Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: The Second Princess
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Knock knock.
-Your Highness. Pardon the intrusion.
"Come in."
Only after receiving permission did the knight open the door. He offered a careful bow before speaking.
"We've secured all the ringleaders. Just as Your Highness said, they were hiding among the citizens."
"With that many troops on the move, they couldn't have done it without inside help."
Cassius murmured that, then belatedly remembered one detail and passed on the order to the knight.
"Oh, right. One of the culprits has a smashed-up face. Don't kill that bastard—torture him. Ask Christopher who it is, and he'll tell you."
"Understood."
Since the prince himself had ordered not to kill the man but to make him suffer, the knight felt a pang of pity for the criminal in question. He had no idea what the guy had done to earn such enmity—but either way, the poor fool would soon be begging for death.
As the knight finished his report and left the room, Cassius reflected on the day's events. The incident where the Anti-Kingdom Alliance had hijacked the train carrying academy cadets.
This would make train boarding and security much stricter from now on. They might even start using magic scans every time someone boarded. Or maybe cannons would be mounted on the trains to intercept approaching enemies.
Safety rules are written in blood. Cassius finally understood the saying.
And one more thing.
'...Who would've thought the duke was hiding that kind of power.'
Cassius thought back to the knight from the Claudia Duchy. The green-haired knight. When he'd first seen him in the duchy, Enri had seemed like a slacker who hated work, the very picture of a loafer or ne'er-do-well... But after witnessing his skills, all those impressions had flipped 180 degrees.
The Anti-Kingdom Alliance members who attacked the train today—and their elven ringleaders—were no weaklings. There were magic professors protecting the academy cadets, royals and nobles guarded by dispatched escort knights. Even the hired guards assembled to prevent disturbances inside the train.
All of them were elite forces whose names alone carried weight. No exaggeration—they could probably conquer a small fief on their own.
Yet the Anti-Kingdom Alliance had smashed through those escorts.
And Enri had taken down the entire Anti-Kingdom Alliance by himself.
What did that mean?
"...A superhuman who could topple a fief single-handedly."
It meant the Claudia Duchy had a powerhouse who could storm a fief alone, kill the lord, and escape. So why had they kept him hidden all this time, only revealing him now?
Cassius racked his brain, trying to decipher the Claudia Duke's intentions.
But then—
—Why are you alone?
—Got tired of waiting.
—...I, I see.
—Did you bring the communication stone? Contact the others...
—Ah, forgot.
—N-No problem. The train has communication stones, so use those—
Recalling his conversation with Enri, Cassius frowned slightly.
'...But why does he seem to have zero ulterior motives?'
Of course, that was the truth.
But neither Cassius nor any of the other academy cadets realized it.
The actions of those in power were always overestimated. No one could suspect Enri after witnessing his superhuman feats firsthand.
'What are your intentions, Claudia Duke...!?'
Cassius spent the day lost in such worries.
No matter how much he pondered, he never touched the truth.
In the royal palace.
Inside a luxurious guest room reserved for honored visitors, Enri gave his report via communication stone.
"—So that's how it went. I don't think I can make it back today."
[Got it. Take your time returning.]
"Really?"
[...Scratch that. Return within three days.]
"Aww..."
As Lady Eve realized her slip and issued the three-day return order, Enri cautiously asked about a hypothetical.
"Oh, by the way. What if I get scouted?"
[You're already my knight. No noble would make the faux pas of recruiting a knight under contract to another noble.]
"I'm pretty skilled. They might not care and offer anyway."
[...]
Lady Eve fell silent at Enri's brazen remark. Then, belatedly grasping what he wanted, she let out a small sigh and spoke carefully.
[—Puppy. You're mine. I'll neuter any pup that doesn't know its master. Got it? Bark if you do.]
"—Woof."
[Good boy. Safe travels. ...Don't make me pull stuff like this. How old do you think I am?]
Click.
Enri chuckled at Lady Eve cutting the connection, her face flushed with embarrassment. He pocketed the communication stone and flopped onto the bed.
No sooner had he done so than someone knocked on the door.
-Sir Enri. Are you awake?
