Tutorial Battle and a Palace Invitation
"Huh? Who's that?" I was so startled that I yanked hard on the reins. The two horses pulling the carriage let out loud neighs and skidded to a halt.
"Stop right there! Looks like a fancy carriage... Open it up! Hand over everything you've got!"
The men who had "bandit" practically tattooed across their foreheads drew their swords and shouted. Honestly, there was no need to ask. Their beast-hide clothes and those crude, jagged blades were screaming "we're bandits" at the top of their lungs.
"What is this? These idiots?" Charlene, who was sitting beside me, asked.
"They look like bandits. What should we do?"
"Bandits? Ugh..."
Right then, Princess Mage cracked open the small window on the driver's side of the carriage and whispered.
"Kailon? Do something about them. There are bandits blocking the road."
"Yes, we'll handle it, Your Highness. By the way, this empire really isn't what it used to be. We've barely left Marenost and we're already running into bandits?"
"I-it's because of the recent war. The Demon King's army turned the whole country upside down."
Princess Mage flushed slightly, arguing as if her royal pride was on the line. Huh. That expression's pretty cute too.
Charlene, still sitting beside me, spoke up. "Master? This seems like perfect timing."
"Hm?"
"You need real combat experience too. You'll be fighting Apocryon eventually, right?"
Ugh. I was afraid she'd say that.
While we were whispering back and forth, the bandits approached with their swords drawn.
"Whoa, there are some pretty girls too?"
"Hehehe... Nice. Been a while since I got to taste a woman!"
"Call everyone over! Get them here!"
The bandits shouted as they surrounded the carriage. Looked like I didn't have a choice. Charlene was right. I was now Annette's acolyte, after all. Building up real combat experience seemed important. I'd treat this like a tutorial.
I climbed down from the driver's seat and pulled out the whip I'd been carrying at my waist.
"I'm warning you! Back off while I'm asking nicely!"
When I shouted, a bandit with a face full of scraggly beard burst out laughing.
"You think a scrawny weakling like you can scare us? While we're being nice, hand over that carriage and the girls and run away. We'll at least spare your life."
Damn... Looks like I can't avoid a fight after all.
I flicked the whip once, lightly. Alright. Let's borrow a grim reaper's power.
I closed my eyes for a moment and relaxed my entire body. First my hands... then my legs... and finally my whole body felt lighter. Annette's magic was flowing into me.
I snapped my eyes open and yelled, "Fine! Come at me!"
I swung the whip with all my strength at the biggest bandit who had gotten closest.
Whoosh!
The sound of air being sliced rang out as the whip flew forward. The bandit underestimated it and tried to block the incoming whip with his sword.
"With a pathetic little whip like this, you think you can—"
But in that instant—
Crack!
Along with the sound of metal snapping, the bandit's sword shattered cleanly in two from my whip.
"W-what the hell? My sword..."
Heh. Just as expected from a whip infused with a grim reaper's power. Plus, this whip was made from a dragon's tail. It clearly carried ridiculous force.
"Last warning. Do you really want to fight me?"
When I asked, the bandits glanced at each other, hesitating for a moment. Then the one whose sword had broken shouted.
"Hey! Don't get scared! He's alone and we're many! Just kill him already!"
At that, the burly bandits who had been eyeing each other charged all at once.
Guess I need to show them my power.
I swung the whip with everything I had toward the approaching bandits.
Whoosh!!
Boom!!
The whip struck the ground and caused an explosion. Anyone who got hit by that whip would have been reduced to powder; they must have realized it instantly. All the bandits froze like ice statues on the spot.
The ground where the whip had struck was split in a perfectly straight line. Only after the dust from the explosion settled did the bandits drop their weapons and begin retreating one by one. Then one of them turned tail and ran, and the rest threw down their swords and fled for their lives.
"Hiiik! It's a m-mage!"
"Run!!!"
Charlene, who had been watching the scene with her chin propped on one hand, stared at me intently and said, "Master. It was a bit sloppy, but for your first real fight, you did well."
Sloppy? Hmph. Of course it would look that way to a grim reaper's eyes. Still, thanks to those bandits, I felt a surge of confidence.
That night, we sat in front of the carriage and lit a campfire. We caught a nameless bird from the forest, roasted it over the flames, and ate it.
"This kind of adventure is actually pretty fun," Princess Mage said, hugging her knees in front of the campfire.
"Really?"
"I've spent my whole life locked away inside the imperial palace in Aurelium. In just the past few weeks, I've experienced more than I had in my entire life."
