The Imperial Princess's First Kill
Four days flew by in the blink of an eye. And then, on the day we were finally set to leave, Baron Heinrich opened the door to the office and stepped inside.
“As expected, the Count’s office is quite luxurious.”
“I didn’t decorate it. That Var? Whatever-his-name-was, that vermin bastard did it all.”
“Ah, you mean that greedy man.”
A flash of contempt crossed Heinrich’s eyes.
“I sold the family heirlooms to protect my people from him.”
“If they’re important, you can take money from the vault and buy them back. I’ll allow that much.”
“No, it’s fine. As long as my people can live in peace, that’s enough for me.”
I was checking the gem-studded weapons I’d received from the blacksmiths when the thought suddenly occurred to me. This Breitenfeld Countship sat directly below the Northern Archduke’s domain. If the North fell, this would be the first place the Demon King’s army would overrun.
“Once the countship grows a little more prosperous, make sure to properly reinforce the defenses. Don’t make it like your old castle.”
“Yes, Count.”
“You never know what might happen in this world.”
I smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.
“I’m counting on you, Count Deputy.”
“…!! I will devote myself completely. It is the highest honor.”
“No need to be so formal. Anyway, I’m off.”
“Yes! Have a safe journey!”
“Will do.”
With that, I left the office and headed out of the castle. The usual faces were waiting there. Yellowy, Bucephalus, the carriage emblazoned with the imperial crest. And Elena, Elisabeth, and Anastasia.
Our destination was west—to the Lindberg Duchy, which shared a direct border with the Breitenfeld Countship.
“Let’s move!”
“…Yes.”
Elisabeth answered with a face full of discontent.
“Are you still upset about me petting that little kid’s head?”
“…No, I’m not.”
“Yeah, right. Come here.”
I ruffled Elisabeth’s hair. Her expression instantly brightened! At the same time, Elena and Anastasia’s faces crumpled. But perhaps because she valued her dignity, Elena didn’t make any demands. Only Anastasia bounced around frantically before thrusting the leash at me.
“The dog is here!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I took the leash but did nothing with it, so she gave me a thoroughly dissatisfied look. What was I supposed to do with this bitch? This complete idiot who had fully surrendered her sense of self to me.
“Get in.”
I loaded her into the carriage’s cargo hold. She shot Elisabeth a look full of resentment, but Elisabeth responded with a refreshed expression, glaring at her before climbing up to the coachman’s seat.
“Let’s depart!”
“Yeah.”
And so we set off without any particular trouble. Yellowy seemed to be in a great mood—probably because he’d been wandering around the countship’s stables meeting every mare in sight. Like owner, like horse, I suppose… Though of course I’m not some beast like Yellowy. I remained a refined and gentle gentleman who didn’t lay a hand on anyone.
Anyway, sitting atop Yellowy, I picked up the thoughts I’d had four days ago. I considered the future members of the hero’s party five years from now.
First was the one riding beside me, trying her hardest to maintain the coldest expression possible—the future Archmage, Elena von Weisswald.
Then, as the letter from His Imperial Majesty had made clear, Lucas von Schwarzswald, who was currently devoting himself to sword training on my advice. There were five more besides them.
First, the berserker Thorfinn Karlsefni. The paladin Celine de Blois. The assassin Carmen Rodriguez. The sniper Thalia Artemisia. And finally, the magic swordsman and tactician Lucius Cornelius. That made seven in total.
Greta Klein would only join later as a guest member, so she was excluded. My goal was to meet those remaining five.
We would start with Thorfinn Karlsefni. He was currently in the northernmost pirate den within the Lindberg Duchy. That was where we were headed.
…Of course, the distance to the Lindberg Duchy was just as far as the journey from the imperial capital to Breitenfeld—roughly a thousand kilometers. We’d have to cross mountain ranges too, so it wouldn’t be an easy trip. Still, somehow it would work out. No matter what, it was far better than being stuck at the Northern Wall!
Of course, the reactions from my party members were completely different. Excluding Anastasia, who said she would follow me anywhere, Elena and Elisabeth’s responses were…
“We have to travel another thousand kilometers? Sigh…”
“It looks like it will be quite a difficult journey…”
Not exactly enthusiastic, but what did it matter?
“So, anyone want to head back to the capital?”
“……”
“……”
Not a single person. Of course not. If they wanted to win my heart, they’d have to endure at least this much. So, we set off.
Elisabeth caused an accident on the third day of our journey. The carriage wheel hit a stone and sent the whole thing rolling down a steep slope. Fortunately, Elisabeth had made progress in her training and managed to leap clear in time. The carriage, however, was completely smashed to pieces, and both horses pulling it were killed.
