“Ahaha. Maybe if I was still a kid, but I’m strong enough to go against those monsters head-to-head now.” Rio laughed blankly, shaking his head as though it was nothing at all.
“Head-to-head... Those were minotaurs. The absolute strongest of the monsters that haven’t been seen since the Divine War,” Celia said in half exasperation, face twitching.
“But even you would have been able to defeat them, given the right conditions. No?” Rio asked, giving Celia a piercing look. She had to have acquired several magics that could take down a minotaur in a single blow herself. She wasn’t called a genius sorceress for nothing.
“They move too fast, so I’d have to restrain them first, but... Wait, this isn’t about that! Why does it feel like you’re trying to divert the topic?!” Celia started seriously considering how she would have defeated them, but soon snapped back to her senses, as she was busy worrying about Rio right now. She didn’t want him in dangerous situations, after all.
“Ahaha, well, it looks like the tea is here, so let me explain what’s going to happen from now on,” Rio said with a faint smile, moving their talk forward.
“...Okay,” Celia pouted, but nodded obediently.
“Excuse me. Here is the black tea you ordered.” The worker girl stepped out onto the balcony and carefully set down a tea set before retreating immediately. Once Rio had confirmed she was gone, he began speaking.
“First, we’ll be staying within the city of Amande for the next few days. Our accommodations have been prepared by Cecilia’s friend, Aria, so we’ll be staying there for the duration of the trip. I’m sorry to be springing this upon you without notice... I hope that’s okay?”
Aishia paused mid-mouthful of a scone and gave an immediate response that showed she didn’t particularly care. “It’s fine.”
Despite her agreement, Celia’s face darkened with worry. “Of course, I don’t mind either... but I’ll have to be careful not to meet Aria. Well, I doubt she’d recognize me if we just passed by each other on the streets...”
“You give off quite a different impression to what you used to be like, so I think it’ll be fine. But Aria won’t be the only person you need to be aware of...” Rio said carefully, reluctant to speak up.
“...Is something wrong?” Celia tilted her head curiously.
Rio found his resolution and nervously revealed the truth. “Umm, there are actually visitors of Beltrum’s royalty and nobility here at the moment.”
“Eh?!” Celia’s eyes widened in shock.
“Yeah, I was surprised too. I didn’t notice until the battle was over.” During the battle, Flora had been hiding out of sight, and Aria’s fighting drew the majority of the attention. That’s why Celia and even Rio hadn’t noticed.
“W-Who was there?” Celia asked nervously.
“It turned out that other than Liselotte and her attendants, everyone else there was from the kingdom of Beltrum. The estranged faction of Duke Huguenot, to be precise. Second Princess Flora, Duke Huguenot, as well as Roanna from Duke Fontaine’s faction, are also here,” Rio said, listing off the most important figures.
“...They’re all major figures.” And they were all people that Celia knew of. “Wait, Roanna was your classmate and Princess Flora should have known you well too. Didn’t they realize?” Celia noticed in a panic.
“Yes. Princess Flora has a good intuition and seemed to sense something was odd, but Roanna didn’t seem to notice anything in particular,” Rio replied readily.
“...Hey, wouldn’t it be better if we left Amande immediately?” Celia suggested with a slightly panicked look. “No, we will stay in Amande.” Rio shook his head in blunt refusal, his decision firm.
“Someone might find out, though.”
“The greatest danger is Princess Flora, but we haven’t seen each other in years. Not to mention the fact that my hair color is different now. I believe the risk is within a reasonable limit.”
Outside of using dyes, there was no way of changing hair color in the Strahl region, but the concept of dyeing hair wasn’t a common idea among the general public to begin with. Even if one did dye their hair, it would look far more unnatural compared to Rio’s use of magic artifacts.
“...Is there a reason?”
“Yes. I wish to establish favorable relations with Liselotte. She is the daughter of the Galarc Kingdom’s great lord, Duke Cretia, and the president of the Ricca Merchant Guild.”