So the princess was actually enjoying the current situation.
"Your Highness, I don't think this is the time to be enjoying the situation. Once Apocryon finishes recovering, he might step forward again, and the future looks completely uncertain."
"It's fine. You'll protect me anyway, won't you, Kailon?"
"W-well, that's true, but..."
To think the day would come when I'd hear those words from a princess. My face grew slightly warm, and Charlene, who had been staring at me, spoke up.
"Master looks happy. Is it because the princess praised you?"
"W-what are you talking about? I've always been a reliable man."
"Reliable man, my ass... Hey, Princess?" Charlene said coldly while turning the skewered meat over the fire. "Princess, you should find a man who matches your station. When people try to pair up with someone beyond their station, it only shortens their lifespan."
Wow. Charlene really didn't hold back. Her opponent was a princess of this empire, after all. As expected, Princess Mage immediately flared up.
"Are you looking down on Kailon, who is your employer? I believe I'm evaluating Kailon quite fairly—"
"Death always begins in places you don't expect. Keep that in mind."
It was a cold warning, delivered in a tone that carried the weight of a grim reaper's experience. Wait, was Charlene saying she'd kill the princess if she tried anything with me? Why say it like that?
I discreetly reached out and pinched Charlene's back, signaling her to ease up.
"Princess. The meat's done. Here, eat."
Suddenly Charlene offered the perfectly roasted meat to the princess. Princess Mage frowned slightly, clearly confused by Charlene's capricious attitude, but accepted the skewer.
I had no idea what Charlene was thinking either.
"Charlene might end up killing you, Kailon," the princess suddenly said.
"What? Why would Charlene harm me?"
When I protested, Princess Mage tore off a small piece of meat with her fingers, popped it into her mouth, and answered.
"Think of it as an Arcadia Empire princess's intuition. Charlene gets far too sharp whenever anything involves you, Kailon—"
"Master still has plenty of life left," Charlene suddenly cut in.
"Huh?"
"I know exactly how much of his life remains. It's not time yet."
Wait. Did Charlene actually know how long I'd live? That was a little creepy.
Princess Mage hugged her knees while gazing up at the beautiful night sky filled with countless stars.
"...Anyway, both Kailon and Charlene are interesting people. Shall we get along well from now on?"
When the princess extended her hand after saying that, Charlene gave a faint smile and replied.
"Humans really are amusing. I gave you a warning, yet you still want to get close to me."
"I like people who have a dangerous charm."
Right then, there was a sudden rustling sound from the bushes nearby.
"Kyaa!"
Princess Mage screamed and threw herself into my arms. Soft~ Heh. The princess's chest size was surprisingly...
What emerged from the bushes was a wild rabbit with sparkling eyes.
Thanks, bunny. Thanks to you, I got to confirm the princess's mid-size assets.
At that exact moment—
Whoosh!
Charlene casually threw something at the rabbit. Its head exploded on the spot and it died instantly.
What the—? What was she doing?
"Charlene! W-what are you doing? Why did you kill a rabbit that was just sitting there?" Princess Mage protested.
Charlene answered, "That rabbit was irritating me, so I simply threw a small stone. But it died. Oh my. It seems living and dying are closer than one might think, doesn't it, Princess?"
Hearing that, Princess Mage cleared her throat awkwardly while still in my arms and sat up straight again.
Ouch. This time Charlene reached out and pinched my back. She blinked her red eyes and whispered, "Men really do lose their minds over any woman, huh?"
We arrived at the empire's capital, Aurelium. Whoa... The size of the buildings, the sheer number of people walking around—everything was on a completely different scale from Marenost.
As soon as we reached Aurelium, imperial guards dispatched from the palace came out to greet us.
"Princess Mage. Thank you for your long journey. We will now escort you to the palace."
The guards spoke and loaded the princess into a separate carriage. She reached out to us and said,
"Come with me. Father will want to meet both Kailon and Charlene."
Hmm. We'd been riding the carriage for two days without eating properly. Maybe it was time to receive proper hospitality at the palace?
I glanced at Charlene and asked, "What do you think, Charlene?"
"You decide, Master."
As expected, she left minor decisions like this to me. Then let's head to the palace.
I took the reins again and followed the carriage carrying Princess Mage.
The future worried me. Charlene and Princess Mage were already bickering like this. If I stayed stuck between these two women, wouldn't I just wither away and die?
While thinking that, I caught sight of the massive imperial palace in the distance. Alright. Let's go see what happens.