Anastasia, who somehow seemed to have known this would happen, was being dragged along as she ran beside me. We buried the two horses that had worked so hard for us, gathered the luggage from the cargo hold, and then I checked on Elisabeth.
“Uuu… What do we do now…”
“You know how to ride, right?”
“Yes… I do, but…”
“Well then.”
To cheer up the depressed Elisabeth, I ruffled her hair, then asked Elena. Anastasia suddenly rushed toward Elisabeth like she was having a fit, but the leash kept her from reaching her.
“Elena. Where’s the nearest territory?”
“Hmm…”
Elena floated a map in the air from atop her horse before answering.
“It’s the Holsholt Viscounty. We can reach it in half a day from here.”
“Good. Let’s go there and get some horses.”
I had handed over all the money I received as compensation for fighting the Demon King’s army to Baron Heinrich, but I still had the weapons crafted from ten crates of jewels. And those were all stored in my universal armory anyway. So money wasn’t an issue. The emperor had given me some allowance, and the other three had brought a decent amount of traveling funds as well. Of course, the level of “traveling funds” Elena and Elisabeth carried was on a completely different scale from what normal people would have.
Anyway, to soothe Anastasia—who had gotten angry about me petting Elisabeth—I let her ride with me. After traveling for half a day, we arrived at the Holsholt Viscounty. For reference, Elisabeth was riding on Elena’s Bucephalus.
The sun had already set, and the surroundings were growing dark, but it seemed the day in Holsholt was just beginning. Lights were starting to flicker on here and there in the distance. As we drew closer, we saw unlicensed shops and street stalls haphazardly scattered outside the castle gates.
I dismounted from Yellowy, grabbed a passing man who looked like a merchant, and asked.
“Excuse me, where can I find a horse merchant?”
“A horse merchant… They’ve probably already gone home. They only do business inside the castle walls anyway, and they don’t open until the sun is up. But.”
The man looked us over—me, Elena, Elisabeth, and Anastasia—then snorted.
“Who the hell are you people?”
“Just travelers passing through.”
“Bullshit.”
In this world, merchants were sometimes merchants and sometimes thieves. This guy was clearly both. He pulled a knife from his coat.
“Hand over everything you’ve got. The women… We could sell them to a brothel and make a nice profit.”
“Hmm.”
Was this guy insane? Just how weak did he think I was to look down on me like this? And did we really look that pathetic? Maybe I should get us some proper armor once we entered Holsholt.
Unlike other territories, the Holsholt Viscounty could actually be called a city. We couldn’t even get past its gates. This place was essentially a lawless zone. It also meant it was the perfect spot to rob travelers who looked like easy marks.
“Boys, all of you, get out here!!”
“Yessir.”
At his shout, men came pouring out with weapons in hand. Thirteen of them surrounded us.
“No carriage, crawling in here on foot—you’re obviously suckers. Kill the man. As for the women… You all know what to do, right?”
“Of course we do, boss.”
“Hmm.”
I was about to summon thirteen suitable weapons from the air and drive them into their skulls when Elisabeth jumped down from Bucephalus and charged at the one they called “boss.”
“How dare you! Do you have any idea who I am?!”
She swiftly drew her bastard sword and sliced through his neck. Blood gushed out like a fountain, and his underlings screamed.
“Get her all at once!!”
“We’ll kill you!!”
I stopped Elena, who was about to cast a spell without chanting, and simply watched the situation unfold. Elisabeth seemed determined to show off the results of her training. She wrapped mana around her lower body and ruthlessly cut down the thugs—whether they were bandits or just street trash.
“H-hiiiiiiieeeek!!”
Before long, only two of the vermin remained. They fell to their knees and begged like flies in front of Elisabeth.
“Please, please spare our lives!!”
“We beg you!! Please!!”
“Hey, you vermin.”
“Y-yes?”
Elisabeth’s eyes flashed as she muttered.
“How dare you speak that way to us? I will not forgive anyone who puts filthy words in their mouth!”
Then she cut them both down at the same time.
The lights in the surrounding shops and stalls went out. Only the smell of blood and silence lingered in the air.
I walked over to her side and asked.
“…Are you okay?”
“Yes, Count.”
“That was your first time killing people.”
“They were just vermin. I’m fine.”
Even so, her hands were trembling violently. The bastard sword slipped from her grasp with a clatter. She claimed she was fine, but the unfamiliar smell of blood must have been too much—she started retching.
It was understandable. Even I had collapsed on the ground and sobbed my eyes out the first time I slit a goblin’s throat. It was a good thing Uncle Georg was there to comfort me.
I simply took her hand and stayed with her in silence. This time, even Elena and Anastasia simply watched Elisabeth with bitter expressions.
Still, at this rate, she might not be too late to catch up to Lucas. With that thought, I gently stroked the head of Elisabeth, who had begun to shed quiet tears.