’ abilities from the bottom though」
「It’s because that’s the case. …They want to make their sons, who by no means could be called capable, succeed in life somehow. They might have considered the donation to the chivalric order to be a gift to the Crown Prince」
「No matter how much money they send to Ahmad’s Crown Prince, it won’t be a bribe, right? In the first place, no matter how you strive to succeed in life in this chivalric order, you can’t become the leader—」
After muttering to that extent, Dimitar narrowed his eyes.
「…Does that guy want to become the vice-leader by any chance?」
「It’s probably a fact that I’m not well liked by him. When I was appointed the new vice-leader by His Highness, I felt that he had glared at me with eyes as if he was seeing his parents’ enemy」
“Therefore—,” Lucius continued.
「—I also know that His Highness won’t waver because of a bribe, but nevertheless, he can’t disregard the intention of the House of Bolieiro, which had given that much support, completely. Apart from the donation matter, their influence on other nobles is also big, after all. I think His Highness is racking his brains over the treatment of Michel because of that too」
「Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean that he can break the rules of the chivalric order, right? Even if he wasn’t a member of the chivalric order, that should be an act which violated the law」
「I know. That’s why Michel couldn’t make a fuss and say that it was done by you, and it’s hardly possible that His Highness intends to blame Michel any more. —But regarding Michel, it’s not good that you overdid it. Since you’re my relative, I think he isn’t pleased with you too」
「…Is that so? He knew me, huh」
Come to think of it, when he was beating up those three people last night, there was one man who was about to say Dimitar’s name. That person was most likely Michel Bolieiro.
Stroking his neck, Dimitar spoke to Lucius.
「—Let’s return soon. The group won’t be in order unless you’re there」
「Yes」
While descending the hill and returning to the gathering point of the chivalric order, Lucius repeated.
「Anyway, don’t get mixed up with Michel’s party any more. If they’re going to do something intolerable that violates the rules, you can just inform me. It’s better if they bear a grudge against me only; there’s no need to even make them hate the very sight of you」
「That sort of guys are good at shutting their eyes to their own actions and then blaming others for it, after all. Perhaps in their minds, it must have been decided that I’m one-sidedly at fault already. I’ll remember that advice, but it’s probably too late anyway」
Although he felt guilty for making Lucius’s position difficult, he hadn’t the slightest feelings of guilt towards Michel. Even now, Dimitar who was told the circumstances could only think they should be thankful that it ended with that extent instead.
In an extreme instance, even if the one who attacked the town mayor’s daughter last night was the Crown Prince, Dimitar—even though Dimitar would go easy on him somewhat—would probably not use words but hit him to stop him likewise. If they were that kind of people who would desist from doing it because of words, they’d have stop at the point of time when the girl shouted for help in the first place. If those guys didn’t stop it, one could only stop them with overwhelming authority or stop them with violence, which would work at once.
「—Good morning, Dii-kun!」
Accompanied by attendants behind her, Shakira Babel could be seen coming along with long strides. Dimitar and Lucius put their right hands on their chests and knelt down on the spot in the same way as the surrounding members.
「Good morning, Your Eminence」
「Ah, that, never mind the formal greetings—hora, everyone is still preparing for departure, right?」
「Yes. —Well then」
Lucius stood up quietly and ordered the members to go back to work.
「By the way… Vice-Leader Richternach-kyou?」
「What is it, Your Eminence?」
「I’d like you to listen to one whim of mine」
Shakira was grinning while folding her arms and walking slowly around Dimitar and Lucius. Even she herself had said that it was a whim, so it was probably nothing good anyway.
「The weather is good today. I don’t feel like staying inside the carriage」
「So that means…?」
「I want to ride this Richternach-kyou’s horse with him today」
「That’s…」
Lucius and Dimitar looked at each other and knitted their brows. Shakira’s attendants also opened their eyes wide in surprise at their master’s remark.
「I’m sorry, Your Eminence. There’s also the matter of security, so I’d like to have your forgiveness for that… and if by any chance you fall down from the saddle」
「Shouldn’t Dii-kun pay attention to that so that I won’t fall down?」
Interrupting Lucius’s words, Shakira spoke. It was as if she was provoking Dimitar and him.
「If I fall off the horse, I’ll just complain persistently to Orvieto. —In any case, I want to do so」
「—」
Lucius sighed lightly and looked at Dimitar.
Lucius wasn’t particularly worried that Dimitar might let Shakira fall from the horse in the slightest. The fact that he didn’t look happy must be because he was genuinely thinking about the security issue and that he didn’t want to make Dimitar stand out too much today when only one day had passed after that thing happened.
Stroking the nape of his neck, Dimitar spoke to Lucius.
「Don’t mind me, Vice-Leader. If Her Eminence wishes for it」
With the intention of telling Lucius not to mind his own difficult position, Dimitar answered not as a relative but as a chivalric order member.
Lucius shrugged his shoulders.
「…Well then, Your Eminence, please wait just a minute. We’ll do so if we can get His Highness’s permission…」
「Ah, if that’s the case, then it’s fine♪ I’ll go get His Highness’s permission directly together with Dii-kun, so you, that, it’s fine if you do your own work. —All right Dii-kun, give me a ride to where His Highness is♪」
While saying so, Shakira was already trying to put her foot on the stirrup of Dimitar’s horse. Even though her resplendent tabard had rolled up and her pure white and slender leg had become completely visible, it was as if she was unconcerned about it.
「Y, Your Eminence! That’s dangerous!」
「Shall I prepare an additional saddle?」
Dimitar curled his lip and suggested so to Shakira.
「In that case, I can only see your back. I’ll ride in front!」
「Well, I don’t particularly mind」
Dimitar, who had put his hands under both the small Eminence’s arms and pushed her up onto the saddle lightly, took the reins and started to walk. Lucius and the attendants looked worried, but they already understood that Shakira wouldn’t listen to anyone’s opinion after she had suggested so.
Shakira smiled, her body swaying left and right to the horse’s steps.
「You must support me properly, all right?」
「If you’re worried, then you shouldn’t have said that you want to ride a horse」
「Don’t look so displeased, Dii-kun. If you’re on cordial terms with me, isn’t it convenient for you in various ways?」
「What is convenient?」
「I heard about the town mayor’s daughter」
「……」
Dimitar glanced at Shakira.
「—Moreover, it seems that the other party whom you had beaten up is that Bolieiro’s foolish son」
「Is that senior so famous?」
「Uh-huh. He’s famous in a bad way」
「If that’s the case, I’ve probably taught him a good lesson」
「However, his father is an influential person. —It’d be good if the titled Richternach-kyou and Orvieto, and of course, you, don’t get dragged into this」
When he was told that, Dimitar’s heart wavered. Although he believed that it wasn’t wrong to beat up Michel, it wasn’t Dimitar’s real intention to trouble even Lucius and Orvieto because of that. Perhaps he should have acted after thinking calmly a bit more before beating him up with no questions asked.
「—That’s why」
Shakira spoke to Dimitar, who was looking down, from horseback.
「If you’re on cordial terms with me, I might be of service when something happens」
「Your Eminence, try changing our genders and think about it」
Dimitar also almost burst into laughter unconsciously at Shakira’s mischievous “hee-hee” chuckling.
「If I were a young girl, and Your Eminence were an oily middle-aged man, those words just now would sound like those of a terrible brute. It gives one the impression of the beginning of a tragedy」
「First of all, you’re not a young girl, and I’m also not an oily middle-aged old man. Secondly, even if someone almost took advantage of your weakness, it’s not your character to accept it meekly as it is, right? That’s why your example is meaningless. To begin with, I don’t have any ulterior motive」
「I see. I’m glad to hear that」
Muttering curtly, Dimitar searched for the figure of the Crown Prince.
The departure time was drawing nearer and nearer, and the surroundings were filled with noises, but even in this situation, the gazes of Dimitar’s colleagues that were pointing at him were tinged with coldness as usual. Or rather, it felt like the temperature had dropped more than yesterday. The story of Dimitar knocking Michel out was most likely spreading. The fact that the right and wrong of what Michel’s party had perpetrated was pigeonholed and that Dimitar had openly opposed the House of Bolieiro might have made the difference in temperature between Dimitar and them more conspicuous. That was to say, being on friendly terms with Dimitar was equivalent to the act of offending the House of Bolieiro.
