Daybreak Rondo

by Yuri Kitayama

  “...Well, it has been two years since I started using this sword.” Rio said, gazing into the distant sky vacantly. While he had to adjust his story in order to hide the existence of spirit arts, in doing so he realized how much time had passed and felt nostalgic.

  “...” The impression Aria received from peering at Rio’s profile was both mature and childish at the same time, making her eyes widen with curiosity.

  “I’m going to check for any abnormalities with the wheels on the other side. If there are no other issues, it can be carried to the road,” Rio said, rounding to the other side of the carriage that had been facing the ground earlier. For a brief instant, he glanced at Aria’s face.

  Aria, huh. It’s the same name that the Professor mumbled earlier, so she must be the same person. She doesn’t seem like a bad person either. ...But for some reason, both her name and face feel familiar somehow, he thought, feeling rather peculiar.

  ◇　◇　◇

  In the end, the carriage was deemed to have escaped from any irreparable damage. Upon returning to the main road, Aria immediately reported to Liselotte, who was cleaning the area with the other attendant girls.

  “My lady, the emergency repairs on the horse carriage have been completed.”

  Liselotte’s expression brightened. “Really?! Wait, and you even brought it all the way here!” When she spotted Rio clutching a rope and towing the carriage behind him, she was slightly astonished.

  “Sorry for the wait,” Rio said to Liselotte, pulling the carriage onto the road.

  “...I do apologize, Sir Haruto, for making you transport the carriage after repairing it.” Liselotte bowed her head at Rio apologetically.

  “No — Aria also helped push from behind for most of the way. I borrowed the power of my enchanted sword, too, so it was much easier to handle than the attack from the minotaur,” Rio joked, shaking his head.

  “Why, how reliable you are,” Liselotte giggled. Cosette suddenly approached, politely offering Rio a wooden mug to drink from.

  “Sir Haruto, please accept something to drink.” It was brimming with a sweet fruit juice inside.

  “Oh, thank you very much for the offer. Erm...” Rio bowed, thanking her pleasantly but finding himself lacking knowledge of her name.

  “Do forgive me. My name is Cosette. I’m an attendant serving Lady Liselotte.” Cosette pinched the hem of her attendant uniform and curtseyed in an elegant manner.

  “Pff...” Liselotte and Aria, who were familiar with Cosette’s true form, were just barely able to hold back their laughter at the sight of her enthusiasm.

  “Thank you very much, Miss Cosette,” Rio said cheerfully, having not noticed the expressions of the other two twitching with laughter.

  “I would also like to thank you for what you did for us earlier. It may be impudent of me to speak out like this, but I wanted to convey my gratitude. Please forgive my rudeness,” Cosette said, lowering her head deep in a show of respect.

  Rio tilted his head with a troubled look. “It was nothing. And I am not a noble, so you do not need to act so formally with me.”

  “I cannot accept that. My master owes Sir Haruto her life. Now, I shall take my leave from here... Thank you for your time.” Cosette shook her head gracefully and bowed her head before turning. With that clear message conveyed, she turned and left with the grace of a swan.

  “Seeing Cosette and Aria, it seems all your attendants are very well-trained, Lady Liselotte,” Rio said in awe.

  “No, well... Thank you.” Liselotte nodded her head with a frown.

  ◇　◇　◇

  Shortly after that, the knights that were on patrol for enchanted gems and possible threats started to return one by one. Once the knights were rehydrated, Duke Huguenot came over as well; they decided they would attempt to move the minotaur sword that was obstructing passage through the road.

  “Now, let us move this to the side of the road.”

  “I was the one who threw it at the ground. If you would like, I could be retrieve it myself...” Rio suggested.

  “Hmm... Wouldn’t that be a little too difficult for you to do alone? I believe catching it in the air and swinging it is a much different burden to lifting it off the ground...” Duke Huguenot stated logically.

  “Allow me to make an attempt first, then,” Rio said, squeezing the handle of his still sheathed sword and making a show of swinging it as though to draw out the enchanted power. He walked closer to the great sword, grabbing the stone sword that was several times taller than him.

