To the Empire
Selina was overwhelmed by guilt, convinced that Adelia's broken state was all her fault. If she had stepped in that day and tried to stop the hero from banishing Lowell, or if she had grabbed Lowell and begged her to stay with the party, begging her to endure just once, none of this would have happened now.
If Lowell had been there, she could have used Undine, the water spirit, to heal Adelia's legs even though the saintess had no holy power left to call on.
If Lowell had been there, she could have used the elves' exceptional scouting abilities to escape the dungeon entrance safely.
If Lowell had been there, she could have crafted potions from various herbs that would restore mana or heal holy power.
If Lowell had been there, she could have helped them overcome this crisis in the hero's place.
All those regrets and imagined what-ifs flooded Selina's mind, allowing her, at least a little, to understand the value of the elf Lowell that Adelia always spoke about with such reverence.
"No. Selina, this isn't your fault... Even if you had tried to intervene back then, the outcome would have been the same."
Adelia was in agony just from her own injuries, yet she put on a brave face for the sobbing Selina, soothing her instead, patting her head gently, and urging her to hold on.
Adelia prayed to the goddess every night in this hellish dungeon, begging for a safe way out, but every time her prayers ended and she opened her eyes, all that awaited her was the same despair of the dungeon.
Meanwhile, the hero was far from standing idle while watching the situation unfold.
He steadily accumulated stamina and, on his own, searched for an escape route to the upper floors, but waves of monsters relentlessly forced him back to the shelter, where Adelia would heal him with the holy power she painstakingly gathered—while leaving her own wounds untreated.
The situation was absolutely desperate.
After resting just enough to regain some strength, the hero once again grabbed the Holy Sword and set out to find another path.
"Your Highness, where are you going?"
"To find a way out..."
Selina watched the hero emerge from the shelter and asked, but his voice lacked any spark of energy.
He, too, felt the same crushing guilt that this mess was all because of him, yet he harbored no remorse for the elf Lowell.
Instead, thinking of Lowell, who had been gleefully happy that the hero's party had vanished in the dungeon, only fury burned in his chest.
****
The imperial carriage was far grander than she had expected.
The massive carriage, adorned with the Empire's crest, was so spacious that Lowell, Cali, and Alex could stretch their legs and even lie down inside.
Whenever the scenery changed and the windows were opened, the knights riding alongside would approach with a bow and exchange greetings.
At border checkpoints or when passing through city gates and the capital's gates, there were no restrictions at all, allowing them to travel at a surprisingly fast pace.
The only drawback, she supposed, was the boredom of sitting inside the carriage for hours on end.
Still, the occasional events kept the journey bearable.
"Woah! Woah!"
The coachman shouted as he reined in the carriage.
A monster had appeared ahead.
Goblins and orcs were dispatched by the knights before Lowell could even step down, so she got no chance to enjoy the fight.
"Ogre!"
When a monster that was slightly too tough for the knights to handle appeared, she inevitably stepped out of the carriage.
"Lowell-nim. Allow us to deal with it."
The captain of the knights rushed over, declaring they would handle it, but she could not pass up this rare chance to loosen her body after such a dull journey.
"No need. I just need to stretch."
An ogre was a large monster, one that even adventurers of certain rank would struggle with, and it boasted thick, tough hide that would bounce off ordinary swords, immense strength to uproot ancient tree roots, and boundless stamina that matched the terror of its kind.
But in front of her...
Whoosh! Swish!
With the sword still in its sheath, Lowell walked straight up to the ogre, and in one clean strike she split the creature from lower body to upper body.
Cheers and applause erupted all around.
"They said a Saintess of the Four Heavenly Kings' subordinate was slain in a single blow by the hero... but it was real..."
"And that's not all. From the people of Moncrito, I heard she single-handedly took down a few hundred rebels."
The knights mounted on horses exchanged stories about her swordsmanship, sharing what they had heard from Moncrito.
Unconcerned with any of it, she returned to the carriage, feeling refreshed after loosening her body outside.
"Indeed, the Demon Lord is magnificent! She often wields a sword instead of a bow these days... truly astonishing!"
Alex's praise began as soon as they boarded the carriage, but only Cali stared at her with a bored expression.
"Cali, why?"
"What kind of pose is that for an ogre? Auntie?"
"Is that so? Then next time a monster appears, why don't you handle it yourself?"
"Sure."
Alex, sitting in front, looked startled by the exchange between her and Cali.
"Lord Lowell, isn't this too dangerous? Cali is still so young..."
"It's fine. She's strong enough, comparable to me."
"Really? Strong?"
Alex clearly did not understand that a young girl in her teens could be that powerful. He glanced between her and Cali, but it took him no time at all to grasp the meaning.
Soon another monster blocked their path.
"I'll be right back."
With perfect confidence, Cali stepped down from the carriage and walked toward the monster.
"Lord Lowell, shouldn't we stop her even now? It's too dangerous."
Alex pleaded with her, his concern clear, but she simply listened and watched Cali.
The monster this time was weaker than an ogre, but not weak at all—a troll.
Trolls might lack the raw strength and stamina of ogres, but their defense and regeneration were on par with mid-tier boss monsters.
Inside the carriage, Alex was trying to talk her out of it, while outside the knights were restraining Cali and stopping her from advancing.
Cali, irritated by their interference, stopped walking, glared at them, and spoke.
"Step aside."
"....."
With just one calm word from Cali, the knights obediently retreated.
Her own voice echoed in her ears, and her legs trembled while her heart raced with an inexplicable sense of dread.
It was all because of the magic she had used.
[Dragon's Fear]
No matter how young the hatchling, dragons were dragons.
If even she could feel this overwhelming killing intent just from one Dragon's Fear, Alex and the knights nearby would already be unable to stand properly.
"Lowell auntie~ Watch this!"
With one corner of her mouth curled up in deliberate provocation, Cali summoned a red magic circle around the ground where the troll stood.
Crackle!
Roar!
A moment later, a massive flame breath erupted backward from the magic circle, engulfing the troll in an instant.
"Did you see, auntie?"
"Yes. Our Cali is amazing."
"Hiiii..."
Just moments ago, she had strutted out like an adult showing off her strength, yet now she blushed with embarrassment at the praise, her cheeks flushed red.
She really was just an ordinary child.
"Um... Lord Lowell?"
"Yes?"
"Exactly who is that girl?"
Alex asked quietly, curious about Cali's true identity, but she said nothing.
After all, once Cali learned she was a hatchling, there would be no point.
*
The carriage that had departed from Moncrito Kingdom had finally entered the western part of the continent, passing through the border of Leoba Kingdom, the Empire's frontier gate.
Leoba Kingdom, though an adjacent nation to the Empire, was one of the poorest in the western continent.
As the carriage crossed the border, the proof of its dire situation unfolded before them.
Starting from a shabby, abandoned village that looked like it could no longer be called a place to live, beggars in rags huddled at the entrance, extending hands to travelers and merchants for coin.
Their hands were so shriveled from days of hunger that only bones showed, and on one side lay rotting corpses, the sight so unbearable it told the full truth of the land's suffering.
Of course, even in a warring nation, food shortages could cause such famine, but this place was far from the war zone of the Demon King's army.
It was one of the rearmost regions, close to the very backlines, which was why it was called the Empire's frontier gate.
Alex, who knew the area well, wanted to ask, but...
"Your Highness."
The captain of the knights outside the carriage called out.
He decided to listen without interrupting.
"Squadrons of knights from Leoba Kingdom are approaching from the front."
At the end of the road their carriage was traveling, knights on horses raised the banner of Leoba Kingdom and galloped toward them at high speed.