“With Liselotte?” Celia’s eyes widened at the unexpected response.
“Yes. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to have a connection to someone powerful within this kingdom, in case the hero I am searching for is affiliated with the Galarc Kingdom and I needed a way to meet them formally. That’s why I want to earn her favor. Of course, saving your friend was also one of my goals, but the main reason why I intervened in the earlier battle was because of this,” Rio revealed honestly. On top of those reasons, forming a favorable relationship with Liselotte might also prove useful one day if they were ever to return Celia to the world of nobility, Rio thought.
“...Okay. Yeah, I understand.” Celia hesitated for a long minute, but seemed to reach an understanding as she nodded soon after.
“I’m glad to hear it. I was actually expecting more opposition than that,” Rio said a little unexpectedly.
“...It’s not like you’re trying to do something dangerous, right?” Celia asked, watching Rio’s face carefully.
“Of course not,” Rio affirmed immediately.
“Then I’ll believe in you. That’s been my decision from the get-go.” Celia smiled gently as she spoke.
“Cecilia...” Rio felt strangely embarrassed, but at the same time, happiness surged within him.
“But you mustn’t let your guard down, understood? She may seem like a girl close to your age, but Liselotte is well known for being a more than capable bigshot noble,” Celia warned. She was still Rio’s professor in areas like this.
“Yes.” Rio nodded his head happily.
“What are you so happy for? Well, whatever. I’m happy to answer any questions you might have, so feel free to ask me more, okay?” Celia offered shyly.
“Thank you very much. Actually, I had plans to meet Liselotte once again tomorrow. Could you teach me some of the etiquette involved in visiting the estate of a noble?” Rio smiled softly, immediately taking Celia up on her offer. She nodded happily.
“Yup, leave it to me!” Celia nodded happily.
◇ ◇ ◇
After that, Rio, Celia, and Aishia chatted at the cafe for a while before heading to the inn. Aishia seemed to have acquired a taste for scones ever since the one she ate in Cleia and was more satisfied than usual.
“By the way, what kind of person is Liselotte?” Celia asked Rio on the way.
“She has a soft demeanor, but is a very intelligent woman. I suppose it makes sense that your friend would want to serve her.” Rio looked up at the skies as he thought back on his first impression of Liselotte.
“I see.” Celia smiled somewhat shyly. She must have been proud to hear her friend being praised.
“Speaking of which, is your friend — Aria — also from the kingdom of Beltrum?” Rio asked.
“Yup. She used to be my classmate at the Royal Academy of Beltrum, but, well... her house fell into ruin. She ended up dropping out of the academy. But she was an outstanding person, so she found employment at the castle easily. Though, the harassment got too much for her to bear, so she quit pretty shortly after that,” Celia explained.
Rio recalled the way Aria fought in the earlier battle and spoke in awe. “True, she did have a splendid sword arm from what I witnessed.”
“Yeah, back at the academy her marks in swordcraft could hold down the boys. She always came out on top.” Celia boasted proudly.
“I see. As a young and skilled female knight, it must have been hard for her to deal with the biased views of those around her.” Rio imagined the circumstances of Aria at the time with a bitter
smile. The harassment was strong against Rio, who was an orphan on the streets, so it must have been tough on a fallen noble.
“Eh?” Celia made a confused face.
“...Umm, did I say something strange? She was a knight, wasn’t she?” Rio also cocked his head curiously.
“Ohh, no no, that wasn’t it. Ah, I see... it would’ve been more natural for her to have been a knight, huh? Anyway, she was actually working as the head servant of the castle.” Celia giggled as she corrected Rio’s misunderstanding. The head servant was in charge of welcoming guests and ensuring they were comfortable; one had to be of the proper origins in order to do so.
“I see... I jumped to conclusions. Forgive me,” Rio apologized with a faint smile.
“Wait... hmm. Come to think of it, you should’ve met Aria once before too,” Celia suddenly said.