"Yeees—come in."
"Pardon the intrusion."
The maid entered right after the call ended. She gave a light bow, set up a table, and began arranging snacks. This was clear evidence she'd eavesdropped on his call, but Enri didn't mind.
At worst, a rumor would spread through the palace that 'Lady Claudia calls her knight a dog.' A fabrication that was 0% fact and 100% nonsense.
As he watched the maid set out the snacks, Enri suddenly paused. No matter how he looked at it, there were way too many.
"That's a lot."
"Please wait a moment."
After finishing the setup, the maid went outside and brought someone back. Seeing who it was, Enri got up from the bed and observed proper etiquette.
"—I see the Princess."
"Oh—no need. Stay comfortable."
"Thank you."
Blonde hair, blue eyes.
Similar coloring to Cordelia, but radiating elegance from every inch. There stood Elenoa Gracia, Second Princess of the Gracia Kingdom.
Enri kept his guard up as he watched her. This wasn't the modern world where women swiped apps for one-night stands and bragged about their conquests to friends. Quite the opposite.
It was an era where a woman's chastity was a commodity. In a medieval monarchy that could execute you for lèse-majesté over a royal scandal. If word got out that she'd visited his room, it would be a disaster. Even for Enri, clashing with the kingdom was no good.
"What brings the Princess to my room?"
"Oh? Can't I visit? I didn't realize I needed permission everywhere I go."
"Not from me, but surely from His Majesty the King. Especially entering a strange man's room."
Elenoa puffed her cheeks in a pout at Enri, who wouldn't yield an inch. She glared at him steadily without replying, then relaxed her expression as if conceding defeat.
"I came to see the lifesaver and hero who rescued my sibling. Is that not enough?"
"No, it's plenty."
Enri said that and sat across from Elenoa. The attending maids' eyes widened at the sight of him sitting with the princess without permission, but they didn't point it out in front of her.
Elenoa herself wasn't so rigid as to scold the hero who'd saved her sibling over mere etiquette.
"Truth be told, I've always admired knights. The knight who sets off to rescue the princess kidnapped by the demon king, the one who saves the princess cursed to sleep in the forest, the one who frees the princess imprisoned in a tower by an evil queen—they're all knights, right?"
"Well, yeah."
He had no idea why her examples were all fairy tales, but it was clear Elenoa held a positive image of knights.
Otherwise, she wouldn't barge into a man's room just to meet one. The very notion of potential disaster didn't exist in her mind. Why? Because she was the princess.
'She has some strong knight fantasies...'
Still, he couldn't rudely chase away someone who meant well—especially a pretty young lady. Enri had no choice but to keep her company.
Fortunately, it wasn't hard. For him, it was just recounting events matter-of-factly. No need to embellish for the listener.
"So I stormed in, and there were bandits waiting with traps. About eighty of them..."
"Eighty!? What happened!?"
"Took them down like always. The key to fighting numbers is avoiding encirclement. Luckily, the entrance was narrow, so only a few could face me at once. Just three head-on, and any knight can handle three bandits—"
His experiences were so outlandish that ordinary folk would dismiss them as boasts anyway. No need to inflate expectations. If anything, he'd downplay the feats.
Elenoa's eyes sparkled as they chatted animatedly for a good while. Finally, she stood as if time was up.
"I'd love to hear more, but it's about that time."
"Too bad."
"Seriously, sometimes I regret not having a sister. If I did, I could've disguised her and sent her to classes in my place."
"Pardon? Aren't you the Second Princess?"
"Yes. Second Princess."
Enri stared at her as if she'd said something baffling. Elenoa tilted her head, wondering what the problem was.
"No, with the First Princess around, you're second... right?"
"Ah. It seems Sir Enri isn't familiar with court etiquette yet."
Elenoa nodded understandingly and explained why she was the Second Princess.
"My older brother, Prince Aurelia, is the First Prince. I'm next as second, and Cassius is the youngest, Third Prince."
She said it was easy to remember by birth order. Enri realized his assumption was correct.
This world wasn't some romance fantasy novel. Otherwise, they wouldn't use such straightforward numbering.