Chapter 20 - Being a shut-in makes you miserable in so many ways.

Lucia personally made the bosses talk. She said she knew just the method.

She didn't tell me what it was, but... in any case, Lowcat confessed. They were the morons who had accepted the Death God's cult's commission to kidnap the princess, and the plan had already been carried out.

They even kindly told us where they were keeping Amelia.

Now I had to stop the mandatory event on the Amelia–Laward route. I would insert myself at the starting point of their romance and take Laward's place.

I'd do everything I could to steal her away.

Damn it.

Having to put my all into stealing the heart of a beautiful girl who wasn't even my type...

I couldn't muster any enthusiasm...

I pressed firmly between my eyebrows and steeled myself.

Just bear with it a little longer. If I held out and raised Laward properly, I could wash my hands of burdensome matters like the end of the world and spend my days lazing around.

Well, then.

Time to rescue the princess in the protagonist's place.

As Daywin, not Karma.

"I'll take my leave now."

"Yes, off you go. And stop killing so many people."

I pretended not to hear that last part.

Amelia. Second-year academy student. Age: XX.

That wasn't some special age designation. Her age really was concealed as XX in the game. The other heroines were all listed as XX years old, too. Players only knew what year they were in at the academy.

I wasn't sure, but it was probably for some legal reason.

Well, I could find out now if I wanted to, but I'd leave that alone for the time being.

Back to Amelia.

A second-year academy student, double-majoring in the swordsmanship and magic departments.

Her reason for pursuing two majors? "A woman of the royal family must be perfect."

She took twice as many classes, did twice as many assignments, and participated in twice as many campus activities as everyone else. Her days were scheduled down to the minute, and her calendar was already full through next year.

What was more, she was such a meticulous planner that she followed her weekly routine precisely all year long, without missing a single day or deviating in the slightest.

Again, because a woman of the royal family had to be perfect.

So, if anyone planned to kidnap Amelia, she would be the easiest target imaginable. She followed the same route at the same time every day, and she even left her guards behind because they interfered with her concentration.

From a kidnapper's perspective, there was no easier target than Amelia.

And so she got kidnapped.

Even so, going after royalty seemed like a stupid idea.

Well, anyway.

In the game's story, Laward rescued Amelia. There was no choice between saving her and leaving her.

It was a mandatory event. He saved her, no matter what.

Today, however, Laward wouldn't show up there.

It happened to be Sunday morning. Time for the fanatic to worship.

Faith that not even a mandatory event could stand in the way of.

Nothing mattered more to Laward now than worship.

This wasn't like the game.

"You scoundrel!"

A clear voice rang out the moment I arrived at the location Lowcat had divulged.

Found her.

Amelia and the remnants of Lowcat were definitely beyond that door.

It was a warehouse with dark surroundings. When I focused on my sense of smell, I caught the mingled scents of blood and dust.

I let out a long breath, as though dispersing the ominous smell hanging over the place.

"Do you have any idea who you're doing this to?"

"Of course. You're the princess. Why would we kidnap you if you weren't? Still haven't figured out what's happening?"

"Untie me this instant! If you keep me captive like this, I..."

"That's right. Heh heh... You won't be going back in one piece."

"I won't be able to review what I studied yesterday! I need to review it now for it to enter my long-term memory...!"

Huh...?

"What...?"

The kidnapper sounded just as dumbfounded as I felt.

"I won't run away, so bring me a pen and paper! You're wasting time!"

"Arrogant bitch. You really don't get the situation yet. Hey, cutting off one finger should be fine, right?"

SHING!

The sound of a blade being drawn rang out.

Hmm...

These crazy bastards.

It wasn't a mandatory event for nothing. Without Laward showing up, Amelia's safety couldn't be guaranteed.

Was this telling me to be prepared for a heroine to lose a finger if I ignored a mandatory event?

Maybe even more than that.

An event that determined a radical shift in the future. If I missed this moment, things would change beyond control.

Amelia was someone we needed to prevent the world's destruction. Besides, she wasn't just anyone. She was royalty. Her royal person was precious.

I couldn't let her be harmed. Not even a single finger.

