by Takehaya
The information Dextro was peddling was urgent. Alaia would find out what it was soon enough, but by then it would already be too late. Would she let it happen or work with Dextro to prevent it beforehand?
“I suppose I have no choice then. I will accept your deal.”
After thinking on it for a moment, Alaia decided to accept the deal. If Dextro really believed this information was worth enough to save his life, she couldn’t just ignore it. In other words, she was willing to buy in to his carefully calculated bet.
“You can’t, Your Highness!”
Of course, Flair objected. Promising amnesty to a war criminal like Dextro was unthinkable.
“I’m sorry, Flair, but I believe this is what’s best for the people.”
However, Alaia shook her head at Flair.
“Your Highness...”
“Just endure it, Flair.”
Alaia felt the same way Flair did, but she had made her choice with the citizens in mind rather than her own emotions. She couldn’t put the people at risk just to uphold an ideal. It was the same way she’d felt that night at the harvest festival.
“Don’t worry. We both get something out of this. That’s what makes it a deal.”
Dextro nodded in satisfaction. Like he said, Dextro wasn’t scamming Alaia and the others. He actually had something worth their while—worth protecting a man like Dextro.
“The dragon that the Blue Knight fought this morning... supposedly he’s called Alunaya... Anyways, he’s actually Grevanas’s puppet.”
“Impossible! Are you saying that Grevanas has the power to control an elder dragon?!”
Flair’s eyes shot wide open in surprise. Dextro was talking about the head of the court magicians. Grevanas was one of the masterminds behind the coup d’etat and essentially Maxfern’s right-hand man. However, even if Grevanas was the strongest archwizard, Flair found it hard to believe that he could control Alunaya.
“Calm down. That’s not the problem right now. The problem is what comes next.” Dextro started to speak faster, clearly feeling like he was pressed for time. “Maxfern and Grevanas’s plan has three stages. First was to use that dragon to bring out the Blue Knight. Not even he could tangle with a dragon and walk away unharmed.”
Dextro looked around the room. It was true. Koutarou was nowhere to be found.
If I had stuck to my part of the plan, it might have actually worked... But oh well. Guess that ship’s sailed...
Judging by Koutarou’s absence for an important discussion like this, Dextro realized that Maxfern’s plan had succeeded thus far.
“The second phase was supposed to be me leading an assault on the fort while the Blue Knight was indisposed. But the operative phrase there is ‘supposed to.’ I gave all kinds of reasons to delay the march, so it’s not happening now.”
“Why would you do that?”
“There was no way of telling if the Blue Knight was actually incapacitated or not, and there’s no way I’m facing him in a fight again. No way, no how. I’m not interested in getting trounced again.”
The assault force Dextro had was a small one intended to infiltrate and sabotage the fort at night. Based on his experience, however, Dextro knew exactly what would happen if they ran into Koutarou. Dextro was only planning on going through with the attack if he could confirm that Koutarou was out of the picture, but he wasn’t able to get sufficient intelligence on the matter. And so Dextro decided to play it safe, stalled his mission, and met up with Flair.
“Because of that, the plan goes straight into phase three.”
“And what’s that?”
Alaia urged Dextro ahead. She too was starting to sound like she was in a hurry. She’d felt something ominous was afoot as soon as the words “Blue Knight” left Dextro’s mouth.
“With his guard lowered after fighting the dragon, the Blue Knight will be assassinated.”
Before Dextro even finished his sentence, Alaia was already on the move.
Alaia was running towards the infirmary where Koutarou was resting. After leaving the minimum amount of soldiers behind to guard Dextro, the other girls all chased after her.
“Koutarou-sama!”
Alaia threw open the door and flew into the infirmary in a rushed fashion that contrasted her graceful appearance. She’d feared the worst, but she was shocked at what she saw.
The infirmary was in a wretched state. There were two people on the floor—the army surgeon who worked in the infirmary and a guard who helped out with odd jobs. They were still alive, but critically injured. Their blood stained the floor.
