by Takehaya
And this is probably the part of him that Theiamillis-san trusts so much...
The reason why Theia was so obsessed with Koutarou, the real reason she let him use Saguratin... Clan knew she wouldn’t lend out her treasured sword just for the sake of a play. There had to be more meaning to it, and Clan was starting to understand exactly what it was.
“A prideful knight before royalty, huh?”
“What was what?”
“Nothing... Veltlion, it’s just as you say.”
In that moment, Clan changed her mind. Even though there was a good chance this would change history forever, she couldn’t just let her citizens die for nothing.
“You mean...?!”
“Yes. I know what I said before, but after calming down, I also want to prevent the water source from being poisoned. There’s a risk that history will change, but I can’t just overlook this.”
The poisoning incident would eventually come to a conclusion either way. They were just planning on changing how it was resolved. But even a change like that might still be enough to keep them from returning to their own world on the proper timeline. Even if they couldn’t return, however, at least the safety of the citizens would be protected.
“Well said, Clan!”
Koutarou smiled and slapped Clan on the back with his large hand several times.
“Ouch, that hurts!”
“Oh, sorry. I put a little too much force into it.”
“Really now, you’re always so reckless... Will you take responsibility if we can’t return to our own world?”
Clan gave Koutarou a reproachful glance for just a moment.
“Leave it to me. If you lose your place, I’ll let you live in room 106 too.”
Koutarou understood the meaning of Clan’s resolution. She had decided that she would protect the citizens, even if it meant losing the ability to return to her home.
If it comes down it, I’ll have to take responsibility for her making a decision like that.
So Koutarou resolved himself as well.
“So Clan, how exactly do we prevent it?”
“That’s the problem. There are plenty of water sources, and we don’t know when they’re going to poison one.”
“So we have to use the same method you used to search for the Blue Knight and check every water source in the area?”
“It could be a river, a lake, a well... There’s a limit to how much ground the observation device can cover for us, so we need to narrow it down a bit.”
“Since a lot of people get sick, we can probably narrow it down to a larger water source that lots of people use.”
“I agree. Then for starters, I’ll order the observation device to find anything that meets those parameters around here.”
“Please do, Clan.”
Clan began operating her bracelet.
“Please do, Clan”? Huh... Really, what am I doing?
Clan couldn’t help finding the situation funny. She had gone to a backwater planet like Earth explicitly for the purpose of sabotaging Theia’s trial. It was there she came across a strange Neanderthal wearing the Blue Knight’s armor. After piling offense upon offense, she became obsessed with killing him... But before she knew it, they were now working together to save the lives of Forthorthe’s citizens. And what’s more, they might end up changing history together.
Clan wondered repeatedly to herself what she was doing. But now, she was just about as sure as she was unsure. And while she tapped away on her bracelet, silence filled the room. In order to not get in her way, Koutarou sat down on his own bed and just watched her work. Suddenly there was a knock at the door to the room.
“Yes?”
“It’s me.”
As Koutarou answered, Alaia’s voice came from the other side. He hurriedly jumped up from the bed and ran to the door to open it.
“I’m sorry for disturbing you so late at night, Layous-sama.”
“Princess Alaia... Is something the matter?”
“Actually, I came here because I have a request to make.”
Alaia smiled as she said that, but her eyes betrayed the expression of a mischievous child. It was a face that Koutarou hadn’t seen her make before.
“What kind of request?”
“Before that, will you promise to do as I say after you’ve listened to my request?”
Alaia continued smiling.
“That depends on the request...”
“Heehee, then I can’t tell you.”
Alaia seemed to be in awfully high spirits. Koutarou thought it was strange, but he couldn’t imagine the ever-considerate Alaia asking anything unreasonable. As such, he agreed to her terms.
“Very well. If you’ll tell me, I’ll do as you ask.”
“Thank you, Layous-sama.”
Alaia thanked him and walked towards the window in the hallway.
“Layous-sama, that...”
“What?”
Koutarou closed the door and approached Alaia at the window. From the window, he could see a crowd of people dancing in a circle around the plaza.
“That’s...”
“In this village, today marks the beginning of the harvest festival. When the sun sets, it seems to be tradition to go out and dance like that.”
“I see...”
Koutarou remembered thinking the village was especially lively when they first arrived. He’d even noticed the decorations lined up around the village. It was all for the harvest festival.
“So I want to dance there too.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said I want to dance there too.”
Alaia smiled. She seemed to enjoy seeing Koutarou so perplexed.
“You jest, Princess.”
“It is no jest. While it might just be a village harvest festival, a dance is a dance. As a girl of age, I too am interested.”
Alaia put on airs for show and spoke like a lady. Of course, Koutarou was opposed to the idea.
“I am against it, Princess Alaia.”
“Oh, but I’m afraid you’ve already promised to do as I ask.”
Alaia returned to smiling and slightly tilted her head to the side as she looked up at Koutarou. Her mischievous look practically said, “What will do you now?”
