The Princess's Declaration
A fresh wave of murmurs rippled through the audience chamber, which had only just begun to settle. Amid the flustered nobles' buzzing whispers, the sound of small, hurried footsteps reached his ears.
“Haa, haa… Please, just a moment, Father.”
A voice that was still somewhat youthful, yet carried a certain resolve. With a sense of foreboding, he turned around. And there she was.
“…Serena.”
The first thing he noticed was her pure white hair. Beneath its gentle waves, golden eyes sparkled, and below that flowed a white outfit. ‘Adventure gear?’ It was quite different from the garments she usually wore in the palace. Practical cloth clothing. A small cape draped over her shoulders, and a rather rugged-looking leather belt at her waist. In her small hands, she gripped a long wooden staff tightly. A pure white staff suited to her—one that enhanced healing and support magic—gleamed softly under the audience chamber’s lights.
“I have something I wish to say, Father.”
Before he could even process his thoughts, Serena spoke. Her expression was incredibly tense. Like a child defying her parents for the first time.
“—Speak. However, I will not accept any plea to retract the sentence. One must bear the proper responsibility for their actions.”
From among the murmuring nobles, Jin Adonia responded in his heavy, authoritative voice.
Hwian stood at the center of the audience chamber, quietly watching Serena as her lips moved. Her two hands trembled with anxiety as they clutched the staff tightly, and her golden eyes waited beneath still eyelids, as if trying to suppress their quivering.
“…I understand that Hero Hwian must leave the palace immediately once this trial concludes.”
“That is correct. Such is the nature of exile. One who is banished cannot remain in the palace. They must depart at once.”
“In that case, I make this additional request, Father.”
Her revealed golden eyes glanced briefly at Hwian’s face. After taking a deep breath, she spoke with a determined expression.
“—I will set out on a journey with the Hero. I will travel the world and support him. …Please, grant me your permission.”
And then silence fell.
The nobles who had been murmuring. Elisie, who had been on the verge of tears. Altair, whose expression was unreadable. Leoser, who had been sneering unpleasantly. Serion, who had been watching with his chin propped on his hand. Even Jin Adonia, who had maintained his composure, was momentarily at a loss for words at her request.
“…Wait. Just wait a second.”
The first to speak in the silence was Hwian. Seeing Serena stand so straight as she petitioned the king, his mind grew tangled. ‘She wants to come with me?’
It was something she had mentioned last night in the basement as well. He had sensed that she wanted to accompany him, but… he never imagined she would make such a bold request.
“…You? You’re saying you’ll follow me. The only word that comes to mind is reckless. This isn’t a picnic.”
At Hwian’s rather firm words, several nobles let out sighs of relief. Regardless, Hwian continued with a complicated expression.
“Monsters, bandits, climate, terrain, weather. …And the Demon King. There are countless threats that could end your life with just a few steps. This is no journey you can follow on a whim.”
He wanted her to remain in the palace. Even if life among the nobles and her siblings was a little difficult, he hoped she would endure until he returned after accomplishing his mission. Because it was dangerous. Because if she challenged it lightly, she could truly die. It was a path where even Hwian had to risk his life. It was no road a small girl could simply tag along on. She couldn’t be completely unaware of that fact. So why was she demanding it so confidently? …And why were her eyes so full of determination as she looked at him?
“I know how to wield magic. I know how to heal wounds and invigorate others. …I can be of help.”
“No—”
“I’ve imbued my clothes with reinforcement magic. I’ve inserted support magic stones into the staff. I can protect myself, at least.”
Her words continued without avoiding his gaze, spoken with confidence. At her unhesitating reply, he suddenly recalled what he had said to her last night.
"Being an adult here is just according to this world's standards anyway. And age doesn't matter to begin with. What could someone with that small body even do? Without proper equipment, skills, or resolve, you'd just end up as a monster's meal."
“…I am prepared.”
Her golden eyes blazed with intense determination. Clutching the staff tightly, she forced down her trembling voice and lifted her head high.
“It was I who summoned the Hero to this world! I called for him, and I welcomed him!”
“….”
