Just the Two of Us
Sebas, Princess Lilith's butler, had looked after her since she was a child. There had been talk that she would not live long, given how frail her body was, but fortunately she had grown up safely into adulthood. Even so, her father — King Cromwell — had seemed rather curious as to whether Lilith's body was even capable of bearing a child.
The function itself was probably not the issue. Childbirth, however, always carried a measure of risk for the mother, and it was far from certain that Lilith's flesh could endure that risk. It would have been a comfort if they had at least known the identity of her illness — but they did not. She was simply weak.
Still, she had grown up well, and become someone who knew, in her own way, how to be considerate of others. She had always admired the Hero, Olivia Reinhardt, and the news of that woman's death must surely have left a deep wound in Lilith's heart. Sebas could only hope it would not become a problem that worsened her health.
That's right. I'll prepare her favorite foods.
Fiddling with his mustache, he had decided to make something Lilith would like.
And then —
With a sudden BANG, the door flew open.
Who on earth would enter Princess Lilith's chambers with so little courtesy? He looked — and it was Lilith herself.
"Lady Lilith?"
"Sebas! Prepare a Warp Orb right now!"
"Pardon? Where are you going?"
"East Port!"
"East Port?"
Lilith's face was flushed with heat. Whoever she had met, whatever had passed between them, that expression — fury she could not contain — called to mind the mischievous little girl she had once been.
"Wh-what? You're going now? A report to His Majesty—"
"Unnecessary! Honestly, at this point I don't even know if Father is someone I can trust. He's exceptionally devoted to the kingdom — but put another way, he places no value on anything outside of it. I'm imagining something terrible right now, and if that terrible imagination is right, this is a serious problem."
"……"
Sebas looked out the window for a moment. The weather was fine. The blue sky seemed to stretch on forever.
"What are you doing! Sebas!! Prepare it at once!"
"Lady Lilith, well……"
"What is it?"
"Do I really have to go?"
"……Would you like to be punished for the crime of offending a princess's mood?"
There was no such law. But if a princess declared that there was, one could always be punished under whatever came closest.
"No. I was joking."
Sebas had been a butler for a rather long time now. These days he could handle most things without so much as blinking — but whenever it came to this particular princess, his head always ached.
That's the place that was attacked by demons…… Does she really have to go in person…… She's a princess. She should send a subordinate……
Ah.
That subordinate would be him.
Enlightenment dawned upon Sebas.
"Hmm. So you were on friendly terms with Princess Lilith, then?"
"Well. It was a little too awkward to call it friendship. At social gatherings and the like, if I was standing alone, Lilith would come over and talk to me. But she was the only one doing the talking, so I couldn't really manage a particularly warm attitude."
"Why not?"
"Look at me, Lois."
"What about it?"
"Do you honestly think I could act natural at something like a social gathering? I couldn't, right? I was tense the whole time, thinking I mustn't overstep. I got through countless functions with a polite smile and I see."
"That's nothing to be proud of."
More like she'd been found out completely. Having spent her entire life holding nothing but a sword, her intelligence in that particular department seemed not to have developed even a little. Even at the start of their journey she had used informal speech without distinguishing between commoner and noble — and according to Alex, she had even spoken that way to the king.
A beast with not a shred of social grace to be found. A Hero who could see nothing but a straight line forward — that was the woman named Olivia Reinhardt.
"Still. I learned that honorifics are necessary for people who deserve courtesy."
"It's a relief you figured it out, even now."
"It's good to use them with older people, and with people worth respecting, right? And it seems like you should use them with strangers too, but I don't really get why."
Using them with strangers wasn't strictly essential, to be fair.
"Please try to use them with people of high status as well."
"Not for those guys who just happened to be born that way and do nothing but drain the tax coffers."
"You said you didn't even use them with the king."
"That old man…… There was this strangely looking-down gaze, you know. Hmm. ……How should I put it. It was the face of someone itching because he couldn't control me."
"……"
I had felt something similar. I had happened to have a chance to meet Cromwell Clifort myself, and the moment I did, I caught the scent of a man who hated exceptions. He disliked variables. He gave off a strong impression of a control freak who was only satisfied when everything sat firmly in his grasp. He did have a human-like affection for the nation, at least — but he seemed to want to control every last thing that happened within it.
The peculiar smell of a broken person, perhaps. That was the kind of man he was.
"Lady Livia's power, one way or another, reached a realm beyond the human — a realm even the Demon King couldn't touch. Perhaps King Cromwell saw through that potential of yours and wanted to put a leash on you somehow?"
"At this point I get the feeling the kingdom did something."
