The Siblings' Plan
"What... do you mean by that, Irene?"
Unable to understand what she meant, I ended up asking her to clarify.
She seemed to ponder for a moment before gathering her courage to speak again.
"I am more than capable of handling the bandits on my own... but it felt as though you didn't trust me."
"Huh?! What do you mean... not trust you? It's just that, since you're a woman, I felt uneasy sending you off alone..."
"....?!"
"O-Of course... I know you're strong. But just looking at you, you look like nothing but a beautiful lady. How could I possibly let you go by yourself?"
"......"
I spoke up to clear the misunderstanding, but instead of answering, she merely pressed the backs of her cold hands against her cheeks, trying to cool down her blushing face.
"And... I also wanted to ask you something. That's why I suggested we go together."
"Something to ask me?"
"Yeah. Back in the Fiore Empire, you told me that you were telling me the name you couldn't share before..."
"......"
"Have we met somewhere before? No matter how hard I try to remember, I don't recall ever meeting you when I was active with my former party..."
For some reason, despite having been active as the Hero until three years ago, I had never once heard her name.
If I had known someone as strong as Irene existed, we surely would have fought together, or at least crossed paths once in high society...
It was only now that the thought occurred to me.
Back then, I received all my intelligence from the Eryther Empire's information department. I couldn't help but wonder if they had intentionally withheld information about Irene so that I wouldn't be able to kick out Princess Lydia or Saintess Emilia and find other companions.
After all, even if I grew dissatisfied with Lydia or Emilia, I wouldn't be able to replace them if there was no one else to take their place.
Knowing how those women used me, they were more than capable of such a scheme.
"That is..."
Perhaps I had asked something I shouldn't have. Irene's face flushed deeper, and she struggled to find the words. It was during this long, hesitant silence.
Whoosh—
The Sylph that Lucia had attached to us blew a gust of wind as if to signal us. Once we looked its way, it pointed a tiny finger toward a nearby cave.
"Hero, it seems we have arrived at the cave where the bandits are."
"Y-Yeah..."
In the end, I couldn't get an answer out of her. Irene, seemingly eager to avoid the topic for now, quickly changed the subject by pointing toward the cave the Sylph had indicated.
"Please leave this place to me."
"Alright."
If I offer to help again, she might misunderstand...
Frost
A hazy frost flowed from Irene's hand, sweeping directly into the cave. Everywhere it touched froze over as if coated in a thick layer of white frost. A moment later...
"Brrr, it's freezing!"
"What kind of sudden disaster is this?! Ice in this weather?!"
One by one, the bandits stumbled out of the cave, shivering and complaining. Thanks to the freezing air that had penetrated the cavern, they were all trembling so violently they could barely stand straight.
Sring!
Watching the bandits flee the cave, Irene suddenly drew the sword at her waist and began walking slowly toward the entrance.
"W-Who are you?!"
"An intruder!!"
Thud! Bam! Slash!
The bandits, thrown into utter chaos by Irene's sudden appearance, tried to rush her with their bare bodies before they could even raise their weapons. However, Irene systematically brought them down one by one with a flurry of kicks, punches, and swift sword strikes.
I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination, but it almost felt as if she was enjoying this.
I thought I caught a faint smile brushing across her face for a split second... but then again, maybe not.
Given the size of the cave, there were far more bandits than expected, but they were soon rounded up and forced to their knees. Irene deliberately grazed her blade near their necks, terrorizing them one by one.
"P-Please spare us! We'll give you whatever you want! Just spare our lives, please!"
The man who appeared to be the bandit leader rubbed his hands together in desperate supplication, begging for mercy. Seeing their leader grovel so pathetically, the remaining bandits trembled in even greater terror.
"Where are the goods you stole from the refugees?"
"They're all... inside!"
Since Irene didn't seem particularly inclined to make conversation, I stepped forward and questioned the leader. To add weight to my words, Irene pressed her blade against his throat.
"I-It's the truth!!"
The bandit leader cried out as if to prove his sincerity. I gave Irene a quick nod to signal that I was going to check inside, then headed into the cave.
Inside, while it wasn't a massive hoard, a large chest was filled with various jewelry and gold coins. Judging by the sheer amount, it seemed to contain the stolen belongings of many others besides the current refugees.
Having confirmed the chest, I walked back outside and approached the bandit leader.
"Are you sure there isn't more besides that chest? If I find anything else later, it might cost you your life."
"O-Of course! What's in there is everything we have!!"