Koutarou lay sleeping on the bed the furthest away from the entrance. Three men surrounded him. They were wearing Reborn Forthorthian Army uniforms, but the bloody swords they carried betrayed their real allegiance. There was no doubt they were the ones that had attacked the surgeon and the guard, and their next target was Koutarou.
“I won’t let you!”
Realizing immediately what was going on, Alaia rushed towards Koutarou at full speed. She was selflessly desperate to save his life. Right now, her position and the importance of her life to Forthorthe were the last things on her mind. To her, Koutarou was starting to become more important than Forthorthe.
“Your Highness! Damn! I could use a hand, Clan!”
Seeing Alaia rushing towards the assassins, Flair quickly drew a knife from her waist and threw it at the closest assassin as she called for Clan’s assistance.
“Jeez, there’s never a dull moment around here!”
Clan had predicted something like this and already had her rifle ready. She took aim and squeezed the trigger without hesitation. A bullet burst out of the barrel and flew towards a different assassin than the one Flair had attacked.
“Guwah!”
“Gyaaah!”
So between Flair and Clan, two assassins were already down. Seeing that, the lone remaining assassin swung his sword down in a frantic attempt to fulfill his objective.
“Nooooooooooo!”
The commotion in the room and Alaia’s sorrowful cry woke Koutarou.
“Mm... Wh-What?!”
Koutarou opened his eyes to quite an incredible scene. A silvery blade was closing in on him and Alaia was rushing to throw herself in front of it. The room reeked of blood and there were four injured men lying on the floor.
“Princess Alaia?!”
Without any context, Koutarou had no idea what was going on. The only thing he knew for sure was that at this rate, Alaia would be cut down by the sword.
“As if I’d let you!”
Fully intending to protect Alaia, Koutarou slammed his fist straight into the oncoming blade. There was a dull sound and sharp pain. He’d punched the broad side of the assassin’s sword so he wasn’t cut, but the bones of his left fist were practically shattered after slamming into something metal like that. But thanks to what he’d done, Alaia was unharmed. Koutarou had knocked the blade away enough that all it had done was cut his foot.
“Koutarou-sama!”
The next moment, Alaia jumped on top of Koutarou and wrapped herself around him. She was desperate to shield him from harm and paid no mind to her own safety. She was probably as desperate as she’d be if she were trying to protect Charl.
The assassin’s first attack had failed, but he quickly recovered and took aim for part of Koutarou that was undefended. Alaia was so petite that she wasn’t able to cover all of his body with her own. His arms, head, and most of his legs were exposed. The assassin only had to strike there to kill Koutarou, despite Alaia’s best efforts to protect him.
“I won’t let you do that either!”
Clan’s rifle belched flame. An instant later, the sword was blown out of the assassin’s right hand. Her bullet shattered the blade and thwarted the assassin’s plan, but the assassin still wouldn’t give up. Since his right hand had gone numb from the impact and wouldn’t move, he pulled a knife out with his left.
“Nice save, Clan.”
B
ut that was all the assassin was able to do. With the tip of Flair’s sword pointed at his throat, he stopped dead and dropped the knife. Anything else and Flair would surely cut his head clean off.
“You’re...”
Flair was aghast when she saw the assassin’s face. She recalled seeing him before. He was a coup d’etat soldier that had defected to the Reborn Forthorthian Army just yesterday. Since Flair was in charge of the combat troops, she’d met him when he applied. She now struck him with the butt of her sword to knock him out, but she was still visibly surprised.
“Ha! That’s what happens when you don’t kill your enemies. The Blue Knight’s ways are just too naive,” Dextro jeered.
Since he was still in shackles, Dextro had arrived after everything was over. But since he knew of the assassination plan, he was well aware of what had surprised Flair.
“I wouldn’t be so sure.”
“Huh?”
“Look at me. I once tried to kill Veltlion.”
Clan leaned her rifle on her shoulder and glared at Dextro. Koutarou surely would have called it a sly look if he had it.
