The Prince and the Princess (1)
The plan was simple: hold out with our loot until the Labyrinth spat us back outside. Unlike our first expedition, no one had gotten hurt this time, and every pocket was bulging with treasure. The whole party was buzzing with excitement.
But maybe we’d celebrated too soon.
“What? You’re already back up here?”
We had barely stepped out of the storage room when we ran straight into the worst possible scenario: Prince Loras and his subjugation force.
“How did you…?”
“You’re more capable than I gave you credit for.”
I worried he might have come looking for us on purpose. The prince stared at our group with a gaze that said he had every reason to harbor ill intentions. Unlike us, whose numbers remained unchanged, his party had clearly shrunk since we last saw them. On top of that, while our team showed no signs of injury thanks to immediate treatment, his people looked utterly exhausted and in pain.
They look like they’ve been through hell.
They couldn’t have gone without food, yet the fatigue and suffering were plain on their faces. Still, I couldn’t offer to heal them. Loras would never thank me for it.
If anything, they might attack us once they’re back in fighting shape.
Even if I healed them, they wouldn’t dare disobey the prince’s orders. Their families would suffer the consequences if they did.
“Why are you back here? Shouldn’t you be on your way?”
“I thought it best to double-check in case we’d missed anything.”
“Really? Looks more like you ran away scared and just happened to bump into us.”
Princess Reciel had struck the exact nerve. Loras’s face twisted into something ugly. He’d always played the part of the kindly prince in front of others, but the situation must have been bad enough that he couldn’t keep up the act.
“Watch your tone, little sister. I’m still being nice, you know.”
“Ugh, that’s the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard.”
Maybe the truth always hurts the most. When Loras saw the genuine revulsion on Reciel’s face, his irritation boiled over.
“How can you be so sure I ran away in fear instead of finishing the conquest and simply taking my time on the way back?”
“Do I really need to go look? It’s obvious just from your appearance. Who would even recognize you as the proud subjugation force of our empire once you get outside? When my sister led the force, things were never like this…”
Her talent for shredding someone’s pride was truly artistic. Loras’s face flushed crimson. Hearing such words from a stranger would be infuriating enough, but from family? It was unbearable. And bringing up Princess Canaby was clearly crossing a line. His eyes turned murderous.
“Wasn’t Princess Canaby the one who hid in the Labyrinth out of fear, abandoning her responsibilities? I know you rely on your older sister a great deal, but defending a woman unfit to be part of the imperial family is hardly wise.”
“My sister didn’t disappear because she was scared!!”
“If she wasn’t scared, then why hasn’t she shown herself?”
Who knew the reason better than anyone? The person who had caused the whole mess, of course. So Loras was deliberately taunting Reciel even though he knew exactly what had happened.
“You of all people have no right to say that!!!”
“Thanks to that runaway woman, I now sit in this glorious position and lead the subjugation force brilliantly. I believe I’ve earned the right to criticize her.”
There was no way Reciel could shout back, You’re the one who did this! Even while being attacked, she clearly understood the line she could not cross.
“Your Highness.”
The leader gently calmed the agitated princess. Fighting with the prince here would only hurt us. We had plenty to lose, while they looked like they’d fought monsters for nothing and come back empty-handed.
“Ugh, forget it. What’s the point of arguing with someone who refuses to listen? We’re leaving, so do whatever you want.”
“You’ve grown quite a bit, sister. It was adorable how you used to tremble and fidget whenever things got difficult.”
Loras, convinced he had won, continued to provoke Reciel even as she tried to leave. The more he acted like this, the more repulsive and pathetic he seemed.
But did he really run away?
People who get hit where it hurts always overreact. Loras was pretending to be relaxed, but being compared to Canaby had clearly wounded his pride. He had been waiting for Reciel to slip up after his provocations, and his visible disappointment when she didn’t was telling.
“Move!”
With Reciel and the leader at the front, our team began to move out.
“W-wait, there’s a priest over there…”
“Be quiet!!”
“If we leave it like this, they might have to cut off the arm! The flesh is already rotting…!”
Loras thankfully showed no sign of attacking us. I had been relieved that we might pass without incident, but then a voice suddenly grated against my ears. And absurdly enough, it was incredibly loud, like thunder. They were clearly trying to whisper as quietly as possible, but to me it sounded deafening.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
“Is something wrong?”
