Variables (4)
"Unni... are you okay? Your body, I mean?"
Hepais's subdued voice filled the quiet room.
"Of course... I'm perfectly fine."
I thumped my chest with a solid thump-thump as I answered.
"...I'm sorry. You only did it to protect me and Rubia unni, and yet... I..."
"Mm-mm. No. It's okay..."
"But I... hic... I... that kind of unni... sniff..."
In the end Hepais started sniffling and clutched the hem of my clothes tight.
I still had no idea what she was apologizing for... but just in case she decided to blow her nose on my clothes again, I hurriedly patted her back.
"Uh, ah... no... don't cry...! I-I'm really fine...!"
The clothes were torn and full of holes all over, sure...
But I'd washed them clean in the bathroom and Rubia had even dried them for me, right?
If snot got on them... well... not that I was calling Hepais dirty or anything... just... anyway!
I carefully pried the fabric free from Hepais's grip.
"U-unni felt so scary... I felt it... huuuh..."
"I'm really okay, so... don't cry..."
And with that, the twelfth apology and the twelfth round of comfort began...
Crying was fine... as long as she didn't wipe her nose on my clothes... seriously...
"A-are you okay now...?"
"Huu... yeah... I-I'm okay..."
I must have patted her for a good ten minutes.
Hepais's trembling shoulders finally settled, and she slowly uncurled from her hunched posture.
"Unni, but... earlier... that... was it because of the fragment...?"
She glanced down at my greatsword as she spoke.
It wasn't really because of the fragment so much as that being my usual hunting style, but... hmm...
"Y-yeah...?"
"It's... not normally like that, right?"
...Ghk—
Hepais stared at me for a long moment, then dropped her head with a heavy thud and forced the words out.
"I see... so normally it's not, and it was because of the fragment... phew... okay. I get it."
She kept her head down for a while, then suddenly lifted it and shook her hair out with a vigorous whoosh-whoosh.
"Anyway, what do you think Her Highness and Rubia unni are doing? It's so quiet..."
"Mmm... yeah..."
Rubia and Charlotte had said they had something to discuss between the two of them, then shooed me—fresh from my bath—and the newly awakened Hepais into the next room.
Well, "shooed" was a bit strong; they'd just asked us to step out for a bit...
But they'd also told me not to peek with Qi Sensing, so it was basically the same as being kicked out.
Honestly... I could have snuck a look with Qi Sensing and no one would have known, but I'd pinky-promised Rubia, so I was holding myself back.
"But I was seriously startled. I opened my eyes and... Her Highness was staring right down at me."
"I-I see..."
I'd been startled too.
I never imagined an imperial princess could be that weird...
And no matter how hard I thought about it, the Third Princess had never even appeared in the game...
There'd been no mention of her becoming an adventurer either.
It was strange. Extremely strange.
Just like that Sirin person who'd supposedly become the 10th Master...
"But... is she really just like the rumors say...?"
"Rumors...?"
"Yeah. Haven't you heard the rumors about Princess Charlotte?"
"I-I haven't...?"
Hepais glanced around cautiously, then scooted closer to me.
"Well... they say Princess Charlotte likes women. A lot."
"I-it seems that way..."
"And she has a ton of lovers...!"
"I-I see..."
"But the weird part is... every single person who gets involved with her... never wants to leave. They say she treats them incredibly, incredibly well?"
"Mmm...?"
For a moment I thought back over everything I'd seen of Charlotte so far.
Uh...
"Th-that's impossible..."
That pervert?!
"It's true...!"
The stories Hepais launched into after that were downright shocking.
How she'd forcibly dragged a happily married woman into the palace, locked her up, and done... well, all sorts of terrible things right in front of the husband—
only for it to turn out the husband was the boss of a criminal organization that forced the woman into nightly work, and Charlotte had known all along and rescued her...
Or how she'd forcibly subdued a newly arrived female knight, stripped her, and summoned her into a bedroom full of people—
only for it to turn out she'd gathered mages to break a curse on the knight's body...
Or how she'd suddenly raided the imperial vault, stolen a fortune, and then led hundreds of adventurers to wipe out every single female slave market in the back alleys...
Or how she'd dragged in every noble who was committing atrocities against poor women and had them all executed...
I heard every rumor about how Charlotte charged in headlong whenever a woman was involved, no questions asked.
"And the reason she became an adventurer... one of her lovers was sick and dying, and her dream had been to travel the wide world, so Charlotte became an adventurer in her place..."
"R-really...?"
What... th-that's actually cool...?
"They're just rumors, but... the slave markets did disappear recently... and a ton of nobles got executed. Plus—"
Hepais cut herself off, pulled her face away, and muttered so quietly I almost missed it.
