A Golden Princess in Black
"I'm ruined... I'll never be able to get married now..."
Elsie sat there with a look of utter despair, as if her entire world had ended. I looked down at her and spoke.
"It's fine. It didn't really do anything for me anyway."
It was the truth. It felt no different than checking a cat's gender. I hadn't felt anything strange. Besides, harboring weird feelings toward a kid like her would make me a criminal.
"Scumbag."
Well, even to my own ears, that had sounded a bit wrong. I scratched the back of my neck. I couldn't even think of an excuse at this point. Elsie watched me in silence for a moment before speaking again.
"Well... I suppose I can forgive you."
"Huh?"
"I said I'll forgive you. It's not like you did it on purpose. You said you only did it because you thought I was in danger and wanted to save me."
That was true. Come to think of it, I hadn't actually done anything wrong. I had only...
"And you probably didn't even know I was a girl. That's why you let me sleep in the same room, right?"
Actually, that's not it. I had known she was a girl, but I only let her stay because she looked like a pitiful stray cat. But speaking those thoughts aloud would undoubtedly trigger another disaster, so I chose to keep my mouth shut.
"I will forgive you. But on one condition."
"What is it?"
"Please keep the fact that I'm a girl a secret."
"Of course. But..." There was a glaring issue with that promise. "Even if I keep quiet, I don't think anyone else is going to be fooled."
Sure, when she was covered in layers of grime and soot, she might have passed as a boy to some. But now that she was squeaky clean, she looked entirely different. Her fair, delicate skin and radiant blonde hair seemed to practically glow all on their own.
Is it because of her trait?
I recalled the trait on her status window.
When I was playing the game, it was a trait whose effects I couldn't physically feel, but facing her like this, its presence was incredibly vivid.
So this is what that trait actually does.
No matter what we did, hiding a trait itself might prove difficult. And with hair that brilliantly blonde, she was bound to draw attention wherever she went.
I unfolded the handkerchief I had on me. Her hair was short and her head was quite small, so this would do for now.
"Let's cover your hair first before we head out."
The place I took Elsie to was a dye shop.
"What color do you want? Black is probably the safest bet, right?"
As I browsed the dyes, Elsie looked flustered and asked in a hushed voice, "W-Wait a minute. Why do I have to dye my hair?"
"Did you plan on rubbing soot into your hair forever? What if it rains? It'll all wash right off."
"That's..."
I asked the hesitating girl once more. "So, what color is it going to be?"
"...Black."
After purchasing the black dye she chose, I got some tips on how to apply it from the shopkeeper. It sounded a bit tedious, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.
"Let's head back to the inn first. To dye your hair."
Clutching the dye, Elsie hurried to keep up with me as we walked back to the inn.
"Since when did you know?" she asked urgently.
"Know what?"
"That I was... a fugitive."
If I explained that I was essentially a Constellation-like being who already knew everything about her, she would look at me like I was a lunatic. Fortunately, I had a perfectly plausible explanation that didn't require revealing the truth.
"Anyone could see you were running from something. Besides, your hair color isn't exactly common around these parts."
"You figured all that out just from that?"
Elsie didn't seem entirely convinced. In the end, I decided to play my trump card.
"I heard about the coup in the Reim Kingdom."
Elsie's eyes widened in shock. "You...!"
"Let's continue this at the inn. No matter how much we lower our voices, walls have ears."
"Just how much do you know?"
An information asymmetry. This was a highly potent weapon, one I had also used when negotiating with Gwen. Of course, because it required keeping track of so many details, I preferred brute force, but I knew how to utilize it when the situation called for it.
"Close your eyes. The dye might get in."
"Answer me first—"
"Didn't some just get in your mouth?"
"Pah! Ptooey!"
I didn't know what this dye was made of, but judging by the smell alone, it was incredibly bitter.
"I'm asking you how much you know."
"Just that a coup occurred in the kingdom, the royal palace was sealed off, and the Third Princess vanished in the process."
Elsie's jaw dropped.
Careful, the dye's going to get in.