「—You’re so awkward」
Shakira, who was silent for a short while, opened her mouth with a sigh.
「I feel that you absolutely don’t want to yield to anyone」
「I don’t think like that in particular though」
「You do. If there are exceptions, then they’re the other Richternach-kyou and also Orvieto only, right?」
「……」
Dimitar didn’t say yes or no, but even if it wasn’t Shakira, one could immediately understand that it was a silence that meant affirmation.
「If I remember correctly, your parents are no longer here」
「Yes」
「Your mother set fire to the mansion and tried to make you die together with her」
She was a woman who would bluntly say things that people didn’t want to recall. Dimitar endured the matter of wanting to say a cutting remark a lot and nodded.
「…Your Eminence also knows about it, huh」
「I’m of the same generation as Orvieto, you know? Doesn’t that means I’m of the same generation as your mother too? I was already a grown woman at that time, so its natural that I’ll remember it properly. It became a disturbance of that extent, after all」
Dimitar completely didn’t remember, but considering the weight of the name of the House of Richternach, he could imagine the magnitude of the disturbance at that time. The cousin of Orvieto Richternach, who was already known as the magic warrior who possessed preeminent ability, attempted to drag her son into a forced double suicide. If they were adults of a certain age, they might remember it clearly.
「That’s why you feel indebted to Orvieto and the other Richternach-kyou」
「It’s not indebtedness but kindness」
「Both are similar. Mentally, you’re not on an equal footing with them already」
Dimitar got angry, but at the same time, he also felt that she had hit the nail on the head.
Dimitar certainly felt indebted to Lucius and Orvieto. Although he said that it wasn’t indebtedness but kindness, like Shakira had also pointed out, whether this was indebtedness or kindness, the difference wasn’t significant. His mother had chosen a dishonourable way to die, and he who had survived was adopted by Orvieto and was living under her patronage even now. It was an indisputable fact that there were times when he wondered if the existence of Dimitar Richternach, who was here now, itself was already a liability to Lucius and Orvieto.
「You’ve talent」
「…Pardon?」
At Shakira’s abrupt words, Dimitar looked up at the attractive older woman who looked like a girl.
「I said that you’ve talent. It’s that, I just know that sort of thing」
Shakira narrowed her eyes and smiled.
「From what I’ve seen, you’ve more talent than the other Richternach-kyou. But because of your indebtedness to him, you can’t demonstrate it readily」
「…That’s absurd」
「Hey hey, there’s no need to call this me absurd, is there?」
Grasping the treasured sword, including its scabbard, worn on her waist and hitting Dimitar’s head lightly, Shakira puffed out her cheeks.
「My insight won’t be wrong! —It’s that, it’s better that you keep your distance from Orvieto and the other Richternach-kyou a little. I feel that the current environment will corrode your talent. Right?!」
「It’s not “right?!”. I don’t know whether Your Eminence knows this, but in this world, that sort of thing is called needless meddling」
He understood that the other party was an important person of the country, but as one would expect, she had no right to speak to that extent.
Dimitar kept his mouth shut glumly, and after that, due to Shakira hailing the Crown Prince and obtaining his permission, his expression ended up becoming even more glum.
That was because swaying horseback together with this Eminence would probably be accompanied by a considerable mental pain.
♦♦♦
That night, the party set up camp before the forest of Selsuru. Shakira’s hometown, Selsuru, would be right there if they went through the forest like this, but going into the forest after sunset—though there was a highway laid out—was akin to a suicidal act. The forest at night, where one wouldn’t know from where stray dogs, wolves and bears could appear, was a dangerous place, which even hunters would hardly set foot in unless there was a good reason to.
Besides, even if they went through the forest all night knowing the danger, it’d be before daybreak when they arrived at Selsuru. In that case, it’d be better to stay up all night here safely, depart early morning tomorrow and arrive at Selsuru before dusk; their fatigue would be mentally and physically lesser as well.
Countless tents were pitched in the surroundings of a huge and luxurious tent, which was rarely used, for the Crown Prince’s use. It looked just like a group of herbivores sleeping with their shoulders pressed against each other for fear of attacks from other beasts.
Fortunately, Dimitar who had undertaken the night watch duty last night was freed from that hard work tonight and could lie down at a normal time. The sense of security that the journey, which was full of nothing but worries, would finally be over tomorrow turned Dimitar’s tired feeling into a pleasant one.
Dimitar, who was lying down in the endmost tent of the group together with the other apprentices, crawled out from the middle of his sleep quietly and opened his eyes softly.
「……」
He could faintly hear the popping sounds of the firewood of the campfire mixed in with the breathing sounds and snores of his sleeping colleagues. Conversely, he could hear them only. Even though he could hear the hoots of owls and the sounds of insects before going to sleep, they had stopped now.
When Dimitar felt uneasy suddenly and tried to get up, a fire arrow penetrated the tent and flew in. A red flame rose up from the fire arrow, which had pierced the prop, and spread to the canvas.
「! It’s a night attack!」
Calling out to the surrounding apprentices, Dimitar tore off his blanket and stood up.
「Tsk… what are the night watchmen doing!?」
Dimitar hurriedly buttoned his shirt, grabbed just his sword and rushed out of the tent.
The members on night watch were moving about in confusion outside. Fire arrows were flying here sporadically from the other side of the darkness, but as the enemies’ figures couldn’t be confirmed, they were probably thrown into confusion. Approximately half of the members could act without being flustered. The horses had also become frightened by the sudden attack and were starting to neigh.
Honestly, he didn’t care what would happen to the members who had relaxed their guard, but if any harm befell even the Crown Prince and Shakira, Lucius’s position would become bad. Dimitar removed the scabbard, unsheathed his sword and ran towards the Crown Prince’s tent.
「Your Highness! Your Eminence!」
「Dii!」
Pieces of firewood scattered from the campfires that were kicked over, and among the members who were trampling them and running around, a voice responded to Dimitar.
「Lucius!?」
Lucius came from the direction of the Crown Prince’s tent and as one would expect, he was calm. While encouraging the surrounding members, he was giving them detailed instructions and trying to restore order.
「You’re safe, huh, Dii」
「Yes. …What about His Highness and Her Eminence?」
「They’re safe. His Highness is already leaving this place together with Her Eminence on a carriage protected by the members」
Lucius brushed his long silver hair away and sighed.
「—Judging from this half-baked night attack, it’s most likely the deed of bandits」
「Bandits?」
「Yes. I heard that the remnants of the bandits who were subjugated by the army a little while ago have been attacking the towns and villages of this area」
「I see… their total number shouldn’t be many, right?」
「Yes. I’ve issued instructions to every commanding officer to retreat slowly while making arrangements to guard His Highness and Her Eminence, …but you’re an apprentice whose attachment hasn’t been officially decided yet. You can do as you like. However, don’t die, all right?」
「I know」
Dimitar lightly grabbed back the left hand of Lucius, who had patted him on the shoulder, and turned on his heel.
The young members who still hadn’t got used to actual fighting were becoming restless in the first night attack of their lives, but the relatively experienced members were trying to retreat, though little by little, in the direction that the Crown Prince and the others had moved while drawing their swords and counterattacking.
His colleagues here probably didn’t need any help in particular. The ones who probably needed help the most now were the apprentices who had slept in the same tent as Dimitar.
「—I’m under no obligation to them in particular, but if I’m the only apprentice who survived, I’ll receive harsh treatment again」
Dimitar, who had come back to his tent, couldn’t help smiling wryly at the expected development.
The flame that had spread from the fire arrow to the tent coloured the darkness red, and ten or so men were fighting in front of it. To be more precise, the young men who had got cold feet completely were standing face to face with men who wore shabby leather armours. All the men had stubbly beards that looked dirty, and their appearances were certainly convincing if they were called degenerate ex-bandits.
「What are they doing—」
Dimitar laughed at his colleagues, who were on the verge of tears and swinging their swords blindly, and picked up a spear that was dropped on that spot.