  “...Hah!” With a small breath, he exerted his strength. The great sword that was pierced into the ground creaked as it started to lift up. After a moment, it was pulled completely free.

  “Oooh!” Cheers rose around Rio.

  “It’s dangerous, so please stand back.” Unfortunately, the blade was rather long, so Rio warned the knights and attendant girls nearby to be careful.

  Liselotte watched Rio with wide eyes. “...Could you do the same thing?” she asked Aria, who stood beside her.

  “I won’t know until I try it for myself, but... I believe it should be possible,” Aria replied quietly.

  “Oi oi, it sure is rowdy out here.” Hiroaki appeared from the carriage. Apparently all the noise had caught his attention.

  Flora spotted Rio holding the stone great sword and widened her eyes as she mumbled in awe. “...It seems Sir Haruto is carrying that sword.”

  Meanwhile, Hiroaki’s eyes landed on the same scene. He stared at Rio gathering the attention with a rather indifferent look in his eyes. “Hah, I see...”

  Still carrying the great sword, Rio slowly walked over to the forest at the side of the road. The knights and attendants murmured to themselves as they watched him do so.

  Oh, great... Now they’re all in an uproar. Sure must be nice, being attractive. It’s like living life in easy mode, having people fawn over you just for carrying something heavy... Hiroaki thought with an unamused face as he looked at the attendant girls fussing nearby. Even Liselotte was watching Rio with a look of awe on her face. Hiroaki found that fact the most unpleasant of all. In that time, Rio made it to the forest with the stone sword in hand and gently laid it down on its side in the forest.

  Hiroaki sighed exasperatedly. I guess it’s time to show them the power of a true hero. He set off, walking towards Rio casually.

  When Liselotte noticed that Hiroaki had alighted from the carriage, she called out to him. “...Hero?”

  “Just watch this,” Hiroaki said with a smug look, heading towards the side of the road where Rio was. Rio had just stood up after his work was done and was turning on his heel to head back. He noticed Hiroaki approaching and tilted his head.

  “Oh. Hello, hero. Is something the matter?”

  “I was just wondering how heavy that stone sword was. Just lend it to me for a sec.” Hiroaki smirked with a huff, grabbing the sword Rio had laid on the floor with both hands. With an audible grunt, he attempted to lift it up. Then, though he swayed uneasily for a moment, Hiroaki managed to hold the stone great sword up perfectly.

  “Ooh!” The knights raised their voices in a cheer.

  Roanna immediately got close, too. “Why, that’s splendid, Sir Hiroaki.”

  “Ah, it’s a little hard to carry because of its size, but I guess this should do it. It’s no big deal.” Hiroaki smiled smugly, full of confidence in himself.

  The way he holds his body is completely amateur, but his enhanced abilities show promise. If he has this much strength, then he’s probably stronger than the average knight, so it makes sense that he would be confident in his strength. But... is this spirit arts? Rio analyzed to himself, eyes widening.

  “That is very impressive, hero,” he praised Hiroaki as he pondered.

  “Hahaha. Well, you’re not so bad yourself. Let’s go back.” Hiroaki lowered the stone great sword back to where it was and patted Rio on the shoulder before heading back to the carriage at a brisk walk. Roanna accompanied hi
m. Her chest was puffed up proudly at all the attention gathered on Hiroaki. Rio’s lips upturned in a smile as he followed the two of them from behind.

  Hiroaki made a beeline for Liselotte and called out to her, obviously in a good mood. “C’mon Liselotte, let’s go. Get in the carriage. You too, Flora.” He included Flora as an immediate afterthought.

  “Ah, yes.” Flora replied first. Liselotte nodded respectfully, glancing at Rio.

  “Understood. Then, may Sir Haruto accompany us? We’ll be heading towards Amande next...”

  “I also have business in Amande, so I have no reason to object... But are you sure you want to let me in the carriage with you?” Rio asked, watching their party’s expression observantly. His social standing wasn’t appropriate to be riding with a hero, princess, duke, and two noble ladies. Normally, he wouldn’t even be permitted to ride with regular nobles.

  “There’s no need to feel any kind of reservation. You did save all of our lives earlier, after all,” Duke Huguenot said, smiling merrily.

