Deal (2)
Deal (2)
Fortunately, I didn't get carsick. I had been a little nervous about it, and the road was incredibly bumpy compared to the asphalt roads I was used to on Earth, but according to what Jennifer told me in the car, this road also served as a supply route, so it was supposedly not that rough.
Well, thinking back, I'd ridden in carriages that shook far worse than this. Unlike cars, most carriages had no suspension. And I certainly didn't remember ever buckling a seatbelt in one of those.
Even so, unlike a carriage where the view was usually limited to a side window at best, the passenger seat of a car had absolutely nothing obstructing the view ahead. We were only going about 80 kilometers per hour, but sitting in a car with a clear, open front view for the first time in ages, without a seatbelt, made my knees weak with fear.
On top of that, we were in a world where cars themselves were rare, driving through a countryside with extremely little traffic, so the car sped along refreshingly fast.
For about forty minutes, we rode in that strange mix of exhilaration and a touch of fear.
The place we arrived at was a base in the middle of the forest.
"This isn't a place where soldiers stay. It's a post maintained by the hunters who watch over Winterfield's wide forests."
Jennifer said as she parked the car in a suitable spot.
"Though, judging purely by their level of armament, they're no different from our own enlisted soldiers."
Jennifer glanced at me as she spoke.
"Would that be a bit troubling for Your Imperial Highness to see?"
"Not at all."
I answered immediately.
In the first place, this sort of thing was something the Emperor should worry about, not me, and if the scope were broadened slightly, it would be a matter for Alice, the future Emperor, to handle.
The Winterfields were loyal even among the dukes. This private force was meant to protect the territory's forests against an invasion from the northern warlords, not something built up with an eye toward the Emperor's head.
"My Lady!"
The moment Jennifer opened the car door and stepped out, a hunter with a shaggy beard came running over.
He wore a thick fur hat on his head. An ushanka, wasn't it? It was a thick fur hat with ear flaps, the kind you'd imagine a Soviet soldier wearing during World War II.
Of course, the hunter's clothes weren't a military uniform. The glimpses of a red checkered shirt and sturdy jeans inside his fur coat gave him an image more like a lumberjack than a hunter, really. Maybe the difference between the two wasn't actually that large. To avoid freezing to death in these mountains, one would have to cut wood for firewood 365 days a year.
"Hey, everybody! The Lady has arrived!"
When the hunter called out, other men in similar attire came pouring out from all over. Whether you'd call it a base or just a scattering of log cabins, the faces of the people emerging from them were all thickly covered in hair.
"Have you all been well?"
"Yes, of course!"
When the man respectfully removed his hat, it revealed hair that was matted down inside. It seemed he hadn't been able to cut it for a long time, as it had grown out wildly and without care.
Whether from the cold or because he'd already had a drink in the afternoon, the hunter's face was slightly flushed and full of cheer.
"It's truly been a long time, my Lady. However...."
The man's gaze, as he spoke, shifted belatedly toward me as I got out of the car.
Naturally, the eyes of the other men coming outside also turned toward me. Their eyes were full of curiosity. It made sense, given that a teenage girl had shown up at a place like this, which didn't seem to have any women around.
"This is Her Imperial Highness, the Princess, who has come from the imperial capital."
"Oh."
At Jennifer's words, the man's face stiffened slightly. I couldn't tell if it was from tension or because he didn't have a very favorable image of the Imperial family. The way he cast his gaze beyond the base made me suspect he was wondering if an escort force had accompanied me as well.
"Well, there's no need to be too nervous. Her status as a student takes priority over her status as an Imperial Princess right now. She's also here as my student, so she has no intention of being treated specially by any of you."
Though, even if I had come here in my capacity as Imperial Princess, I wouldn't have wanted that kind of treatment.
"We intend to climb the mountain. Could we borrow some mountaineering equipment? The place I stayed when I was little should still be there, right?"
... She had stayed here before?
Well, I supposed staying here would have been better than staying in the heart of Winterfield if one wanted to meet the Sword Saint living up on that mountain.
"That is correct. The clothes you used to wear should still be there as well, most likely."
"Thank you."
... Clothes?
"Come this way. The mountaineering clothes I wore as a child might fit you. Though they may be a bit tight around the chest."
Slightly bewildered, I followed behind Jennifer as she joked.
*
... It was certainly true.