「Oi!」
He simultaneously attracted the thieves’ attention and threw the spear at them.
「!?」
As if to restrain the thieves who had tried to cut down the young men in one breath, the spear pierced the ground in front of them with a heavy impact.
「—」
Not only the thieves but also the young men looked back at Dimitar and opened their eyes wide in surprise.
「Since I specially attracted the enemies’ attention for you, you should have escaped at this opportunity—stupid fellows are stupid through and through, good grief」
Shaking off the redness of the flickering flame behind his eyelids lightly, Dimitar ran. Moving his left hand according to a specific pattern while running, he poured magic power into the magic crestHieratika and excited the magic circle for “Double Power”Force.
「—Move aside! Step back!」
Dimitar, who had accelerated to a speed that surpassed an ordinary person’s in one breath, jumped over the young men who still couldn’t move, and his sword flashed.
「Guga」
Flicking off the rust-covered sword of the thief at the very front greatly, Dimitar drove a front kick into his solar plexus like a stake. His leg strength, which had been strengthened by magic, most likely must have ruptured the thief’s internal organs in one blow.
No longer paying any attention to the thief who had vomited blood and collapsed, Dimitar spoke to the young men behind him.
「If you can’t fight well, take the horses and retreat! You’re in the way!」
「Ah, yes—」
The young members, who were stunned by the shock of an actual fighting, nodded at Dimitar’s threatening attitude, tumbled and ran away from that place.
The origin of the Seal Chivalric Order was said to be the eighty-nine warriors who had supported the “Lord of RedemptionReduntra” together with the twelve priests to seal the “DemonMaroudo”, rendering a meritorious deed. It was said that they were warriors as well as excellent magic warriors, and in imitation of them, one must be able to master not only the sword but also magic to join the chivalric order.
However, that was simply the official stance, and the members who had no magic talent weren’t few. For example, like those fellows who had ran away just now, the members who could neither use magic nor handle a sword well—without a single exception—compensated for their lack of talent with the economic power of their parents’ homes.
If he had to receive token support from such fellows who had no fighting power, it was much easier to fight alone.
「I can’t afford to even babysit green young men from well-to-do families, you know—!」
Dimitar spat out so and deeply slashed at the wrist of the thief who had lunged at him with a spear.
「O—」
In a one-to-many fight, he didn’t have time to finish the enemies off one-by-one. If he stopped moving even a little, he’d be surrounded and killed. Therefore, it was more efficient to not think about killing the enemy in front of him but inflict a wound on him and make him lose his fighting spirit for the time being. Fellows who didn’t have an ounce of sense of mission, like bandits especially, gave top priority to their own survival, so Dimitar didn’t think they’d continue to fight until they stopped their own massive bleeding.
「Go…, damn it—!」
When he had just cut off two, three little fingers and one wrist in the twinkling of an eye, Dimitar jumped back greatly.
At that moment, an intense pain shot through the back and upper arm of his right shoulder. He immediately understood that an arrow had flown from somewhere and pierced him.
「—!」
Although he staggered slightly, Dimitar didn’t stop moving. He immediately transferred the sword to his left hand and rushed into the group of remaining thieves. That he had purposely cut his way into the midst of the enemy was to prevent being shot by a second and third arrow.
「Gyaa!」
Biting his lip at the pain, Dimitar swung his sword. The thief who was cut lightly in the chest let out an exaggerated scream and rolled on the ground.
「…Tsk」
The fingers of his right hand didn’t move well. He could endure any amount of pain, but he couldn’t handle the sword well with this hand.
Dimitar had been training regularly so that he could use the sword with either hand on the assumption that there might be an unexpected situation, but not being able to use his right hand was a serious situation nonetheless. After all, he’d lose by misusing his powers and be at a disadvantage if he thoughtlessly went on the defensive, and the more time he spent, the slower his movements would become due to the bleeding.
When Dimitar dodged the spear of the thief in front of him and conversely lunged his sword, he aimed and thrust at the joint of the leather armour.
「Gu, bu, o…!」
Putting his foot on the shoulder of the thief who fell forward and pulling his sword out, Dimitar immediately looked back and lay face-down instantly.
An arrow moving fast against the wind flew by close to him.
「…!」
Normally, fools who would shoot arrows when their allies were fighting didn’t exist. In other words, the one who had been shooting arrows since just now wasn’t a thief; moreover, they weren’t Dimitar’s ally either.
Some thieves were hit by the arrows from just now and fell. Perhaps they had lost their nerves seeing that, the surviving thieves, who had each sustained a wound in their fight against Dimitar, escaped towards the other side of the darkness that was flickering with flames.
While bending over, Dimitar ran with short steps and hid himself behind a tree. Furthermore, an arrow pierced the bark of that tree.
It had become clear with this. The arrows were obviously aimed at Dimitar.
「……」
The force of the flames that had turned the tent into black ashes wasn’t of the extent of spreading to the young tree. The flames gradually abated, and the surroundings fell into a deep darkness again.
Just before he jumped behind the tree, Dimitar had noticed that there were figures of people approaching, carrying a bow and arrows. He felt that there were three people at least.
「…Don’t tell me it was those green young men from well-to-do families? The one called Michel or something…」
As far as the people trying to kill him, besides the bandits, were concerned, he had no idea of anyone else but them.
「They looked like fellows who would run away first when we were attacked by the bandits though… or rather, were they late in running away?」
Although Dimitar smiled wryly, this wasn’t a situation where he could smile so. The fact that they suddenly shot arrows when he was crossing swords with the bandits meant that the other party didn’t care even if Dimitar lost his life—rather, they were probably thinking of killing him. Their intention to finish Dimitar off for certain could be felt from the fact that they appeared now when the bandits had fled.
Dimitar knitted his brows, looked at his right arm and gently pulled out the arrow stuck in his upper arm.
「…D, damn it—」
The blood flowing from the arrow wound soaked his shirt bright red. It might have ended with a bit slighter wound if he had worn an outer garment, but it was a misfortune that he had rushed out lightly dressed as soon as he got up.
「……」
When he listened carefully, battle cries could be heard faintly from the direction closer to the forest. While Dimitar was fighting alone, everyone was probably escaping safely in the direction the Crown Prince’s party had retreated.
Judging from the fact that the bandits had retreated unexpectedly easily, they might have mistaken their party for a large-scale caravan. Although the bandits had made a night attack thinking they were suitable preys, they received an unexpected resistance and ran away hurriedly—it was more or less something like that.
It seemed that the ones remaining here were Dimitar and the wicked assailants only. If those assailants with the bow and arrows were Michel Bolieiro and his followers, the number of people should be three, but in any case, they were troublesome opponents for the current Dimitar.
「…Good grief, increasing troubles for me…」
Dimitar swallowed a groan of agony and shook his left hand quietly. Containing a bluish-black brilliance, the magic crest drew the magic circle for “Tornado”Razor.
「—Fu!」
He jumped out from behind the tree and released his magic power simultaneously. As expected, the number of enemies were three people. It seemed that they reacted to Dimitar’s movement and tried to shoot their arrows, but the wind blade reached them just an instant earlier.
「Giah!」
The sound of the bowstring of a bow being cut and snapping and someone’s scream were emitted loudly.
Dimitar pulled out the sword that he had thrust into the ground and ran towards the enemy immediately.
「Y, you—! I never like you guys!」
The one who had thrown away the bow of which its bowstring was cut, drawn a sword and come charging was a young man who had wrapped a bandage across the centre of his face.
「…As expected, it’s you guys, huh」
Confirming that it was the face of Michel Bolieiro—the other party whose nose he had broken last night, Dimitar clicked his tongue.
The current wounded Dimitar didn’t have the leeway to think about the other party’s position and go easy on him. If he prioritised his own survival, he might really kill Michel’s party. However, even though it was for self-defence, killing the heir of the House of Bolieiro would become a big problem in the future. It was still fine if only he himself was blamed, but he wanted to avoid causing trouble to even Lucius and Orvieto.
While feeling slightly irritated, Dimitar crossed swords with Michel just as they were passing by one another. If he rashly did something like locking sword to sword and pushing, it was clear that Dimitar, who could only use his left arm, would be overpowered. He wanted to cast the “Double Power” magic again, but in this one-on-three situation, he couldn’t even take the time to do so.