“But it is too dangerous for you to go alone.”
“That’s why I am asking a knight such as yourself to be my escort, Lord Veltlion.”
Alaia normally called Koutarou “Layous-sama,” but here she chose to call him Lord Veltlion.
I’ve been had. So that’s what she was planning...
Hearing her address him that way, Koutarou was sure of it. She had been planning on taking him to the dance with her from the start. If she had asked Flair, she most likely would have objected.
Jeez...
That was where Koutarou gave up. He knew this was part of the script.
“I am but a mere local knight. I am hardly worthy of the honor.”
“Even though I may look like this, I grew up roaming the fields and mountains of northern Mastir. I am quite qualified to be called a peasant girl.”
Koutarou responded in accordance with the play, and Alaia spoke her lines just as they’d been written. It made Koutarou feel like he was on stage with Alaia now.
“Just wait one moment, Princess Alaia. I’ll tell Clan that I’m stepping out.”
“Thank you, Layous-sama. Please come back before I get tired of waiting.”
“As you wish, my princess.”
With a wry smile on his face, Koutarou left the smiling Alaia in the hallway and returned to his room. He nearly bumped into Clan right as he entered.
“I heard everything.”
“Good. Then this won’t take long. I’m going out with the princess for a bit.”
“I understand. But please take care.”
“Are you worried about enemies? It should be fine. There was nothing about an attack during the dance in the play.”
“No, that’s not—”
Clan looked worried. After glancing in the direction of Alaia on the other side of the door, she leaned in a little so she could whisper to Koutarou.
“I was thinking about this when I got to the inn, but don’t get too friendly with Alaia-san and the others.”
“Don’t get too friendly?” Koutarou whispered back with a questioning expression. He didn’t understand why Clan would say that.
“That’s right. Eventually you’re going to change places with the real Blue Knight, so things are going to get a little difficult if you get too attached.”
“Okay, that’s fair. I’ll be careful.”
The supporting actor shouldn’t get too full of himself, huh? Well, that’s true...
If Koutarou became too involved with these girls, the real Blue Knight might not be needed by the time he appeared. That would be a problem.
“...Could you cover me with the observation device, just in case?”
“...I understand.”
“Then I’ll be going. I’ll leave the rest to you, Clan.”
“All right. Goodbye, Veltlion.”
Once they were finished discussing things, Koutarou lightly waved to Clan and turned to leave.
It’s possible that...
While looking at Koutarou’s back as he turned away, Clan felt a sense of danger. Not noticing anything, Koutarou disappeared through the door into the hallway.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Princess Alaia.”
“If you had taken any longer, I would have gone out by myself.”
“You jest a little too much, Princess.”
“Heehee, I was just kidding that time, Layous-sama. Shall we go?”
Meanwhile, Clan was still worried. According to the legend, by the dance at the harvest festival, Alaia was already in love with the Blue Knight. And since Koutarou had gotten between them, he’d stolen the precious time they needed to develop their feelings for each other.
“It’s possible that bringing in the real Blue Knight now might greatly change history...”
The village they were in wasn’t quite large enough to call a town. But during the harvest festival, the population swelled. People gathered from other small villages nearby, and they all celebrated together. Since the inn where Koutarou and the others were staying was on the main street, Koutarou and Alaia were swept away by the crowd the moment they stepped out the door.
“L-Layous-sama! Kyah!”
“Your hand!”
“H-Here!”
In order not to get split up in the crowd, the two held hands. They looked like lovers walking along with their fingers entwined.
“This is quite a surprise, Layous-sama.”
Having been raised as a princess, this was the first time Alaia had ever been in such a large crowd.
“Hahaha, I suppose so, Your Highness.”
But that wasn’t the case for Koutarou, who was just a normal person. While pulling the surprised Alaia towards him, he remembered the fireworks festival in Kisshouharukaze City. The crowd here reminded him of how busy the street by the station had been that night.
“That won’t do, Layous-sama.”
“Hueh?”
Alaia clapped her hand over Koutarou’s mouth. She looked slightly angered with her cheeks puffed up. She then leaned in and put her mouth close to his ear so she could whisper to him.
“Here you need to call me Signa, not ‘Your Highness.’”
“Ah... I’m sorry.”
“Goodness, the least you can do is say it convincingly.”
Calling her Alaia or Her Highness would attract attention. Alaia was still aware that she was being pursued, so she had decided to use a fake name even before stepping out. That name was Signa. Alaia’s full name was Alaia Kua Mastir Signaria Tio Forthorthe. She had picked “Signa” from Signaria Tio, which meant silvery white snow. It was rather simple, but with a name like that, she wouldn’t raise any suspicion.
“I’ll be more careful from now on, Signa-sama.”
“Can you stop adding ‘-sama’ too? You’ll ruin the festive mood.”
“Then you can do the same?”
“That’s... But Layous-sama is Layous-sama.”
“I don’t understand, Signa-sama.”