"Just looking at unni... makes me think the rumors might be true..."
"Me...? I'm... not like that..."
My own rumors were... completely ridiculous!
A blood-drinking demon, or whatever it was.
The red beast that tears magic beasts...?
Honestly, it was so absurd I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
At least treat me like a person!
Hepais gave me a strange, puzzled look, then shook her head hard.
"Anyway, unni, you be careful too."
"W-why me all of a sudden...?"
"Just in case. And unni, you're way too defenseless."
"Defenseless...?"
When I tilted my head, Hepais thumped her own chest in frustration and crossed her arms.
"Yeah. It's a good thing Rubia unni is right next to you... if she weren't, seriously... aigoo."
"W-what's wrong with me...!"
"Look at yourself right now. Does it make any sense for someone in a skirt to sit seiza-style? Anyone could see your panties from down there!"
"P-panties...? They shouldn't be visible..."
"What do you mean not visible! If I just lean my head down like this, I'd see them clear as day."
I'd been carefully holding the hem of my skirt down...
But after hearing Hepais, I lowered my legs and demurely pressed them together.
Still, the panties really shouldn't be visible...
How could they show when I wasn't even wearing any...?
"And the fact that they're just barely not showing is even more stimulating."
"Eek... r-really?"
"Yeah. People can imagine whatever they want. Plus... the way you act, the way you talk... there's a whole bunch of stuff. Anyway, just be careful."
Come on... if I had a body like Rubia's, maybe.
What was so great about this scrawny little thing... and it was covered in scars, too...
A-and anyone who looked at my body and thought that kind of thing... wouldn't even be human. Just a beast... ugh...
"S-surely... I don't... have that kind of body."
At my words, Hepais suddenly straightened her back and put on a deliberately serious voice.
"Unni. There's something you don't know."
"U-uhh...?"
"The one unni needs to be most careful of is Rubia un—"
Click—
Hepais had been about to say something important when the door opened and cut her off.
And then.
Rubia's voice drifted in, remarkably calm.
"What are you two chatting about so happily?"
At the same time, Hepais's face went rigid as stone.
"J-just... Hepais was telling me to be careful about pan... um, all sorts of things... Rubia, are you finished...?"
Hepais had started trembling and could only open and close her mouth, so I spoke up for her.
Why was she acting like that?
"...Yes. We're done. I have things to say to Noah and Hepais as well, and I was thinking we could sleep here tonight. How does that sound?"
"Mmm. I don't mind..."
"M-me too! I agree!"
Rubia shot Hepais a suspicious look, then nodded and swung the door wide open.
"Then shall we head to the next room first?"
"Yes."
As I stood, Hepais carefully took hold of my sleeve and trailed after me.
"Hepais... before bed, let's have a little talk, just the two of us?"
"Hieek... o-okay..."
Creeeak—
The moment we stepped out, Rubia opened the door to the neighboring room for us.
Charlotte was still sitting on the sofa, smoking.
The big pile of luggage she'd brought... was nowhere to be seen.
"Hoo... I've got a shit-ton to say... but first, sit here."
I nodded and plopped down on the sofa she pointed to.
Next Rubia sat beside me, then the still-shaking Hepais took her seat, and finally Charlotte opened her mouth.
"I've decided to travel with you. Only until we find Yuria."
Hepais sucked in a sharp breath of surprise.
"I'll give you Perception Obfuscation Robes, so both of you wear them. Especially you, Pinkie. Be careful."
Charlotte roughly stubbed out her cigarette and turned to Hepais.
"I'm telling you this because I figure you should know. There's someone targeting Yuria right now."
"Master...?"
"Yeah. One hell of a strong bastard."
Hepais's breathing grew ragged.
"The Black Knight, Kalt. He's a Master. If Yuria fights that guy... she'll definitely die."
"...But why would someone like that..."
"That's what I'd like to know. Since Yuria's the target, you're in danger too, so watch yourself. Honestly I'd rather leave you in this village, but I don't know where Kalt is... it's frustrating as hell."
Hepais let out a trembling breath and clenched the small stone in her hand.
"There's more I need to tell you, but for today just rest up. We'll finish talking tomorrow."
Seeing Hepais like that, Charlotte shook her head and pulled out a fresh cigarette.
At that exact moment.
"Hey, Pinkie. Why's that rock blinking?"
"Huh...? Uh, uh... th-this light..."
A scream-tinged voice spilled from Hepais's lips—and at the same time.
KWA-GWA-GWANG—!
From the peak of the Karahan Mountains came a thunderous roar, as if the sky itself were being torn apart.