10. Sunset (1)
10. Sunset (1)
—Huff! Hup! Swoosh!
"Hup, hup!"
As I was swinging my sword in the training ground again the next day, familiar faces approached.
They were the people I saw yesterday.
The 2nd Imperial Knights.
The commander and her members.
But there was one difference from yesterday - their eye level had changed between then and now.
—Thud.
—Swoosh!
As Evernoir, the commander, knelt on one knee, the remaining members behind her simultaneously knelt as well.
"We deeply apologize, Your Highness. We committed an inexcusable rudeness before."
Evernoir spoke as the representative of the knight order.
It seemed they had been summoned by Imperial Father yesterday or today and heard the whole story.
Well, I didn't have any particular thoughts about it.
After all, I wasn't really in a bad mood yesterday either.
It was sincere that I wasn't angry.
"So you've finally been informed. Well, you didn't know, so it can't be helped."
Calling it ignorance felt a bit harsh.
If someone told you to escape a maze without any information, who would possibly accept that proposal?
Rather, if someone criticized me for that, it would be like publicly declaring their own foolishness to the whole world.
"Originally, I'm like a stone that rolled in. Until now, you didn't know, and only recently learned that a princess actually existed, right?"
""··········.""
Did I say something wrong?
I didn't think I said anything I shouldn't have.
But for some reason, Dorothy had sad eyes, and Evernoir and the other knights couldn't meet my gaze.
"Um, anyway, there's still time before deployment, right?"
"·····Yes, that is correct."
"Then could I request sparring sessions during that time?"
"It would be an honor."
Oh. Honestly, I thought they would refuse.
I didn't expect to get a sparring promise like this.
Sparring with skilled fighters would help correct my swordsmanship and posture.
What was certain was that, as I discussed with the tailor, my previous swordsmanship needed to completely change.
Even the basic techniques I always used needed to be completely relearned due to my body shape and limb length.
"Then I'll be looking forward to it, Commander."
"Yes, I won't disappoint you, Your Highness."
Hearing Evernoir's quite confident response, I moved locations in good spirits.
####
—Clang! Clang! Clash!
"Ugh."
The practice iron sword I was holding flew into the air.
Evernoir had simply parried my sword upward, but I couldn't withstand the force and ended up losing my grip.
"Well done."
"Haa, haa, well done to you too."
It was the third day of sparring with Commander Evernoir.
"First, your footwork stride is too wide."
Whenever I lost like this, she would approach and give me various advice.
Of course, I had never beaten Evernoir yet.
She wasn't a knight commander for nothing.
Even though I've handled swords for almost over a dozen years since childhood until now past adulthood, I still couldn't touch even Evernoir's fingertips.
"And as I mentioned yesterday, your arm movements are too large."
Evernoir talking about swords was truly beautiful.
Her somewhat serious face, with a voice and tone that felt sincere.
Just having a brief conversation made you feel how serious this woman was about swords.
"·····I'm envious."
"Pardon?"
My gaze unconsciously drifted.
It was directed at none other than Commander Evernoir's chest.
"I wish my breasts were moderately full like yours."
Although men might find women's breast mounds pretty and abundant, actually becoming a woman's body made me understand their perspective a bit.
I could see why women often used the nickname "unnecessarily large fat lumps" for them.
Carrying these around for a lifetime would make your shoulders sore and your back hurt.
And even within the Imperial Palace, numerous men's gazes gather here, making it bothersome and burdensome.
I heard the princess of the neighboring country punishes all officials who look at her body instead of her eyes.
But since I was once a man too, I couldn't arbitrarily punish or warn people.
Well, even I found my own gaze captured when looking in the mirror or glancing downward.
Anyway.
The preface was long, but envious was envious.
Since I wouldn't continue living like this anyway, they were truly just unnecessarily large fat lumps.
So I envied Evernoir and maids with slightly smaller builds.
With that kind of body, there would be no hindrance to swinging a sword.
"·····Your Highness."
"What is it?"
"Well, um, actually·····."
Evernoir hesitated.
This woman who was so serious suddenly started being cautious, making me wonder what this was about.
Then she pressed close to me and whispered in my ear.
"I, I wrap·····bandages···, every morning."
Bandages? What bandages?
Was she injured or something?
So I unconsciously spoke out loud.
"Bandages?"
"Y-Your Highness·····!"
Then Evernoir put her finger to her mouth as if begging me to lower my voice.
I slowly lowered my gaze.