I silently massaged the black dye into Elsie's hair as she fell into a stunned silence. The spring sunlight streaming through the window was warm, and though her hair was short, it felt surprisingly soft.
"So... you helped me knowing I was the princess?"
Not quite.
"Not really. Whether you're the princess of the Reim Kingdom or not doesn't matter to me."
"Are you aiming for some kind of reward?"
Finding out her destination. That could be considered a reward, but I could have figured that out without going to such lengths to help her. In fact, if I had left her to her own devices, she wouldn't have even made it to Sakh.
And yet, the reason I helped her was simple.
"I told you before. I helped you because I felt sorry for you."
There was no other reason. Meeting Gwen and living with Wyss had made me reflect on the people of this world. And the girl standing before me was, to my knowledge, one of the most tragic figures in this entire setting. If it was within my power, I wanted to help her.
Perhaps that was why I had put off asking about her destination. If I heard her confirm that she was heading to Sakh, I still wasn't sure how I would react. But one thing was certain: I didn't want her to die as a miserable fugitive.
"I just want you, as a person, to survive."
When I killed the 71st Demon King, Finn's death had been inevitable. But his passing was the first time I had truly faced death. If I ignored Elsie now and she ended up dying, I would regret it for the rest of my life.
"This should do it."
Having thoroughly coated her hair with the dye, I wrapped the handkerchief around her head. Now, we just had to wait a bit and rinse it out.
"You said you want me to survive."
"I did."
Elsie wore an incredibly solemn expression. "If protecting me meant that you might die in exchange... would you still protect me?"
That was a question worth pondering.
If it meant I might die...
Of course I wouldn't. After all, my top priority right now was my own survival. Even during the previous Demon King subjugation, I only fought because I had a winning chance and was greedy for the SP reward. I hadn't risked my life solely to protect the village.
And yet...
"Then I'll just have to make sure I don't die."
At my reply, Elsie's face went blank once more.
"Please, think about this seriously. The pursuers hired by the kingdom are carrying terrifying weapons. Even in the Holy City Heilen, heroes were hunting me down."
To my knowledge, those "heroes" weren't actual Heroes. They were likely Hero Candidates. Real Heroes would make far more profit subjugating Chaos Beasts during that time than whatever bounty the kingdom was offering. Besides, if actual Heroes had started hunting Elsie, she would have been dead in an instant.
With my current strength, I can easily handle guys like that.
The problem was how to convince Elsie of that. I could probably convince her if I showed her my holy relics or swordsmanship. But doing so might only make her feel more burdened.
"Elsie, listen closely."
Therefore, what I was about to say was half-truth and half-lie.
"The truth is, I have a destination of my own. I'm only staying here temporarily. Once I've helped you get to a point where you can survive on your own without being caught, I have to leave immediately."
"You're leaving?"
"Probably tomorrow. So, you don't need to worry about me."
I untied the handkerchief wrapping her head. Then, bringing over a basin of water, I began to rinse her hair.
The dye took well.
With this, it would be hard for anyone to suspect she was a princess. Even the pursuers hired by the kingdom had likely never seen the princess's face in person.
"Ah..."
Elsie pulled a strand of her newly blackened bangs down in front of her eyes, looking awkward.
"I... I don't look strange, do I?"
"Of course not."
Even with black hair, the faint aura of dignity radiating from her was impossible to completely hide. I would need to think a bit more about how to conceal that.
"You're sure it's not strange?"
"I told you, it's fine. It looks like you were born with black hair. Whoever dyed it did a fantastic job."
"Then... would you like to go out again?"
"Go out?"
What sudden change of heart had come over the girl who was trembling about pursuers just a moment ago?
Well, I was planning on heading out anyway.
I couldn't keep her dressed in my oversized clothes forever. I had already been thinking about going out to buy clothes and other necessities for her.
"But are you sure it's okay for you to go out?"
"My hair is dyed now. I know it's not completely safe, but... I still want to go."
She hesitated for a brief moment before continuing.
"...Since you said you're leaving tomorrow. Surely today is fine."