“R-Really?” Rio was taken aback, questions on his tongue.
“Yup. When you were seven years old and had been first summoned to the royal castle. Do you remember the girl who was in charge of looking after you, just before your audience with His Majesty?”
Rio finally remembered. “...Aah, the girl from back then. I had no idea at all.” His eyes widened to round circles as he recalled the fateful encounter.
“Fufu, I don’t blame you for forgetting. It’s been nine years, after all.” Celia smiled in amusement.
“Right,” Rio agreed with a huff.
“She actually quit her castle duties shortly after that. Then, she picked up the sword and became an adventurer, which is where Liselotte scouted her. I’ve met her several times since then, but it seems like she’s having the time of her life now.” Celia said, looking into the distance with a smile.
◇ ◇ ◇
At the Amande governor’s estate, Liselotte was seeing to a one-on-one meeting with Duke Huguenot after allocating a guest room for Hiroaki, Flora, and Roanna.
“My goodness, have things taken a turn for the terrible ever since that dragon-like creature appeared.” Duke Huguenot lowered himself onto the sofa and began to speak with tired finality.
“My apologies. I have caused you a fair amount of trouble... There were even people from your side who were injured.” Liselotte frowned apologetically.
“No, we were the ones who insisted on accompanying you. Just because we were met with an unexpected enemy attack does not mean you bear the responsibility. There were serious injuries, but at least no one was killed. As long as we fulfilled our role as guards, then all is well.” Duke Huguenot shook his head warmly.
“...I am most grateful for that. It was most fortunate that the knights had a very sturdy defense. If I were traveling alone with only my followers, I do not believe we would have made it out without any deaths,” Liselotte replied respectfully.
“No no, I heard your attendant ladies played quite an impressive part of the battle, too. Especially Aria. Raymond, the leader of the elite guards, was insisting that her strength could even reach that of the King’s Sword.”
“Why, did he really? I’ll be sure to pass that on to her later, then.” Liselotte smiled happily.
“...It appears our kingdom really did release a wonderful talent, regretful as it may be. But I am in awe of your abilities in having selected someone of her worth.” Duke Huguenot chuckled, shrugging his shoulders with exasperation.
“But Aria alone would not have been able to overcome that crisis. Minotaurs and unknown humanoid monsters... The battlefield immediately took a turn for the worse when they appeared.” Liselotte recalled the events with a dark grimace.
“Hmm. Of the four minotaurs that appeared, your Aria defeated one, right? I heard the humanoid monsters that spawned at the same time were fairly powerful opponents too. It was most commendable how she was able to escape unaided after being surrounded. But the boy who appeared after that left an extreme impression too. His power was truly overwhelming. If he hadn’t appeared, we may have been wiped out.” Duke Huguenot analyzed the events of the attack calmly.
“...However, wouldn’t the hero have the power to overturn that situation, if it came down to it?”
“Hahaha, perhaps. But the hero lacks real experience in battles — even you should be aware of that, I am sure.” Duke Huguenot laughed inappropriately, questioning her in return.
“...I suspected as much, but to be honest, I still have not been able to adequately measure how much power the hero has within him. He does not appear to have any substantial practical training, but he was able to pick up the minotaur’s sword. Was he only able to accomplish that because he brought out the power of the Divine Arms?” Liselotte asked, speaking honestly of her impressions of Hiroaki.
“Yes, you can consider Divine Arms to be in the same category as enchanted swords. It’s similar to how compatibility with the weapon brings out more power, but in the case of Divine Arms that compatibility is limited to the hero alone. Although there are irregular cases where the power of a Divine Arms can be drawn freely or without any training. There are many mysteries surrounding the topic, but heroes and Divine Arms are certainly special,” Duke Huguenot said, nodding his head deeply.
“Which means what your hero is lacking is real battle experience after all?” Liselotte asked with a serious expression.