Hearing the leader's desperate plea, Irene nodded at me. I thought she was agreeing that he was telling the truth, but...
Slash! Slash!
"Aaargh!"
She suddenly began executing the kneeling bandits one by one. She even chased down and cut down the ones trying to flee, painting the clearing with blood in an instant.
"W-What are you doing?!"
"Even if we spare them, they will only harm other innocent people and steal their belongings again."
"......"
I had yelled out in surprise at her sudden slaughter, but hearing her reasoning... she wasn't wrong.
Although they were groveling and begging for their lives now that they were faced with someone as overwhelmingly powerful as Irene, it was obvious what would happen once we left. They would undoubtedly return to the shantytown to pillage and murder once more.
"Still, let me know before you kill them next time."
"Yes. I apologize."
However, Irene killing all the bandits created a new problem.
"Sigh... How are we going to move that chest now?"
My plan had been to use the bandits as forced labor to carry the heavy chest back to the shantytown. But now that they were all dead, there was only one person left to carry it.
Clack, clack, clack.
In the Eryther Empire, which was currently engulfed in chaos due to the war with the Demon King's army, the citizens of the imperial capital had gathered in the streets to witness a rare spectacle: a massive, untimely procession of carriages.
The carriages did not bear the crest of the Empire, but rather that of the neighboring Jeremia Kingdom.
Just a few days prior, their royal capital had fallen to the Demon King's forces, forcing the royal family and prominent nobles to flee to their ally, the Eryther Empire.
Although the Kingdom's remnants and the Empire's military were fighting desperately on the pushed-back front lines, it was only a matter of time before the enemy breached the Empire's borders.
"Whoa, whoa."
The lead carriage came to a complete halt, and its door swung open. Crown Prince Chris, who had been waiting for the arrivals, stepped forward to greet them.
"Brother!"
Lydia stepped down from the carriage, cradling her noticeably swollen belly, and rushed toward Chris.
"Lydia, you've had a long journey. Are you feeling alright? No discomfort?"
"I'm fine. But how about you, Brother? I heard rumors that Edward is gathering forces..."
Just as Lydia said, Crown Prince Chris was currently facing a major crisis. The second prince and his half-brother, Edward, had been rallying various nobles to expand his faction. His influence had grown to rival Chris's, becoming a massive thorn in the Crown Prince's side.
Along with this, the nobles' demands to exile the Crown Princess, Saintess Emilia, and strip Chris of his title were growing louder by the day. As the damage inflicted by the Demon King's army mounted, the absence of the Hero was cited as the root cause—and the blame for that fell squarely on the Crown Prince and his wife.
"And what about you? I heard you went to the Arzen Kingdom to meet the Hero. How did that go?"
"......"
Lydia couldn't bring herself to tell Chris that she had groveled on her knees before the Hero. However, Chris had already heard rumors and knew exactly what his sister had resorted to.
"This is all because of Emilia."
"......"
Her sudden outburst caught him off guard. Contrary to Chris's expectation that she would talk about what happened in the Arzen Kingdom, Lydia suddenly began cursing his wife, Saintess Emilia.
"If that bitch hadn't run her mouth about marrying the Hero, none of this would have happened."
"Why? Did the Hero bring that up?"
"No, he didn't. But it's clear he's still holding a grudge against us."
"A grudge?"
"Seeing how he still talks about what happened three years ago... he hasn't forgotten. No, he has no intention of ever forgetting."
The more Chris listened to Lydia, the more unease crept over him. After all, he knew better than anyone that he was the ultimate instigator behind the events of three years ago.
"We should have just used that bitch and thrown her away! Why did you have to go and marry her, blowing this whole thing out of proportion?!"
Although Lydia was shifting all the blame onto Emilia now, Chris knew very well that his sister had also been deeply involved in the incident three years ago. So had Illuen, their fellow party member.
"That's why... I have a plan."
"A plan? What kind of plan? A way to get the Hero to support us?"
"Well... you could say that."
"What is it? Tell me, Brother! I don't even ask for much! Just help me reclaim my kingdom. Please?"
At the mention of a good idea, Lydia clung to Chris, pleading desperately.
"But you'll have to help me with it."
"I will! I'll do whatever it takes! I want to at least leave a kingdom—even a fractured one—to the child in my womb!"
Lydia caressed her belly, displaying it to Chris just as she had to the Hero. Knowing that the lives of his sister and unborn niece or nephew hung in the balance, Chris resolved to make this plan succeed at all costs.