Evernoir was taller than me.
After checking briefly, I raised my gaze again.
"Uu, uuuh····!"
Then Evernoir covered her chest with both arms.
"Ah."
Only then did I realize.
The meaning of the bandages Evernoir said she wore.
"·····Should I wrap them too?"
That was somewhat tempting.
Could I become that small if I wrapped them too?
But expectations are often not met.
"·····Daring to say this, but even if you wrap them, it probably won't mean much·····."
"·········Hmm, I suppose so."
My hopeful mood plummeted.
"·····My apologies."
"It's fine. This isn't your fault."
If I took this out on someone else, that would truly make me a terrible person.
And perhaps feeling sorry for revealing the truth, Evernoir decided to help me find a solution together.
####
Two weeks passed like that - attending classes during the day and sparring with Commander Evernoir in the afternoon.
Over two weeks, my swordsmanship had changed noticeably.
I completely abandoned all the swordsmanship I had learned before and trained in completely new techniques with Commander Evernoir and other female members of the 2nd Knight Order.
As a result, my swordsmanship became more defensive compared to before.
Of course, that was natural.
If I didn't want my chest and pelvis - which bothered me with every movement - to get slashed by enemies, I had no choice but to adopt defensive swordsmanship.
However, defensive swordsmanship wasn't necessarily bad.
In fact, the one time I faced Commander Evernoir with the Divine Sword, her practice iron sword shattered into pieces after just one exchange.
"Haa, haa, well done."
"You've worked hard."
After finishing today's sparring session as well, I wiped my sweat with the towel Dorothy brought and spoke.
"Finally, it's next week."
"Yes, that is correct."
Now that three weeks had passed since the 2nd Knight Order heard all the news from Imperial Father, our deployment was only one week away.
Perhaps it was because they saw me consistently sparring and training with the commander.
The doubts about my abilities based on their initial impression had somewhat disappeared.
"Evernoir told me she could speak more casually with me."
"···How could I possibly do that?"
Evernoir hadn't lowered her formal speech even once since then until now.
With that level of skill and position, even if not toward a princess like me, she could have been somewhat arrogant toward people around her.
Yet Commander Evernoir didn't treat her members casually either.
She was like a human embodiment of the word restraint.
"Then I'll go in first."
"Yes."
Thus, Dorothy and I entered the palace first.
Dorothy seemed to really feel that the time was approaching, as she had become much quieter lately.
And I was waiting for Dorothy's hands in the changing room to wash off the sweat I had shed.
—Ziiip.
Dorothy began lowering the zipper on my back.
But it stopped before going all the way down.
"·····Your Highness."
"What's wrong?"
A brief silence fell.
"·····It must be, incredibly difficult for you."
"Hmm."
"You won't be able to shower with warm water every day·····, and you might always be covered in the filthy blood of demon beasts·····."
"I know."
I know better than anyone.
Deployment means exactly that - deployment.
This isn't a war between people, but a war between demon beasts and humans.
"·····Your meals will lack nutrients every day, and will always be irregular."
"What are you trying to say?"
How should I put it.
It didn't feel like a curse.
Rather, it felt like a child throwing a tantrum at an adult.
As if asking, are you really going when it will be like this?
"·····Aren't you scared, Your Highness?"
"··········."
"I·····am scared. That you might get hurt. If even a scratch appears on your jade-like skin, I might cry·····."
I didn't turn around to look.
Even without looking, her voice was full of moisture.
So without turning to face her, I reached out toward her.
I placed my palm on Dorothy's head.
Nothing more, nothing less.
I was simply repaying her for revealing her true feelings first.
"I'm scared too."
"·····Pardon?"
"To stop the demon beasts' offensive, battles with the Legion Commanders will probably be inevitable."
That was certain.
No, it was a predetermined future.
"I'm not the Hero. I could lose my life in battle with a Legion Commander."
"No, perhaps I might lose my life first to mere goblins or orcs."
At those words, Dorothy's mouth twisted.
"Th-then why·····!"
"But Dorothy. Didn't I tell you before? If someone like me doesn't protect the empire, who will protect our people?"
Kill all the Legion Commanders?
Kill the Demon King?
No, that's not my role.
That's something only the Hero can do, not something I can do.
Even if I'm the one with the Divine Sword.
The plan and operation I received from Imperial Father was singular:
'Somehow stop them until the Hero appears.'
—Even if that means sacrificing the lives of all members of the 2nd Imperial Knights.