  “That’s right, Sir Haruto. We also wanted to give our formal thanks, so please, you are more than welcome to join us,” Liselotte said, bowing her head deeply.

  Rio tried to stop Liselotte in a fluster. “No, no, please raise your head, Lady Liselotte.”

  “Yeah, he’s right. Someone as great as you shouldn’t be bowing your head so easily,” Hiroaki agreed.

  “...Do excuse me for my behavior, then.” Liselotte said with a frown, looking at Rio.

  “Now, let’s get going already. Come on,” Hiroaki said, heading towards the carriage first.

  Thus, Rio followed Liselotte and the others to Amande.

  ◇　◇　◇

  Liselotte led Rio to the carriage; he hesitantly stepped inside.

  “...Excuse me.” The interior of the carriage was spacious and could fit eight people when seated together. There, Hiroaki, Flora, Roanna and Duke Huguenot took their seats first.

  Hiroaki looked at Rio entering late. “Well, have a seat,” he said with a pompous air.

  “Sir Haruto, please sit on this side,” Liselotte motioned to the highest remaining seat.

  “Thank you for the hospitality.” Rio bowed politely before sitting down. Liselotte chose one seat down from Rio’s before sitting down too. It was the furthest from Hiroaki, who was seated in the highest position.

  Hiroaki looked a little displeased at being further away from Liselotte, but he crossed his legs calmly. “So who are you, really? A noble from somewhere?” he asked Rio.

  At that, Flora flinched. “Sir Hiroaki, asking such questions like that out of the blue... It’s rude to Sir Haruto,” she said to Hiroaki nervously, looking at Rio.

  “Oi oi, are you telling me we didn’t let him onto the carriage just to ask that? We should just cut to the chase for this kind of thing.” Hiroaki gave an exaggerated shrug of his shoulders.

  “H-However...” Flora watched Rio’s expression worriedly as she stumbled over her words. There was a proper manner and procedure for which such things should be done, so when those of higher status ignored the rules, it made it harder for others to speak up. That was how a society built on status operated, after all.

  With a faint smile, Rio shook his head to show he wasn’t bothered. “Please, there is no need to concern yourselves over me. It is true my background hasn’t been made clear to you.”

  “Well, from the looks of things, you’re just a swordsman traveling around while training your sword skills. A typical cliche setting, but that’s what makes it all the more suspicious. The guys outside were hasty to make a fuss about you, but I’d like to learn a bit more about your background before I trust you completely,” Hiroaki stated bluntly, addressing Rio. Meanwhile, Liselotte found herself fighting the urge to ignore their status difference and interrupt several times.

  ...He’s basically declaring his distrust towards him. Isn’t that a bit too rude towards the one who saved you? Even if you want to ask more, there should be a way to go about asking politely. His manners are all over the place.

  But she had no choice but to stay silent; it would probably be best to thank him for the earlier fight at a later time without Hiroaki around, anyway. With that thought, Liselotte kept up the smile on her face.

  “Naturally, I don’t expect everyone to believe me so easily either... But unfortunately, I do not possess anything that can objectively prove my identity,” Rio said with a frown.

  “Well, the level of civilization in this world is what it is... If only you had something with a noble house crest on it, then you could prove yourself...” Hiroaki said, asking in a roundabout way whether he was a noble or not.

  “As I said in the beginning, I am not a noble. If anything, I am a mere wanderer, a nomad that travels without a particular kingdom to call home,” Rio said as truthfully as he could.

  “Hmm... So that’s why you’re traveling everywhere?” Hiroaki asked, looking at Rio doubtfully.

  “Yes.” Rio nodded curtly.

  “But doesn’t your speech and behavior seems to be rather educated for a wanderer?” Hiroaki asked, looking at Roanna. He had heard from her earlier about how Rio’s mannerisms didn’t seem like that of a regular commoner.

  “...I’m honored that you think so. But it is merely a life skill I picked up along the way. Because I am a wanderer, I have to endeavor to live peacefully with people no matter where I go,” Rio said with a respectful bow.