Climbing a mountain in a school uniform skirt that left my legs clearly exposed was insane. Even if it was a path made by people, a mountain trail was incredibly rough and uneven. On top of that, the unique chill of the mountain was tremendous, cutting mercilessly into the gaps between my legs.
Was this the case even while wearing thick pants, so I shuddered just imagining how cold it would have been if I'd followed along wearing nothing but my thick stockings.
In a game, your outfit didn't change unless something special happened, so I kept overlooking that detail.
... What would have happened if Jennifer hadn't spent time here as a child?
"...... Hoo."
I let out a small breath. Jennifer could probably hear it, but it couldn't be helped. Climbing the mountain was simply that strenuous.
Honestly, I wanted to collapse onto the ground, panting like crazy, but I was holding it in.
At least, thanks to the bare minimum of exercise I did regularly, I didn't actually collapse. Surprisingly, Jennifer climbed the mountain slowly, as if taking my circumstances into consideration, and the mountain path was far better maintained than I had expected. It wasn't flat like a village or a road, and it was bumpy with rocks jutting out everywhere, but it must have been a path used by the hunters.
Plus, every time I missed my footing or walked so inefficiently that I used too much energy, I would turn back time a little and try again, so at least I was able to minimize my stamina loss as much as I could think to.
"Well, even someone who lives on a mountain can't be entirely self-sufficient with all their food."
Seeing Jennifer say that, I thought to myself, 'Ah, if there's a path in the game, then at least there's a path humans can travel.'
Though it had still taken four hours to get here.
The sun was already starting to set. My friends might have been out there searching diligently for me right then.
... Well, it didn't really matter, since I planned to return as soon as training was over.
Return to a time before I went to see Jennifer, that is.
*
"Master—"
Jennifer, who had opened the door to the Sword Saint's cliffside dwelling without permission, quickly dodged aside.
A small jar flew past at a terrifying speed and fell off the cliff.
"Whoops."
Jennifer made that sound, but didn't show a particularly surprised expression.
"You worthless wretch!"
And I wasn't surprised, either.
"What cheek you have to come back here!?"
"My face is still perfectly intact, so I came back with this cheek of mine, Master."
"Ha...."
As Jennifer answered with brazen shamelessness, a baffled sound came from deeper inside the hut.
"Still, I can handle about half of your swordsmanship, Master. So wouldn't that make me at least worthy of being half a student?"
"......."
And at Jennifer's remark, the speaker seemed to have completely forgotten what to say.
"I came here because I have someone I'd like to introduce to you, Master. May I come in?"
"...... Go ahead. As if you'd listen if I told you no."
"You hit the nail on the head."
"Worthless wretch."
Upon hearing the response that came back like a verbal tic, Jennifer glanced at me, nodded her head, and then entered the hut first.
The hut I entered following Jennifer was warmer than I'd expected.
It looked shabby on the outside, but once inside, I could see it was a properly built log cabin. Perhaps because it was stacked neatly with well-dried wood, not a single draft of wind leaked in, and the interior was decorated with the skins of all sorts of beasts.
Honestly, the scene felt more fitting for a forest hunter's house than the home of the Sword Saint.
However, above the fireplace, instead of stuffed animal heads, there were three swords brazenly displayed that could only be called 'katanas'. Each was a different length.
"Hmm."
It wasn't until I saw the Sword Saint watching me, who had followed his student inside, with more interest than he showed his own pupil, that I thought, 'Ah, this person is a Sword Saint.'
A long, white beard. White hair tied up behind his head, looking almost like a Japanese-style topknot.
However, ethnically, he was not Eastern but looked like a typical Westerner. Honestly, even his eyes were blue.
In the setting, didn't it say that he went to the East in his youth and returned after earning the title of Sword Saint?
"Is it this child?"
"Yes."
"Why, you—!"
At Jennifer's reply, the Sword Saint suddenly erupted in anger.
"What are you saying, bringing me a brat like this with no talent whatsoever?!"
"......."
Ah.
He'd seen right through me at a glance.
Well, he was a Sword Saint, so that was to be expected. Honestly, even Lucas and the Emperor probably viewed me as an immensely strange existence.
"If you're curious, why don't you see for yourself? Just try swinging a sword."
"What did you say?"
Excuse me?
But by the time I could react like that, I had already shown people far too much.
... Had I chosen the wrong character build after all?