“You do understand... Layous-sama, you tease.”
Fortunately, nobody had realized who Alaia was yet. Without modern technology, it wasn’t like there were photos of her circulating the realm. And since this was the harvest festival, many people were dressed up in their best clothing. Because of that, Alaia’s elegant dress and her beautiful silver hair didn’t really stand out. Most of all, nobody expected a princess on the run to appear in a place like this.
“These festivals do get lively, don’t they?”
Koutarou pulled on Alaia’s hand while looking around the area. Aiming to participate in the dance, the two of them headed for the plaza, but it wasn’t easy to make their way through the large crowd.
It’s really just like at a fireworks festival...
Lots of people were pushing and shoving against each other, and the air was filled with cheerful laughter. Stands lined the streets, and all the children who had been allowed to stay up past bedtime looked at everything in wonder. It seemed a festival was a festival, regardless of the era or planet. This all felt very familiar to Koutarou.
“That’s true...”
Alaia looked at the bustling people filling the street and smiled gently.
“I’m relieved.”
“Huh?”
“I was worried that the lives of the citizens would be in disarray after Maxfern sprung into action. But it looks like they’re all okay...”
Alaia turned towards Koutarou. The look in her eyes indicated this had indeed taken a weight off of her shoulders.
So this is what the legendary princess is truly like...
Seeing her smile, Koutarou honestly felt that Alaia was amazing. If he were in her shoes, he was sure that he would be too obsessed with avenging the death of his parents to take notice of things like this.
So when she said she wanted to go to the dance, it was to make sure of this...
She’d used the dance as a ruse to come out and see how the villagers were doing. That was probably her way of keeping her vassals from worrying. Her ability to be so immensely considerate at her age touched Koutarou’s heart.
“Now let’s go, Signa-sama.”
“Kyah!”
But at the same time, Koutarou pitied Alaia. Despite being around the same age as Koutarou, she was shouldered with an incredible responsibility. Alaia had obviously led a very different life than other girls her age.
Then she should at least have some fun now...
As he thought about her situation, Koutarou instinctively put some strength in his grip on Alaia’s hand.
After entering the plaza, the two of them faced each other in a corner. Since they were still on the run, it wasn’t safe to dance out in the open like the rest of the villagers.
“Please allow me this dance.”
“Of course. I am inexperienced when it comes to dancing, so please take it easy on me.”
The bonfires that surrounded the plaza colored the scene in orange hues. And after Koutarou and Alaia agreed to dance, the music that had stopped between melodies started up again.
“Your hand.”
“Here.”
Holding hands, the two brought their bodies closer to one another and began taking rhythmic steps in time with the music. The music was mellow and slow, so even the inexperienced Koutarou managed to keep up.
“You’re quite good, Layous-sama.”
“You jest. I am just barely able to keep up with the music.”
With the hour growing late, the band was starting to switch to slower music. If a fast tune started playing like it had been when they first came out, Koutarou would have a hard time with it.
“It’s better for the mood if a man isn’t too good at dancing, you see.”
“Hear
ing you say that makes me feel a little better.”
“Heehee...”
In contrast, Alaia’s steps were masterful. They were as light as a butterfly’s fluttering, and as smooth and elegant as silk. At the same time, they were more powerful than a bird soaring through the skies. In a town harvest festival where one really only had to move their body in order to dance, it was as if Alaia alone was waltzing in a royal dance party at a castle.
“That said, it pains me that I’m dragging you down with me.”
Koutarou was barely able to keep up with her lead. Despite Theia teaching him the basics of dance, there was a serious difference in their levels of skill.
“A princess being skilled at dancing is the same as a knight being skilled at fighting. You could say it’s professionally required. So please don’t be too worried.”
Still smiling, Alaia whispered into Koutarou’s ear. While they were that close together, there was no need to worry about anyone else overhearing them. That’s why Alaia was so casually able to refer to herself as a princess.
Alaia was good at dancing because she’d had a formal education in dance, as well as plenty of opportunities to practice at political and diplomatic parties. In other words, it was one of her skills used to fight against foreign countries. In that sense, it was indeed comparable to a knight’s skill in battle.
“Actually, Your Highness, just between the two of us, I don’t really like fighting.”
“Heehee. I suspected that might be the case. But just between the two of us, I don’t really like dancing with strangers at dance parties either.”
“I shall lock your secret up in my heart and guard it well.”
“I will do the same... But Layous-sama, I’m not sure what to think of a knight confessing that he doesn’t like fighting to the person he’s promised to protect...”
“You are a tease, Princess.”
“Oh? I’ll have you know that if this were the castle, you’d be imprisoned for offending royalty. Heehee...”
“Haha!”
Koutarou and Alaia continued dancing for a while longer. They smiled and laughed together, temporarily free from their burdens. In this moment they were just a normal boy and girl. They both enjoyed it to the fullest knowing that it would be their only chance to be together like this, their hands held tightly together and their fingers intertwined.