A spear extending from the side attacked Dimitar, who had turned around and tried to slash at Michel simultaneously.
「!」
The one handling the spear was a young man who was the only person whose face had no injuries. He was either Héctor or Hugo—he most likely must be Héctor. Dimitar arbitrarily assumed so.
「Die! Richternach!」
The tip of the spear that Héctor, whose face had turned deep red, was lunging in rapid succession extended towards Dimitar’s throat. Perhaps it was because he was kicked in the solar plexus and became unable to move first last night that his damage was consequently the smallest, his handling of the spear was strong and accurate.
「If you can do that much, you should just aim to succeed in life seriously though—」
Dimitar, who had spat out so inside his mind, cut off the tip of the spear while bending himself backwards and dodging Héctor’s offence.
「…! Y, you bastard—」
Without a pause, Michel and Hugo came slashing at him.
「You guys are an eyesore!」
Michel directly swung the sword he was gasping tightly with both hands downwards from an overhead position. Michel who came striking with his sword again and again, his face which was divided into top and bottom by the bandage flushing deep red, was comical and at the same time, bizarre as well.
「Just Lucius alone is already an eyesore, a, and yet there’s even you…! You Richternachs! Quickly disappear! Die! You’re a hindrance!」
「…」
Although he wanted to curse at Michel’s self-centred shout, Dimitar bit his lip and endured it. At present, he wanted number of hands more than number of words. He somehow parried Michel’s and Hugo’s weapons and tried to take a roundabout path to the side.
—However, just when he was about to do that, he was severely hit on the waist.
「Gu?」
Héctor recklessly brandished the spear that had lost its tip and hit Dimitar’s back again and again very hard.
「This guy—!」
Dimitar tried to slash at Héctor just as he was turning around, but his hand that was holding the sword was hit by the handle of the spear and he unintentionally dropped the sword.
「Daa—」
Hugo lunged at Dimitar who had tried to pick up the sword with his left hand, which had become numb. Although it ended with just his flank being slightly gouged out because of him twisting his body instantly, Dimitar got entangled with Hugo who had collided with him and fell over.
「…Ah」
The arrow stuck in his back snapped, and the arrowhead sank in even deeper. He somehow held back a groan of agony, but he couldn’t stop the new bleeding.
Michel kicked Dimitar, who had tried to stand up to protect his right shoulder, flying.
「—!」
Dimitar fell down to the ground from the back again, looked up at Michel, who had changed his sword to a backhand grip, and opened his eyes wide.
「Die…!」
「—」
Dimitar reflexively thrust his left hand out towards Michel, who had raised his sword overhead.
At that moment, a brilliant flame swallowed Michel up.
「Bo…a—」
Michel dropped his sword, protected his face and fell down. Burnt by the flame, the uniform made by the best tailor in Roma smouldered.
「…?」
After staring at Michel rolling on the ground and struggling to put out the fire in a daze, Dimitar stared at his own left hand.
The sleeve of his shirt, which was rolled up halfway, had been carbonised in an instant. The skin from his elbow to the tip of his left hand was hideously burnt; however, a bluish-black flickering magic crest had distinctly emerged there.
「—!?」
Dimitar, who had tried to hold his left hand in his arms, grimaced at the heat. Although his left hand itself didn’t feel anything as if it was numb, hot air was still coiling about its surroundings.
「Michel! Oi, Michel!」
Héctor and Hugo were hurriedly trying to put out the flame that had spread to Michel. The field of vision of Dimitar, who had been looking at those figures and his own hand alternately, was suddenly dyed deep crimson.
「…!」
A red storm was swelling.
A woman who closely resembled Orvieto was putting her hands on Dimitar’s neck and crying.
Before he realised it, that place had changed into a room of a mansion where luxurious furniture was completely burnt by flames, and Dimitar who was looking at that had become a very young boy.
The woman gradually put strength into her hands, which were grasping Dimitar’s neck.
The suffocation dyed Dimitar’s field of vision even redder.
The inside of his nose was burning. The woman seemed to be saying something, but Dimitar’s ears could no longer hear any sound.
The flames burnt the dress of the woman, who was strangling Dimitar while crying, anew.
Nevertheless, the woman didn’t take her hands off him.
The pain was difficult to endure, and Dimitar finally shouted.
♦♦♦
Lucius, who had turned around at the violent sound that had shaken the air, looked at the pillar of fire that had risen towards the night sky and gasped.
「…Hey, what, is that…?」
Taking off his hat which was adorned with birds-of-paradise plumes, the Crown Prince said so as if groaning.
The Crown Prince and his guards had already moved to a location that was distant from the camping site and were arranging their formation. Although the majority of them were children of nobles who were inexperienced in combat, soldiers who possessed both magic and swordsmanship at a high level in the true sense of the word, such as Lucius, weren’t few either. If they got out of the momentary confusion, it was easy to repel the surprise attack of the degenerate ex-bandits which lacked measures.
However, the pillar of fire that extended intermittently towards the sky made the party, which had finally started to feel relieved, fall into wild excitement again.
Lucius calmed his horse, which had become frightened and neighed, down and surveyed the members who were surrounding and protecting the Crown Prince’s riding horse and Shakira’s carriage and then spoke to the adjutant of First Squad, of which he took direct command.
「Lindegaard-kyou, please take command in my stead. Please assemble a battle formation in columns of fours with His Highness and Her Eminence placed in the centre of the ranks and evacuate into the forest at a slow march like that」
「Understood! But what about you, Vice-Leader…?」
The older adjutant, Lindegaard, was an honest young man who served Lucius without prejudice. Lucius didn’t feel uneasy about entrusting the rest to him at all.
「I’ll go look at the situation of the members who still haven’t linked up with us」
「No way…! Please order me to do that!」
「No, if I assign such a role to you, I’ll be made into a villain again in the future」
Lucius held Lindegaard back and then galloped his horse to the Crown Prince’s location.
Rebuking the members who had become restless, Lucius spoke to Isaac in a low voice.
「—Your Highness, I’ll return to the camping site and look at the situation. Please advance like this together with Her Eminence, Your Highness. I’ve entrusted the entire command to Lindegaard-kyou」
「Hey, are you seriously saying that, Lucius?」
Putting on his hat again, Isaac knitted his brows.
「We don’t know what happened, but no matter how you think about it, it’s dangerous, you know? Why do you have to specially—」
「There are still people who haven’t linked up with us. Though it seems that they’re in the midst of moving here, we can’t leave them behind」
Lucius didn’t say that Dimitar was mixed in among them. He didn’t want it to be interpreted as mixing work and private matters.
However, it seemed that Isaac had already seen through the mind of such Lucius.
「…Well, it can’t be helped」
After surveying his surroundings, Isaac nodded.
「Quite a bit of wounded people had appeared already, not to mention the big problem it will become if dead people appear. Sorry, but I’m counting on you, Lucius-kun」
「Certainly」
Lucius bowed lightly and turned his horse around.
That pillar of fire couldn’t be seen in the night sky any more. It had been rising intermittently since just now; however, it was obvious that it wasn’t due to the deed of the degenerate ex-bandits.
「Vice-Leader…!」
「Are you all right!?」
Lucius encountered the apprentice members who had come from the direction of the pillar of fire and felt a slight disappointment knowing that Dimitar’s figure wasn’t among them.
「What in the world happened!? What’s that?」
「I, I don’t know! We, simply came chasing the main force anyway—」
「Are there still people remaining at that place?」
「That’s…」
The members were looking at each other and speaking ambiguously, seemingly embarrassed for some reason.
「What’s the matter? Speak clearly!」
「Um… Richternach-kyou told us to escape first—」
「…I see」
Inhaling deeply and quietly, Lucius nodded.
「Does that mean he’s still there?」
「M, most likely yes—」
「I understand. All of you head for the forest without delay. Link up with the main force and protect His Highness and Her Eminence」
「What will Vice-Leader do?」
「Never mind that, go quickly!」
Lucius ordered as if shouting and kicked the horse’s abdomen.