“I’m sorry, just a moment!”
I knew Reciel, the leader, and the rest of the team would hate this, but I couldn’t make my feet move.
“What is it?”
When Reciel turned at the sound of me stopping the team, she saw it was me and came closer.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?”
“I know you’ll dislike this, but I just can’t walk away. Would it be all right if I treat that person before we go?”
I said it because I at least wanted to prevent them from having to amputate the arm. Even if I didn’t heal them perfectly, simply infusing some divine power would stop the rot from spreading.
“Weren’t we just going to leave?”
“I was planning to, but they’re forcibly stopping someone who wants treatment.”
“That bastard is up to his usual bastardly tricks. Where are they?”
“I didn’t see it directly. I just heard the voice. Extremely loudly.”
“…Did anyone else hear anything like that?”
Was I the only one? I’d thought that with how quiet it was around us, at least one other person might have heard, but everyone around me said they hadn’t noticed anything.
“No.”
“I didn’t hear anything either. Did you?”
“Nope.”
“Still, if the priest says he heard it, shouldn’t we trust him?”
But even the guide, who had sharper hearing than anyone, shook his head and said he hadn’t heard it. For a moment I wondered if I had imagined the whole thing.
“As expected, the priest wasn’t speaking nonsense. There’s a woman over there with her arm wrapped in bandages, crying. I believe she’s the one you mentioned.”
The guide hadn’t simply denied hearing anything. He had scanned the area and managed to locate exactly who I was talking about.
“It’s true.”
Reciel and the leader let out small sighs after confirming the crying woman.
“I understand how you feel, Priest Arthur, but even if you treat them, they won’t appreciate it.”
“Still, forcing someone to cut off an arm that could be saved is too cruel.”
The fact that the voice had pierced my ears so clearly when my hearing wasn’t even better than the guide’s had to mean something.
“If that is the priest’s wish, then we have no choice.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Please don’t apologize. Looking at those people makes me realize just how much we’ve been spoiled thanks to you, Priest. If you hadn’t been with us, we would have ended up just like them.”
“We might have been even worse off.”
“Agreed. I probably would’ve been limping on one leg by now.”
I recalled the saying from my previous life that one should never take in a black-haired beast, but it seemed that didn’t apply here. Seeing all the kindness I had shown them returning in such a positive way felt wonderful. They must have wanted to put as much distance as possible between us and the troublesome group, especially with their pockets full, yet they understood my situation and readily gave permission. I was truly grateful.
“Hey, you there.”
“?”
Loras reacted sharply the moment Reciel, who had told him to clear the path because she wouldn’t acknowledge him, spoke to one of the subjugation force soldiers.
“Didn’t you say you would pass quietly?”
“I just feel too sorry for them. They are citizens of the Deltrack Empire. How could I, as a member of the imperial family, ignore them and walk away?”
“Her Highness has requested it. We would like to treat all of you before we leave.”
I quickly stepped forward and explained that I was acting on Reciel’s request.
The crowd began to murmur.
They had never imagined that Reciel would show them goodwill. Given how battered and injured every one of them looked, it was only natural that their eyes toward her began to change. Of course, Loras found the entire situation extremely unpleasant.
“I cannot allow it. Who knows what you might do to my subjugation force? You have no right to pity them, nor any obligation to help. Just go back the way you came.”
I was glad I had phrased it that way. Reciel, who had shown concern for people who weren’t even hers, versus Loras, who refused help for his own people out of pride. It was obvious who would make the better lord. That was exactly why I hadn’t told the truth about stepping forward first.
Since I’ve already caused trouble for the team, the least I can do is tweak my words a little to benefit Her Highness.
Reciel seemed to realize what kind of situation was unfolding and responded to my statement.
“Oh dear. This is exactly why one must serve their lord well. Some people get treated the moment they’re injured and have no problems, while others end up having to cut off rotting limbs even from the same injuries.”
“You…!”
This might have been the first time Loras had ever been pushed into a corner by Reciel.
“Are you sure you don’t want treatment? For these people?”
Loras was going to regret rejecting the offer so hastily.