  “Hahaha. Well, you do seem to be able to speak well. I don’t know how nomads and refugees are treated in this world, to be honest, but... Actually, how are they treated, really?” Hiroaki asked those around him with a cheerful grin.

  “...It’s not that they’re a target of aggressive discrimination, it’s just that they may be treated as inferior to locals that live in the area. That’s why there are many people who do not feel any attachment for the land and end up wandering from place to place,” Duke Huguenot, the eldest present and most well-versed with the world, answered.

  “Ah, I see. So that’s how it is. Well, I get it... That’s a problem that exists in my world too. Sure causes lots of headaches. There may be talented people among refugees, but they can’t be treated with favoritism over the actual citizens of the nation. The more they stand out, the more the inferior locals will envy them, too,” Hiroaki said in comprehension.

  “You are most knowledgeable, Sir Hiroaki,” Roanna said with a breath of awe.

  “Eh, it’s no big deal. But I guess that does give some credit to your story about traveling around the world, more or less.” Hiroaki smirked smugly and looked at Rio.

  “...I appreciate your kindness.” Rio forced a smile on his face and bowed his head politely.

  “Well, you don’t seem like a bad guy. I suppose you can pass. At the very least, you now have a hero’s stamp of approval of being trustworthy.” Hiroaki laughed heartily as he spoke.

  “That is an honor indeed.” Once more, Rio bowed his head in a polite manner.

  ◇　◇　◇

  Meanwhile, outside the carriage where Rio was riding with the others...

  “Say, Aria. You spoke with Sir Haruto a little, right? What was he like?” Cosette asked Aria enthusiastically. At that, Natalie and Chloe, who had been walking nearby, also closed in on Cosette and Aria to eavesdrop on their conversation.

  Aria felt the curiosity of her subordinates as clear as day. “...It seems he is one year older than our lady, but he seems very calm and mature for his age. He mentioned that he has been traveling for years now,” she replied with a sigh.

  Cosette and Natalie were both veteran attendants too. Aria was their leader as the head of the attendants, but their long years of working together made them more akin to equal colleagues.

  “Anything else? Like his ideal woman or something,” Cosette asked further, expression brimming with interest.

  “There’s no way I could ask something so intrusive in such a short conversation,” Aria said with a tired look.

&n
bsp; “But that’s like, something you can observe when you’re close up to him, no? Does he look like the type who likes quiet and graceful girls, or bright and talkative girls?” Cosette continued with a teasing wink.

  “Unfortunately, I do not possess such observational skills.” Aria shook her head curtly.

  “Oh my, I’m not sure I believe that,” Cosette objected. “For example, doesn’t the hero seem like he would prefer girls that are meek and obedient? Of course, they have to be extremely attractive first, but still.”

  “H-Hey! That’s disrespectful... What would you do if someone overheard that?!” Natalie interrupted in a panic.

  “Oh, were you listening? Eavesdropping isn’t very nice of you,” Cosette responded bluntly.

  “Ugh. I was just walking nearby — of course I would overhear you,” Natalie winced as she argued back.

  “Well, I knew you were listening anyway. It’s fine, I’m keeping my voice quiet enough that it won’t reach the knights’ ears. I’m barely changing my expression, too,” Cosette said with a shrug.

  “True, that wasn’t a rather scathing criticism coming from you...”

  “Right? In reality...” ...he’s an overconfident and intrusive man. Like the dimwitted son of a noble who mistook his family’s money and power for his own talent. That’s what I would have liked to have said instead, Cosette thought, but didn’t actually voice out loud.

  “Well, that aside, I’m sure you agree with my statement even a little in order to respond with what you did, no?” Cosette grinned at Natalie.

  “T-That’s not true. He’s an amazing person. He picked up the minotaur’s sword earlier, after all.” Natalie answered with a squeak in her voice.

  “That may be true, but... was there a need for him to pick it up at that point?” Cosette cocked her head doubtfully.

  “...” The attendant girls had nothing to say in response.

  ◇　◇　◇

  Back in the carriage with Rio and the others, nearly an hour had passed since their departure when someone knocked on the window of the carriage.

  “Lady Liselotte, do you have a moment?” Aria’s voice could be heard calling for Liselotte from outside.