「Dii…」
Although Dimitar was still an apprentice so that the other members wouldn’t say that Lucius was favouring him, he possessed real ability where it wouldn’t be strange even if he was appointed as a formal member immediately. Therefore, even if he was surrounded by the thieves in the middle of the melee, he should have been able to cut his way through and run away by his own efforts at least.
Nevertheless, the fact that Dimitar still hadn’t linked up with the main force meant that Lucius should probably assume that some accident had happened to him.
Moreover, he was bothered by the fact that he hadn’t seen the figures of Michel’s party, it wouldn’t be strange even if they ran away first if there was an enemy attack, the whole time.
「—O-i, Lucius-kun!」
Unexpectedly hearing a girl’s carefree voice which could be called out-of-place, Lucius looked up at the sky behind him.
「Your Eminence!?」
Lucius instantly stretched out his arms to catch Shakira Babel who had flown down together with the wind, her tabard fluttering.
「Nice, nice, if I have to be held in the arms by someone, a pretty boy or a handsome young man is the best as expected. Right?!」
「Your Eminence… why in the world—」
「Ah, that, I’m also going together with you」
「You mustn’t!」
Stopping his horse hurriedly, Lucius spoke.
「Please go back! We don’t know what’s happening… it’s too dangerous!」
「Huh, you don’t know? Then as expected, you have to take me with you」
「What do you mean, Your Eminence?」
「That’s probably magic power going out of control」
「Out of control?」
「Anyway, Dii-kun will be in danger if we don’t hurry」
「…Understood」
Properly speaking, Lucius should give top priority to Shakira’s safety and turn back, but if she said that she was going to move forward, he had no way to stop her. In fact, Shakira rode upon the winds she had personally created and came here by herself. If he couldn’t get Shakira to change her mind, he could only protect her by her side.
「…You said “out of control”, do you mean Dimitar’s magic power?」
「Do you have an idea?」
Shakira, who was clinging to Lucius’s back, asked a question in return with a voice containing a smile.
「……」
「He’s the son of Orvieto’s cousin—right?」
「Yes」
「Good grief… that might be due to his lineage of the House of Richternach then」
「What is?」
「I feel that there’s something in that child that is different from ordinary people」
「Do you mean that… he has talent?」
「Of course he has talent. …However, that child possesses something even more troublesome. You might not have noticed it, but Orvieto must have noticed it. Even I sensed it, after all」
「Mother did…?」
When Lucius was ruminating on it quizzically, he was hit on the back of his head suddenly.
「Enough of chattering! Hora, hurry up!」
「I’m sorry, but there’s the possibility that the horse will become frightened from here on and not listen to what I say, so—」
Leaving a few words like that, Lucius kicked the stirrup and leapt. Holding the left glove in his mouth and smoothly pulling it off, he drew a magic circle with the magic crest that had emerged on the back of his hand.
「I’ll speed up」
Getting off the horse, Lucius started running like that at the same time he landed. His leg strength raised by magic, Lucius accelerated steadily.
「Is this magic carefully created by the chivalric order? It’s good for people with strong physique」
「It’s an honour to receive your praise, Your Eminence」
When Lucius, who had carried Shakira on his back and ran in the night even faster than riding the horse, arrived at the camping site which was mercilessly burnt to the ground, he narrowed his eyes at the hot wind and was stupefied.
Dimitar was squatting down on the ground, surrounded by a tent and bushes that were burnt down.
「Dii—」
「Wait, Lucius-kun!」
Shakira restrained Lucius, who had tried to run up to Dimitar.
Immediately after that, flames spouted from the left hand that Dimitar had held up high, became a new pillar of fire and disappeared into the sky.
「Dii!?」
「As expected, his magic power is out of control」
Shakira pulled his long hair and restrained Lucius, who had unconsciously tried to take a step forward, again.
「—If you approach him carelessly, even you will get charred, you know?」
「Ridiculous…!」
「Hora hora, try to survey your surroundings with your usual calmness」
When he was urged by Shakira and observed his surroundings, someone had collapsed a short distance away. Although they had become limp, they seemed to be still barely breathing and were moving slightly.
「…Michel…?」
「Well, leave those profligate sons to me; you, that, do something about Dii-kun. …But be fully careful, all right?」
「Yes!」
Lucius lowered Shakira from his back and ran up to Dimitar.
「Are you all right, Dii!?」
「Lucius…?」
Dimitar raised his face with an agonised look.
「What happened!?」
「Well, various things happened—」
From that hoarse voice of his, one could gather how irritated Dimitar was. Lucius squatted down beside Dimitar, looked at his hideously burnt left arm and frowned.
「How terrible…」
「G, get away from me, Lucius—even I, can’t suppress it well」
「You have to suppress it. …You’ll die if you continue to use magic like this, you know?」
Magic wasn’t created from nothing. If one used magic, one would pay the price for it in the form of fatigue. Normally, one couldn’t continue to use magic beyond one’s limits, but in the case of the current Dimitar whose magic power was out of control regardless of the will of the person himself, it was clear that he’d exceed his limit eventually.
「Before that, your arm might become charcoal」
Lucius jokingly created cold air between both hands. However, the ice that had frozen there, without cooling Dimitar’s left arm sufficiently, turned into steam in an instant and just choked the two people.
「Pu—」
「That’s enough already, Lucius… take that meddling Eminence and run away quickly…」
「Don’t speak!」
When Lucius produced cold air between both hands again, he grasped Dimitar’s left arm with those hands.
「Lucius!」
At the same time hot steam rose up, Dimitar’s voice broke in falsetto.
「Stop, stop it! Get away from me, Lucius!」
「If that’s the case, you have to stop your magic power from being out of control first…!」
Enduring the pain of his skin being burnt, Lucius spoke.
「—If I’m going to abandon you so easily here, Haha-ue and I, wouldn’t have adopted you, at that time…!」
「Lucius…!」
Even while they were like this, the block of ice Lucius had created turned into steam in an instant. Lucius stared at the magic crest that had emerged on Dimitar’s arm and furrowed his brow.
「Why…? Even though the skin is inflamed this much, why won’t the magic crest disappear…?」
Magic manifested by means of a magic circle that magic power, which had flowed into the magic crest, drew. One couldn’t use magic unless one had a magic crest, and even if just a part of it was damaged, it was bound to interfere with the use of magic. That was exactly why an occupational category called “Hiera Glaphicos” existed to restore a magic crest that was damaged because of injury.
However, the magic crest on Dimitar’s left arm, with no relation to the injury on the skin—and also with no relation to his will—, was causing magic to manifest.
「Gu, u—!」
Dimitar thrust Lucius away and pointed his left hand towards the sky. That pillar of fire, together with a roaring sound, was shot from there again.The enormous magic power had probably run about inside Dimitar’s body and, searching for a place to escape, became a flame and spouted out from his left hand.
Lucius got up immediately, grasping Dimitar’s left arm.
「I’m telling you to stop, right, Lucius!?」
The sleeve of Lucius’s uniform became dry in an instant and began burning with a flame.
「…!」
Lucius stifled a groan of agony and tried to suppress the scorching heat that was burning their skins with the ice his left hand had created. However, Lucius’s cold air merely turned into hot steam and couldn’t repress the heat Dimitar had created.
Dimitar’s face, where traces of burns remained, stiffened and he shouted.
「It’s impossible! Stop!」
「Before telling me to stop, how about you make an effort too…?」
Lucius narrowed his eyes, stared at Dimitar and smiled wryly. During that time, an intense pain attacked him.
「Will the two of us be burnt to death like this, or will you repress it with your willpower—this depends on you, Dii…」
「You’re so unfair, you know—」
Dimitar bit his lip and shut his eyes. A deep wrinkle was carved on his brow, and he was probably concentrating his mind. The flickering of the magic crest on his left arm gradually became faster.
「…Oi」
Dimitar opened one of his eyes and spoke in a low voice.
「…Sorry. It’s probably impossible」
「I know that it’s impossible! But it’s your body, right!?」
「What’s impossible is impossible—get away from me already! Even you will be blown off…!」
「Suppress it!」
「—!」
Dimitar suddenly stretched his right hand and pulled out the sword on Lucius’s waist.