"Why is that?"
"I may look like this, but I'm kind to civilians."
"I was a civilian too."
"Sorry. Irrelevant civilians."
"Yes, yes…… So what of it?"
"No — the fact that they were this unnecessarily wary of me means they're hiding something, doesn't it? Something that, if I found out, I'd definitely judge the kingdom as an enemy."
"……"
I fidgeted with my chest for a moment. I had a rough idea of how the Hero would react if she found out. I had some idea of what face she would make regarding me as well, but I wasn't certain. The Hero as she was now aside — if the Hero of the past had learned of this matter, she might have recognized the kingdom as an enemy without looking back, and destroyed it.
The Hero who executed justice felt no guilt. For the Hero of that time, who had almost none of that kind of anguish or hesitation, being judged as evil might have been a terrifying thing.
Even so. It had been too much.
"Well. When you build a nation and keep it standing, there can be things that look like evil in the eyes of a completely unrelated third party. I'm certainly not praising any of it as well done, though."
"Alex said something similar."
"……Did he."
Alex, huh.
Even if he had always had a bit of that personality, I had believed his essence was good. But what he did to the Hero had gone far beyond a point where one could still say that. It could not be called good. No matter how much it had been an action to protect something, it was clearly evil, and I could not accept it.
The fact that you did such a thing, too.
But it had actually happened, and there was nothing to be done about it. The you from the slums is dead now.
"We'll be arriving soon."
"Ohh! So that's the Eastern Continent!"
"Haven't you been there before?"
"I didn't have the luxury of looking at the scenery."
"You're on borrowed time and now you have the luxury?"
"I wonder why. I do."
The Black Bear — that Rookie Hunter that had taught this person the emotion of fear — had been an incredible creature. It had essentially accomplished what even the Demon King could not. That bear could probably take the Demon King's job.
"Not having an arm is inconvenient."
"You said you liked it because I feed you at every meal."
"Well, that's true, but…… I'm right-handed, you know. So holding a sword with my left hand feels a bit awkward."
She was that skilled even with a hand that wasn't her original one. Ah, seriously — why is she even human?
"Of course I trained so I could use either hand, so it doesn't really matter. But you know how people feel, right? There's a sense that it grips better when I hold it with my right."
I see. She could use both, but it was still more comfortable with the right. People did have those kinds of things.
"The Eastern Continent is a more beautiful place than I expected. Why didn't I notice last time I came?"
"Once your treatment is finished, it would be nice to wander around at leisure."
"Yeah. It'd be perfect if you were by my side too."
"I'd be happy to introduce you to some good restaurants I know, at least."
"Hm? Have you been to the Eastern Continent?"
I nodded.
"I've been here before. Before I was part of the Hero party. I do know an elf from that connection, but…… I don't know if he'll help us. Unlike a typical elf, he has a calculating side, so he'll help depending on the conditions we offer."
"So he's a merchant?"
"More or less."
"I don't really trust that……"
"He's a surprisingly thorough elf, so once he says he'll do it, you can trust him."
"Really?"
"If it really doesn't work out, trust me."
"Okay."
The Hero nodded as if that settled it. She had improved compared to the old days, but she still had almost no social skills to speak of, so developing those was something that needed to happen. That, however, was something that could be done slowly after saving her life first. It wasn't urgent.
"No — perhaps it would be better for Lady Livia to stay just as she is."
"Was that a confession just now?"
"That tendency of charging straight ahead without knowing how to stop might need some correction."
"Ehh……"
Well. In a certain sense, that was an advantage too. If the world had been saved because of that tendency, wouldn't that make it a virtue? I was confused.
"I'm hungry……"
"I'll find an inn nearby and prepare a meal."
"I want to eat proper food soon."
"Looking at Lady Livia's recovery speed, you'll be fine before long — but just in case, please hold out for a few more days."
"Got it."
At least she listened well. That was a relief.
"Excuse me!"
"Hm?"
"Hm?"
The Hero and I turned around at the same time. A person was standing behind us.
No — the ears were long. But shorter than an elf's. A half-elf? How rare.
"Forgive me for approaching you like this! Would you hear me out, please!"
"……"
"……"
The trembling voice thick with desperation, the deeply bowed head — they truly looked like they needed help. The Hero and I regarded the half-elf for a moment, then looked at each other as if we had made a promise. The Hero seemed to want to convey something with a jerk of her chin.
Could this be the person who had been watching the Hero aboard the ship earlier, around the time she drove off those pirates?
"Well, first of all…… Hmm. So."
The Hero scratched her head and said,
"Who are you?"
It was, without a doubt, a fundamental question.