“Indeed, he does. Well, it appears he never had any combat training to begin with, and we do not wish for our precious hero to be placed in danger either. Thinking it premature for him to experience real battle, we had limited his training to casual mock battles with the knights. Recently, he’s building his confidence through consecutive wins, so we were considering moving him onto low level monsters and experience the air of a real battle, but...”
It appeared as though the air of a real battle was different. Regardless of the fact Hiroaki held such a mighty power as a hero, when he felt his life was in danger, he became nervous — and useless.
“His first battle turned out to be a rather heavy experience.” Liselotte let a bitter smile show.
“That it did, that it did. But real battles never go according to plan anyway. At least it became a valuable experience, if we were to think of it optimistically,” Duke Huguenot said with a hint of a bitter smile.
Based on their conversation until now, Liselotte formed her guess of Duke Huguenot’s thoughts. So it seems that Duke Huguenot really isn’t using him for anything other than a symbol of divine will, for now. His use in battle comes secondary, which is exactly what I expected.
Similarly, Liselotte agreed with Duke Huguenot’s perception of political balance. It would be a different case if a large scale war was on the horizon, but at present there was no need for the hero to flaunt his power and leave a legend. At worst, it could be perceived as a threat to the neighboring kingdoms, after all.
And, unlikely as it may be, if the hero became so absorbed with his own power he separated from the kingdom, that power would be pointed towards them instead. Because of that, this was the time to be ascertaining the hero’s personality and building trust in their relationship.
“By the way, on a slightly different note, could we discuss the boy a little?” Duke Huguenot’s tone changed as he spoke solemnly.
“...You mean Sir Haruto, yes?”
“He defeated three of the four minotaurs that appeared. He also eliminated several of the mysterious but powerful humanoid monsters... An impossible feat had he not had full control over his enchanted sword. Honestly speaking, what do you think of that extremely powerful enchanted swordsman, Liselotte?”
“...Based on his speech and conduct — and of course, his sword mastery — I felt a sense of elegance and refinement. While I can understand why someone of nomad origins would need such behavior...”
“There are still many unexplained points there. Although, the possibility of him being a secret agent shouldn’t be dismissed either, I find it more likely that he is a noble in hiding due to some circumstance or another, or perhaps someone from a fallen noble family?”
“.
..Yes, there are cases like Aria’s, too. If he was from a fallen noble family, I can understand why he wouldn’t want to speak of his own background. As for the other possibility, I have nothing to offer there,” Liselotte agreed, speaking eloquently.
“I figured. As we continue building our relationship with him, I would like to learn more about his background...”
“However, it would be a bad move to show any signs of our suspicions. It would be most improper to be discourteous to the one who saved us, and for someone of his skill, I wish to treat him carefully and build a relationship of trust.”
If they interacted while using a heavy-handed approach, it could result in antagonizing themselves foolishly.
“I feel the same. It seems we really are on the same page,” Duke Huguenot said with a chuckle.
“What do you mean?” The normally sharp Liselotte seemed to feign ignorance.
“Hahaha, how harsh of you. I mean in our desire to build trust with him. With our eyes set on the same person, it would be best to have our first step planned in advance. Wouldn’t you agree?” Duke Huguenot laughed heartily, coaxing Liselotte to respond.
“Do you wish to sit in on our meeting tomorrow?” Liselotte asked with a small sigh.
“I’m glad you’re quick on the uptake. I wish to meet him more for the sake of the future, too.” Duke Huguenot nodded firmly.
“I understand. Then I shall set up such a meeting for you,” Liselotte agreed easily.
At any rate, the hero will probably demand to sit in as well. If I have to do this either way, at least giving permission beforehand counts as doing a small favor, she thought.
“As a token of my gratitude, feel free to use my knights as you wish. Naturally, you will be conducting investigations into the mass spawning of monsters, no? If you are to search the forests, the more hands on deck, the better,” Duke Huguenot suggested as compensation.
Daybreak Rondo Page 5