「!? Stop!」
Seeing Dimitar raised the sword overhead, Lucius immediately comprehended his real intention. If it couldn’t be suppressed even if he tried to, he was going to cut off his left arm, including the magic crest that wouldn’t disappear even if the skin was burnt.
However, even without Lucius risking his life to protect him, Dimitar didn’t swing the sword downwards.
「Are you guys idiots?」
「…Huh?」
When Dimitar dropped the sword and fell forward greatly, Shakira was standing behind him and holding a stone as big as an infant’s head in her arms.
「Well, let’s forget about Dii-kun. After all, his magic power is out of control with no relation to his will, and he had been desperately trying to do something about it. —But even you panic together with him; what are you going to do then?」
Shakira tossed the stone aside and thrust her finger at the tip of the nose of Lucius, who was dumbfounded.
「I know that you’re worried about this child, but you mustn’t be swallowed up by the atmosphere, Lucius-kun. I don’t want to see your game of make-believe friendship! —Good grief, it’s really ridiculous!」
Shakira squatted down beside Dimitar while complaining and held her hand up over his head. A pale light dwelt in the small palm of her hand and illuminated the profile of Dimitar, who had lost consciousness.
「—Eh!?」
At that moment, Lucius noticed for the first time that the rampage of Dimitar’s magic power had subsided and that he was shedding blood from the back of the head.
「Ah! D, don’t tell me… Your Eminence hit Dii with that stone!?」
「…That’s right. That’s because you won’t do it」
Shakira pouted her lips and glared at Lucius.
「Me telling you to do something about Dii-kun means making him stop using magic even if you have to hit him hard, you know? Do you not understand unless I say so clearly? In that case, I’m at fault for not saying that then」
「N, no, such a thing is… out of the question」
Lucius held his right hand, which had sustained a terrible burn, in his arms, sat up straight and bowed to Shakira.
Now that she mentioned it, it was certainly like that.
As one would expect, cases with destructive power were so far rare, but people who weren’t accustomed to the handling of magic causing their magic powers to go out of control was something that happened often. In such cases, one should first damage the said person’s magic crest to stop the flow of magic power; when even that didn’t resolve things, make the person themself lose consciousness—Lucius remembered that he was taught so by his mother when he just started receiving introduction to magic.
Lucius was angry with himself for not being able to remember such an important thing in this critical situation.
「—Never mind that, you heal your arm first」
When Shakira sighed lightly and stood up, she took light steps and extended both hands towards the sky.
「—」
Making clear rustling sounds, small fragments of ice began to fall like a sudden shower. It seemed that with Shakira’s power, making an out-of-season hail fall was simple.
「…The smouldering fire around there will mostly be put out with this, I guess」
Shakira looked back at Lucius and tilted her head to the side with a 「N?」.
「What’s the matter? You can’t use healing magic?」
「Ah, no, I can use it. More or less though」
「Then heal your arm quickly. It hurts, right?」
「This much pain is nothing special」
「Mine feels painful just from looking at it」
Shakira smiled slightly and squatted down beside Dimitar again. This time, she held her hand up over his hideously burnt left arm and started to heal the wound with that soothing light.
「—Is this child, that, I wonder; is he influenced by what happened when he was a child, after all?」
「…The double suicide disturbance?」
「Un」
「The person himself said that he didn’t care about that though」
「Has his magic power ever gone out of control so far?」
「No, it didn’t. At the very least, it didn’t, as far as I know」
「In that case, what became the trigger for it, I wonder?」
「…Could the cause of it be someone trying to kill him?」
Lucius, who had cursorily healed the burn on his right hand, stared at Michel’s party and curled his lip.
They had backbitten Dimitar and played boring tricks on him many times until now, but as one would expect, they had never tried to kill him. That Michel’s party, all three people, were dying here meant that they had most likely tried to take advantage of the confused state of affairs to kill Dimitar but were killed by their intended victim instead.
When Dimitar felt that death was close at hand, he recalled the memory of his childhood where he was about to be killed by his mother, and with that as a start, his magic power went out of control—it was by no means too much of a jump to think that. The torrent of uncontrollable flames even coincided with the cruel experience Dimitar had gone through.
「…In any case, it might be dangerous to let Dii-kun use magic like this」
Naturally, such a topic would be brought up.
Of course, that was if Dimitar could be a member of the chivalric order like this.
「……」
Lucius looked down at the young men who had lost consciousness haphazardly.
It was a consolation that Michel’s party didn’t die. Thanks to Shakira’s healing magic, serious after-effects might not even remain. But nevertheless, Michel probably wouldn’t forgive Dimitar.
After tonight, the centre of Michel’s anger might shift from Lucius to Dimitar.
Beneath the hail that was raining incessantly, Lucius stood stock-still quietly.
♦♦♦
A hastily made table was set up at the remains of the camping site where a burnt smell still faintly remained, and a simple breakfast of just lightly toasted breads, smoked hams and also cheeses and boiled eggs were lined up on it.
However, the Crown Prince, who had said that he had no appetite because of lack of sleep, had been drinking wine only since just now and had hardly consumed them. On the contrary, Shakira claimed that she was hungry as she had worked throughout the night and was even extending her fork towards the Crown Prince’s plate.
Lucius, who was standing by beside the Crown Prince, spoke in a small voice.
「…We’ll be going to Selsuru like this today. If you don’t eat even just a little—」
「I just don’t have any appetite. Even if I don’t have lack of sleep, there are those kinds of faces right before my eyes, you see」
In front of Isaac, who had also replied so in a whisper, were Michel, Héctor and also Hugo kneeling down side by side. All three people had wrapped bandages here and there, but the fact that it ended with this degree despite them sustaining burns to the extent that they were dying was probably due to Shakira giving them first aid with magic.
Seemingly unaware of the fact that he had made the Crown Prince lose his appetite, Michel continued to shout, his saliva flying from the corners of his mouth.
「Your Highness! That brat was going to kill us! Please pass a strict judgement on him in accordance with the chivalric order’s rules! Please pass a just judgement on that impudent Dimitar Richternach!」
「Even if you tell me that…」
Without even hiding a big yawn, the Crown Prince rubbed his eyes sleepily.
「Ah, Lucius-kun, what did the Richternach-kyou, who isn’t you, say about this matter?」
「He said that it was them who had tried to kill him. He was suddenly shot by an arrow during the fight against the thieves」
Lucius stared at Michel and answered so.
Properly speaking, Dimitar should have answered that with his own mouth. Confronting Michel’s party in front of the Crown Prince and declaring his own innocence and the other party’s lawlessness should have been the right way.
However, Dimitar wasn’t allowed to do that. For troubles within the group, it was stipulated that the fellow members would assert their rightfulness in front of the leader, and upon hearing the points of both sides, the leader would judge their right and wrong, but Michel rejected Dimitar’s presence on the grounds that his status was still an apprentice.
「That’s nonsense!」
Hugo, who was next to Michel, shouted.
「That guy is speaking without thinking, Your Highness! We also saw it! That brat suddenly attacked Michel… and the two of us tried to stop him—」
「That’s right! If Oji-ue learns of this matter—」
Héctor also kept in tune with Hugo and asserted so. Lucius’s eyebrows quivered, and he secretly clenched his fists tightly.
「Ah, so noisy, so noisy; can I have one person do the talking?」
The Crown Prince waved his hand and knitted his brows.
「…Michel, and you on both his sides! All three of you are close relatives, right? If that’s the case, the testimony of you guys can’t be accepted as evidence, you know」
「No way…!」
「B, but in that case, both sides can’t assert their rightfulness!」
「Judging from the situation—」
Lucius spoke to the Crown Prince in a voice that had pushed emotion aside as much as possible.
「It doesn’t seem that Richternach-kyou acted to make a surprise attack on them. When I went towards the scene, I met the members who had escaped late, and according to the report I received, Richternach-kyou had remained there alone to fight against the thieves—」
「Who said such a thing!」
As if to suppress Lucius’s words, Michel stood up and shouted.