“But it was thanks to me that giant of yours bit the dust. So tell me. Who is the naive one here, Veltlion or you?”
“Tch...”
Dextro clicked his tongue irritatedly. The steel giant Dextro had sent after Koutarou had its head blown off by Clan’s beam cannon. That was only possible because Koutarou hadn’t killed Clan, even though they were once enemies. Moreover, the assassination plot being foiled was thanks to Koutarou not killing Dextro. In the end, it stood to reason that Dextro was really the naive one.
“You’re fine the way you are, Veltlion...” Clan mumbled in a low voice as she looked over towards Koutarou still lying on the infirmary bed.
Even though the danger had now passed, Alaia was still firmly holding on to him. Her body wouldn’t stop trembling. Despite being injured himself, Koutarou quietly and gently patted her back. Charl worriedly watched over the two of them. The whole sight, however, reaffirmed for Clan what she’d suspected this whole time.
“This is the Blue Knight’s path... Your path.”
Koutarou was indeed the real Blue Knight.
After all was said and done, Koutarou fell asleep again and didn’t wake until three days later. It was a result of some particularly unpalatable medicine Lidith had given him, his injuries, and sheer exhaustion.
“Where am I...?”
When he finally woke up, Koutarou looked around. Rather than the infirmary, he appeared to be in his quarters at the fort. He was relocated after his treatment in the infirmary was complete.
“Hmm?”
Though he recognized his own room, he was surprised to see who was sitting by his side.
“Princess Alaia?!”
Alaia was sitting in a chair next to Koutarou’s bed, slumped over and fast asleep. On the small table next to her was a bottle with something in it, bandages, a pitcher full of drinking water, and assorted other supplies. Seeing that, Koutarou realized that she’d been tending to him.
“Princess Alaia...”
Alaia was grasping Koutarou’s right hand with both of hers. Even fast asleep, she was firmly holding on to him like she never intended to let go.
“Seems like I’ve made her worry quite a bit...” Koutarou mumbled in a quiet voice and squeezed her hands back.
Alaia should have been busy with her work as a princess, so she shouldn’t have had the time to attend Koutarou like this. But even so, she made time for him. To take care of him. She’d been so worried about him that she didn’t see any other option.
“Mm, mmm...”
Responding to Koutarou moving his hand, Alaia began to stir. She slowly opened her sleepy eyes before sitting bolt upright in her chair.
“Koutarou-sama?!”
“Good morning, Your Highness.”
When she saw Koutarou smiling, her lower lip quivered as tears welled in her eyes.
“Thank goodness... You woke up...”
The light of the lamp was reflected in Alaia’s tears, making them seemingly sparkle. They fell from her eyes, trickled down her cheeks, and dripped from her chin, glittering like royal jewels.
“I’m sorry for making you worry. And I am truly honored that you would treat me personally, Your Highness.”
“It’s nothing! These are all injuries you sustained for our sake! I should be the one apologizing and thanking you!”
Alaia hurriedly wiped her tears away because she didn’t want to trouble Koutarou, but it was no use. No matter how much she wiped, the tears just kept coming. She might have been able to force a smile, but she couldn’t hide her tears of relief.
“Your Highness...”
Seeing Alaia like that, Koutarou felt truly grateful. Not everyone had a princess that worried for them like this. Koutarou was honored, but still felt a pang of guilt knowing these feelings of Alaia’s were meant for the real Blue Knight.
“I’m sorry for crying like a little child, Koutarou-sama.”
It took Alaia quite some time to stop crying, but once she was able to cry her heart out, her usual, calm smile reappeared.
“I’ll treasure the memory of it the rest of my life. Not everyone gets to see a princess cry.”
“My... Koutarou-sama, you have quite a mean streak to you.”
“I get that a lot.”
Seeing Alaia slightly pouting, Koutarou was reminded of Harumi back on Earth.
“Satomi-kun, you meanie.”