“Father just said it himself. ‘One must bear the proper responsibility for their actions.’ …Since I summoned the Hero, it is only right that I follow him on that path.”
At the voice ringing through the audience chamber, Hwian was rendered speechless. She was sincere. She truly wanted to follow him. It wasn’t that she wasn’t afraid. The proof was in how her hands, gripping the staff, had been trembling faintly since earlier. Even so, she had chosen to go with him. She wanted to take responsibility for what she had done.
“…I beg you.”
Having finished speaking, Serena bowed her head. Only then did the nobles, snapping back to their senses, begin raising their voices one by one.
“N-no, Your Majesty! A member of the royal family following the Hero? Unthinkable!”
“Indeed! Though she is the child of a concubine, the princess is still Your Majesty’s daughter…! If she acts rashly, what effect might it have on the dignity of the royal family….”
“I oppose it! The danger is far too great!”
These were not words spoken for Serena as a person, but for the authority of ‘the king’s bloodline.’ The nobles desperately voiced their opposition, if only to avoid responsibility should a member of the royal family die on the journey and return too late. Listening to it all, Jin Adonia simply closed his eyes as if in thought.
After several seconds of contemplation, he asked, “Is this what you desire—my daughter?”
“Yes.”
“…I see.”
A heavy acknowledgment. Moments later, his deep blue eyes turned toward Hwian.
“What does the Hero think?”
“….”
The answer did not come easily. She would die. Or if not, she would suffer pain close to it. Just like everyone who had once followed him in his previous life. In the past, he had basically traveled alone. Not because he wanted to, but because everyone who had been with him had died, leaving him with no choice but to act alone in the end.
His worries deepened. A deep sigh escaped him. Should he take her? Could he take her? As he wrestled with the conflict, a pleading voice reached him.
“…Please.”
When he opened his eyes, there was Serena. Beneath her pure white hair, her face was filled with anxious tension as she whispered in an earnest voice.
“Let me repay your warmth.”
“…….”
Repayment. Responsibility. …The footsteps of the goodwill she carried. Suddenly, Carmen’s words floated into his mind.
"You really are someone who feels loneliness so deeply."
"You may seem cold at first glance, but in truth, you are someone who cares for others. …And that is why you are a pitiful person who pushes others away."
Why did it come to mind now, of all times? It was something that hadn’t moved him much when he first heard it. In his faint memory, Carmen smiled. Her face was hidden by the mask, but he could sense the laughter in her voice.
"Don't be too afraid of forming connections. Even though the world has already become like this, if there truly is such a thing as a second chance—"
“Hero?”
Serena looked into his face and asked. At the sound of her voice, Hwian opened his closed eyes and gazed at the girl before him.
‘…She really does resemble her.’
Her voice was different. Her way of speaking was different. She was also shorter than the Carmen in his memories, and her somewhat delicate demeanor was completely unlike the Carmen who had crossed the wilderness alone. And yet, why?
“…?”
The comrade from his memories and the girl before his eyes kept overlapping. Serena, tilting her head as she studied his complexion, and Carmen, who had often laughed during their conversations. Despite their many differences, a similar atmosphere kept peeking through the two figures.
“Haa, seriously…”
Hwian muttered, dragging a hand down his face. He saw the nobles holding their breath as they waited for his answer. He saw Jin Adonia maintaining his silence, and the royal family members each wearing different expressions.
“…I won’t protect you.”
“!”
“Even if I could, I won’t. If you fall behind, consider yourself dead. No—if there’s even a sign of that happening, know that I’ll send you back to the palace right then and there.”
“D-does that mean…?”
Wondering if he might change his mind, he had deliberately spoken in a rather cold tone, but what returned was only a gaze full of expectation. A faint smile tugged at Hwian’s lips.
“Yeah. Let’s go together, Princess.”
At his answer, an uproar erupted inside the audience chamber. Nobles shouting in protest. Jin Adonia nodding his head. The royal family members reacting in their own ways.
“…Serena.”
“Yes?”
Amid the noisy clamor, the princess suddenly spoke. With a small smile as she looked up at him, she whispered,
“Call me Serena.”
In her beautiful golden eyes, a faint joy sparkled.