「If a person who had said such a thing exists, I want them to come out! Come on!」
Michel looked back at the members sitting in a row behind him, opened his arms exaggeratedly and appealed to them. However, nobody responded to that and stepped forward. They were most likely afraid of going against the House of Bolieiro. Although Lucius remembered the faces and names of the apprentices whom he had talked with last night, he also didn’t particularly feel like forcing a tough decision on them here.
Seeing that no one came out, Michel smiled contentedly.
「Hey」
At that moment, Shakira, who was holding a tin tankard with both hands and drinking wine, called out to Michel rudely.
「—The Bolieiro-kun whose nose is crooked, and in addition, whose front teeth are also missing」
「—」
Michel’s smile froze, and his face flushed in one breath.
「You, that, and the other two people too; first of all, do you fully understand who saved you?」
「T, that’s… of course, we understand. I don’t know what I should say to express my gratitude to Babel-geika…」
「I don’t need your insincere and empty thanks in particular; in return for that, won’t you leave it at that? It looks like this and that will become troublesome, you see」
Shakira, who had put her tankard down, rested her chin in her left hand and rolled a boiled egg with her empty right hand.
「I, I can’t do that! He tried to kill us, you know!?」
「The other party also said that it was like that, right? Then, we can call it even. Right, Your Highness?」
「I also want to do so, but only this I can’t do so. Father will nag at me, saying “Dissolve the chivalric order, which is like playing house, if you can’t manage the members properly”, after all」
The Crown Prince, who had shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly, gulped down his wine and sighed.
「—Since nobody witness the scene, it’d be good if there’s some physical evidence though」
「Now that you mention it, Your Highness」
Shakira, who had filled her mouth with the boiled egg and ham alternately, pointed at Michel with the tip of her fork.
「—That Bolieiro-kun whose nose and front teeth were broken, that, while I was treating him, he was saying “I was in the wrong, forgive me” in delirium the whole time, you know?」
「—」
The expression of the Crown Prince, who seemed to be smiling wryly, became stiff at Shakira’s words.
「…What does that mean, Michel Bolieiro?」
「T, t, that’s… n, no, y, you’re mistaken!」
Michel’s red face turned ghastly pale, and he hurriedly tried to gloss over it.
「Ah, it’s fine, Bolieiro-kyou」
The Crown Prince stood up from his chair and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
「Since there are no witnesses, it can’t be helped. I’ll decide what I think is right here. —I’ll expel Dimitar Richternach from the Seal Chivalric Order」
「…!」
Lucius opened his eyes wide and stared at the Crown Prince’s profile.
「Not just Her Eminence’s story, I also received a report from the vice-leader, but Richternach-kyou, who couldn’t handle magic properly and let it go out of control, don’t have the qualification to become a member, who must be perfect in both magic and swordsmanship, of our chivalric order. —Am I right?」
The last few words were obviously directed at Lucius. Considering the incident Dimitar had caused, expulsion might certainly be an appropriate punishment. Even if Michel’s party attacking him was the impetus, the fact that Dimitar had let his magic power go out of control wouldn’t change.
「…Well, though I can’t say this openly」
Shaking his big hat, the Crown Prince added on.
「This is certainly out of regard for Bolieiro-kyou’s father too」
「…Thank you very much」
Michel wiped his sweat openly as if he had felt relieved and smiled broadly.
However, his smile stiffened immediately.
「—And then, the three of you are also expelled」
「Huh!?」
「Expulsion, you know, expulsion punishment. Michel Bolieiro-kyou, as well as both Bolieiro-kyous, Hugo and Héctor, will also receive expulsion punishment」
「No way…!」
「It takes two to make a quarrel—」
「What are you saying? You’re completely wrong」
Ignoring the three people speaking their objections respectively, the Crown Prince spoke nonchalantly.
「—That’s because you’re weak」
「…Eh?」
「“It takes two to make a quarrel” normally means that it’s between people who fought on even terms, doesn’t it? But you’re weak. If what you guys said is right, it means that, in short, all three of you were about to be killed by Richternach-kyou alone, right?」
「T, that’s—」
「Although it’s not my place to say so, such weak fellows aren’t needed in the chivalric order from now on. …I’m not joking or saying this on a whim; it’s because I really want to make this chivalric order into a group of strong warriors only」
“Therefore, you guys are the first step of the purge.” The pupils of the Crown Prince, who had smiled and informed them so, weren’t smiling like that seemingly frivolous tone of his.
Michel’s party looked at each other mutually.
「Y, you’re mistaken, Your Highness! That’s… ah, that was a surprise attack! That Richternach brat made a surprise attack on us when we were coming out of the tent, and…!」
「All three of you? In an instant? Without even the time to counterattack?」
「Y, yes!」
「And he didn’t finish you off thoroughly?」
「Ah? Ah, no, that’s—」
「That’s enough」
A displeased wrinkle was carved on the Crown Prince’s forehead, and he held out his hand to Shakira.
「Your Eminence, pass that to me」
「Yes」
What Shakira had passed to the Crown Prince was an arrow that was broken into two in the middle. The Crown Prince threw the arrow to the front of Michel’s party and asked them.
「This was the arrow that was stuck in Richternach-kyou’s back. …Do you recognise it?」
「N, no—」
「There’s no way that you don’t, right? Isn’t that the arrow we usually use for hunting?」
The Seal Chivalric Order’s equipment was all custom-made, but the army equipment that one could tell the difference the easiest was the arrow. The arrows supplied to the army used duck feathers as arrow feathers in order to procure a large number with standardised quality, whereas the arrow feathers of the arrows used by the chivalric order—because of the Crown Prince’s fixation—were made of precious snow-white falcon feathers.
What Michel had picked up with his trembling hand was certainly the arrow of the chivalric order, which had pure white arrow feathers.
「Her Eminence extracted it personally, so there’s no doubt that this was stuck in Richternach-kyou’s back. …The question is who shot this arrow. It’s a matter of course, but it’s impossible that the degenerate ex-bandits would have this arrow, so naturally, someone from the chivalric order must have shot it」
The Crown Prince, who had gone round by the side of the table and come to the front of Michel’s party, was carrying a slender sword in his hand before one knew it.
「…Besides the four people concerned, not a single person saw you and Richternach-kyou fighting. This means that there were only the four of you there. Am I right?」
「Y, yes…」
「That’s to say, other than the three of you, there’s no one else who could have shot the arrow at Richternach-kyou, right? He can’t shoot his own back by himself, after all. —Well, who was it? Among the three of you, who received a surprise attack from Richternach-kyou and were defeated in an instant and were letting out painful cries the whole time while sleeping until Her Eminence treated you, who on earth could have shot the arrow from his back?」
「T, that’s…」
Michel was at a loss for words and kept his mouth shut. Staring at the Crown Prince’s sword, which was placed on his shoulder quietly, from a close distance, he broke out in a cold sweat again. The other two people also couldn’t utter words of explanation any more and were trembling.
Hitting Michel’s cheek with the back of the sword, the Crown Prince muttered.
「…Your words are nothing but lies」
「Y, Your Highness—」
「Though this chivalric order doesn’t need weak fellows, it doesn’t need liars either. Lying means that you aren’t loyal to me」
The Crown Prince swung the sword once, kept it in the scabbard and returned to the breakfast table.
「We can properly determine whether you’re right or wrong here, but if we do that, I think it’ll probably become inconvenient for the House of Bolieiro in various ways. That’s why, hora, I said it just now too, right? Out of regard for Bolieiro-kyou’s father, I don’t want to do so. If you understand, then accept the reality obediently」
「P, please! Please reconsider, Your Highness! Please! Please, please, just not the expulsion punishment—」
「You’re so stupid」
The Crown Prince stared at Michel, who was pleading desperately, coldly and reached for the fig.