While they cheerfully chatted away, Harumi would often criticize Koutarou like that from time to time. The pouting expression Alaia was making right now was just like Harumi’s too.
Princess Alaia and Sakuraba-senpai really are a lot alike...
And it was because of that that Koutarou hadn’t felt lonely these past few months. It wasn’t just Alaia, either. Charl, Flair, and the others girls all reminded him of his companions on Earth in one way or another. So even though he was far from home, they’d kept him from getting too homesick. He felt that of all the places in space and time, he was lucky to have ended up here.
“By the way, Koutarou-sama...” Alaia said, finally giving up pouting. “How are you feeling?”
Alaia worriedly looked over Koutarou. As she did, Koutarou nodded and smiled.
“I’m all better. I ache a bit here and there when I move, but the biggest problem right now is my empty stomach.”
While Koutarou had been asleep, people were constantly taking care of him. Thanks to Lidith’s medical treatments, Caris’s magic, and Fauna’s spiritual energy techniques, he’d made great strides in recovering. Now that he was awake, nothing was screaming out in pain. As long as he ate well and let things run their course now, he would make a full recovery.
“Oh my, Koutarou-sama... Jeez...”
Alaia smiled to hear Koutarou joking around. After having been so worried about him, she couldn’t help but find his silly tone of voice funny.
“I-I’ll have Mary prepare dinner right away... Heeheehee...”
Hearing herself laugh with Koutarou, Alaia confirmed her own feelings.
I’m really glad... Koutarou-sama is safe...
Through the warmth of Koutarou’s hand, she knew exactly how she felt.
I... I definitely don’t want Koutarou-sama to die...
During the past couple of days, Alaia had come to realize just how much Koutarou meant to her. The despair she’d felt when he was carried back to the fort in critical condition. The panic she’d felt when she learned of the assassins. The desperation she’d felt as she threw her body over Koutarou to protect him. The frustration she’d felt when all she could do was watch him sleep as he recovered. And the deep relief she’d felt when she finally got to see his smile again.
All those feelings told Alaia something. She was willing to pay any price to make sure that Koutarou was safe. Alaia knew that one day Koutarou would leave her. To a princess, marriage was just a political tool to begin with. No matter ho
w much she loved him, she would never be able to marry him. But if she knew that Koutarou would live on safe and sound even after they parted ways, she could stay strong.
That’s why... To that end...
Alaia made up her mind. Her determination was unwavering. It even surpassed her desire to protect her country.
“Koutarou-sama, once you recover, there is someplace I want to take you. Would that be all right?”
As long as Koutarou was safe, she was willing to protect the world on her own if she had to. She was more sure now than she’d ever been.
Alaia took Koutarou to an empty temple in the mountains, some distance away from the fort.
Raustor, meaning “the goddess’s resting place,” had earned its name from a legend that claimed the Goddess of Dawn stopped to rest there while she was traveling through infinite space and time. The legend made the area one of religious significance and several temples to the Goddess of Dawn were built there. Alaia had brought Koutarou to one such temple, specifically the oldest one that was managed by the Mastir family.
The temple itself was on old, sturdy stone building that looked much the same way it did when it was first built over a thousand years ago now. The only significant change in its appearance was the moss growing on the outside walls.
The one who’d guided Koutarou and Alaia to the temple was Fauna. Fauna served as a priestess of the Goddess of Dawn, and on top of that, she’d been Alaia’s friend since their seminary days. Alaia trusted her a great deal, which was why she’d personally placed her in charge of this temple.
“Alaia-sama, Layous-sama, this way.”
“Thank you, Fauna.”
With Fauna in the lead, they entered the temple. Since both Alaia and Fauna had been here several times before, they didn’t really think much of it.
“This is...”
But Koutarou was different. As he entered the temple, he was taken aback by a strange sensation. Even if he hadn’t been told in advance that it was a temple built to honor the Goddess of Dawn, it was easy to tell that this place was sacred. But that wasn’t the feeling that overwhelmed him now. It was more like a sense of deja vu.