「—Even if you want to make a surprise attack, why would you use the bow and arrow that we usually use as they are? In addition to being weak, you’re a liar, and on top of that, you’re also stupid; my chivalric order doesn’t need such awful people from now on. …I’d like you not to make me say this so many times」
「Your Highness!」
「You’ve been talking repetitively since morning… if you can enumerate such worthless excuses, then it seems that your physical condition doesn’t have any problem already. When we arrive at Selsuru, I’ll prepare a carriage for you, so the three of you should board it and return to the capital. And then, repent in your home until you receive the official verdict」
「N, no way…」
「If you can’t obey this, it won’t end with just your expulsion punishment. —I’ll speak to Father and get him to prohibit everyone of the House of Bolieiro from entering and leaving the royal palace」
「…!」
Michel made a strange sound inside his throat and didn’t say anything any more. He probably was able to finally understand that no matter how much he struggled, let alone calming down the Crown Prince’s anger any more, things might become even more severe if he wasn’t careful.
When Michel’s party, the three of them, were urged by the other members and withdrew from the front of the Crown Prince, Lucius bowed very deeply.
「Thank you very much, Your Highness」
「I haven’t done anything to be thanked by you though」
The Crown Prince smiled while licking his finger that had got wet from the fruit juice of the fig; the calmness until just now had disappeared from his pupils as if it was a lie.
「—But well, it’s fine for you to feel a debt of gratitude of your own accord. I’ll have you return the favour in some way someday, after all」
「Yes」
「Ha—… good grief, it took up so much time in the end」
When Shakira, who had even consumed the Crown Prince’s portion of breakfast completely, jumped down from the chair lightly, she hit Lucius on the bottom, seemingly relaxed.
「Well then, Lucius-kun, let’s go to where that Richternach-kyou, who, let alone a title, had even lost the position of an apprentice member, is. I want to take a walk to help my digestion」
「Yes…」
Although he felt more or less satisfied because Michel had been punished, he felt down as expected when he thought about Dimitar. The Crown Prince spoke to Lucius, who had nodded and then drooped his head, with a sigh.
「—Since he can’t return to the capital together with those three people, can you tell him to return home immediately for me?」
「…I already had him make preparations with that intention from the beginning」
Lucius bowed lightly and started to walk together with Shakira.
♦♦♦
Dimitar tied his small luggage to the horse’s saddle, and his preparation for returning home was finished with that much. It just took a lot of time because they were preparing an exaggerated procession; originally, the distance between Selsuru and the holy city was that of two days and two nights if one galloped a horse alone. Not much luggage was needed.
When he was checking the reins and the stirrup, the bandage that was wrapped around his left arm, even though it was unpleasant, came into view, and his hands that were working stopped naturally.
「……」
He remembered, though not perfectly, the memory of the time when he was about to be killed by his mother. He still saw it in his dreams so often that he couldn’t forget it even if he was told to forget it. Perhaps because of that, he was more or less reluctant to handle flames when he started learning magic, but he overcame it shortly. He was completely unafraid of seeing flames and creating flames now.
—For Dimitar, who had thought so, going out of control last night was a big surprise as well as a big setback. The fear and despair when knowing that there was something that couldn’t be controlled by himself inside him was impossible to describe in many words.
More importantly, because of such an ineptitude of his, it not only made his own position worse, but even caused Lucius trouble. If he had made a single mistake, the two of them might have lost their lives all together.
When he was thinking about such things gloomily, he saw Lucius and Shakira coming this way.
Dimitar sniffled and wiped his eyes with the arm that was covered with bandage. A pain ran through his body, and it felt as if his heart, which had become timid, was whipped.
「Dimitar…」
「You, that, expulsion punishment」
Next to Lucius, who had opened his mouth hesitantly, Shakira spoke quite indifferently. Although he could half-expect things to become like that, it might possibly be due to that tone of Shakira that he wasn’t more shocked than he thought he’d be. At the very least, it was a fact that he didn’t want to expose his despondent state to this cheeky Eminence.
「I’m sorry, Dii. I couldn’t protect you at all」
Lucius cast his eyes down and murmured with a sorrowful expression.
「…No, it’s fine. No matter how you think about it, I’m the one at fault」
If he had paid attention a bit more and conducted himself aptly before he was given a warning by Lucius, he wouldn’t have incur the unnecessary enmity of Michel’s party. In the first place, he had accepted that his magic power going out of control was also a consequence caused by his own inexperience.
「Hey, hey! You!」
Shakira, who had been looking up at Dimitar and Lucius alternately, drove a punch into Dimitar’s stomach, looking dissatisfied.
「The one who helped you in the end was me though? And yet you didn’t thank me properly, you know, the Richternach-kyou who is unemployed?」
「Ah, yeah, yeah, thank you very much」
Dimitar, who had expressed his thanks half-heartedly while stroking Shakira’s head, realised that he finally smiled, though awkwardly, and almost cried again.
「Good grief… with that sort of attitude, I won’t give you any advice, you know?」
「I don’t need any」
「Oi, Dii」
Lucius chided Dimitar, who had tried to refuse flatly, and knelt down in front of Shakira.
「What kind of advice is it? If it’ll benefit Dimitar from now on, I’d like to hear it by all means」
「…Well, in consideration of the commendable Lucius-kun, I shall tell you」
Shakira, who had cleared her throat theatrically with an “ahem”, joined her hands together behind her back and began to walk around the young men in circles.
「…The verdict this time, I believe that His Highness has no choice but to do so and that Dii-kun also painfully understand his own imperfections. —However」
「However?」
「Perhaps Orvieto might say one thing or another. She seems to dote on you, after all」
The expression of Shakira, who had looked up at Dimitar fleetingly, wasn’t making fun of him in the slightest.
「—If that woman tries to begin to say this or that about His Highness’s decision, the two of you must stop her somehow. Otherwise, it might become a big trouble that will involve even the House of Bolieiro again」
「I understand. I’ll advise Mother against doing so」
「And one more thing. —Dii-kun has a wonderful talent, but at the same time, he also has the instability where he can’t control his magic power well. It seems that being brought close to the danger of dying was the impetus last night, but anyway, as you are now, it might become like that every time you use flashy offensive magic」
「…In short, I mustn’t use magic?」
「I won’t tell you not to use it at all. Well, it means that flashy magic comes with that sort of risk. …Anyway, while you’re unable to control your magic power properly, don’t think about using those sorts of magic with cool appearances like “Dokan!” or “Kabusha!”」
「……」
Dimitar stared at his left hand fixedly. Even if being expelled from the chivalric order was inevitable, if he couldn’t even use flashy offensive magic, then he also couldn’t join the army as a magic warrior. As a matter of fact, one could probably say that Dimitar’s dream of wanting to succeed in life and work for Lucius and Orvieto had been severed.
「Hey, hey, my talk isn’t finished yet」
「Eh?」
Shakira held out a letter to Dimitar, who was looking blankly at her.
「When you return to the capital, you should visit my old friend who is working at the army’s arsenal. This is a letter of introduction」
「Your Eminence’s old friend?」
「Un. He’s quite an eccentric, but he’s conducting a rather interesting research, you see」
Shakira threw out her thin chest proudly and scratched the tip of her nose.
「—If it’s that eccentric, I think he can come up with a method for you to utilise your magic power without it going out of control」
「…Thank you very much」
Dimitar stuffed the letter, which he had grasped tightly, into his pocket and put his foot on the stirrup.
「Go back carefully, Dii!」
Lucius held Shakira in his arms, jumped back from the side of the horse, which had neighed shrilly, and shouted.
「If it’s difficult to face Haha-ue, you can stay at an inn in the town for a while! Let’s go back together when I return from my mission!」
「Lucius-kun… you’re quite overprotective, you know」
Although he could barely hear Shakira laughing, Dimitar didn’t look back any more. Leaving behind his childhood friend and the small Dominas, the horse that was carrying Dimitar accelerated steadily.
It seemed that the pain in his left hand, which was grasping the reins, wouldn’t lessen for a while, but that was a trivial problem. What was important to the current Dimitar was what should he do hereafter.
If he couldn’t be of service to Lucius and Orvieto, what worth did he, who was even abandoned by his own biological mother, have? It was decided that he’d be expelled from the chivalric order and that he couldn’t become a magic warrior as well; Dimitar didn’t know what he should do now.
「—」
Dimitar bit his lip, and hot tears trickled down his cheeks.
Unable to see the path he should advance on yet, Dimitar simply passed through the centre of the rural landscape and single-mindedly galloped his horse on a straight highway towards the capital.
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