KNOCK, KNOCK.

I knocked on the warehouse door.

"I've come to share the good word."

That line gave me a strange sense of déjà vu.

BANG!

The door flew open.

The atmosphere was quite different from when I had rescued Laward. They didn't waste time asking who I was.

There were five kidnappers in the room. Every one of them drew a weapon and pointed it at me.

... So there'd been no need to play missionary.

These men were different from that slave trader. For one thing, they were far quicker to act. They looked fully intent on going through with it.

In that case, I ought to treat them as enemies without holding back.

The leading kidnapper thrust his dagger at my throat in a flash.

I couldn't blow the place up with spirits; Amelia might get hurt too.

Bare hands to start, then.

THWACK!

I caught the kidnapper's wrist, stopping him, then slammed my left hand into his elbow and bent the joint backward.

CRUNCH!

"Aaaaaargh!"

I snatched his dropped dagger out of the air, then stabbed him twice in the neck.

SHUNK! SHUNK!

Dark red blood spurted out as I pulled the dagger free.

"K-kill him!"

The others charged with their weapons: a hatchet, a dagger, a longsword, and a sickle.

HUMMM...

Mine was a spear.

I gripped a spear of light fashioned from divine power, quickly took aim, and threw it.

WHOOSH!

"Gah!"

"Urgh!"

The spear of light skewered two kidnappers at once.

Unlike the undead, they wouldn't get back up.

That left two.

HUMMM...

I made another spear.

I stepped back to dodge the hatchet-wielder's blow and thrust my spear at the same time. The counter landed perfectly, piercing straight from his chin through the back of his head.

SHLUK!

I pulled the spear out. Only one remained.

"A-aaargh!"

The last man dropped his weapon and turned. Since I was blocking the door, he presumably meant to use a back door or a window.

I had a spear in my left hand and a dagger in my right.

Which should I use?

I flipped the dagger into the air.

Both, then.

I tossed it a short distance up in front of me, where it spun in midair. Then I gripped the spear in both hands and swung it like a baseball bat.

CLANG!

Struck squarely by the spear's shaft, the dagger flew forward.

WHIRRR—THUNK!

It buried itself squarely in the back of the last kidnapper's neck.

THUD!

That took care of the last one.

As I went around stabbing the fallen men one by one to make sure, my eyes met the princess's.

Amelia knelt on the floor, bound with rope, looking up at me in a daze.

Red eyes that shone with a mysterious light. Hair just as red, long enough to touch the floor.

She resembled the foliage of late autumn.

It was unmistakably Amelia.

I was just as dazed myself. She was beautiful enough to make my head swim.

"Hhh..."

She was on the verge of tears. Though she desperately tried to keep her face expressionless, she couldn't hide the moisture in her eyes.

"Th... thank you... T-the truth is... I didn't know what to dooo... I th-thought I was going to die like this..."

She had spoken as though nothing was wrong, but of course she'd been frightened. She hadn't brought up studying in the middle of a kidnapping because she possessed superhuman mental fortitude.

She was soft on the inside, only pretending to be strong.

A princess who always acted strong. A princess who never stopped striving.

She was always saying that the time everyone received in equal measure was more precious than royal blood.

SNAP.

I picked up a dagger from the floor and cut through the ropes. Amelia watched silently as her hands and feet were freed one by one, then suddenly turned toward me.

"... What is your name?"

It was a rather haughty way to address the person who had saved her life, but considering her background, a gentleman like me ought to tolerate that much.

"Daywin Hasgard."

"Hasgard... You mean that House Hasgard? The count's family that suffered an incident at the recent Subjugation Festival?"

Even through her tears, her quiet words were perfectly clear.

"I'm honored that you know of us."

The princess knew of the Hasgards, yet I'd never met her in my previous life...

Being a shut-in really did make you miserable in so many ways...

Honestly, it was mostly my own fault that I'd discovered so late that this world was inside a game. My family's responsibilities, honor, duties—I had thrown them all aside and done nothing but amuse myself.

Yes. I regretted it.

Enough to say so over and over again.

"Of course I know. Memorizing the current circumstances of prominent families is part of my duties as a princess. The Hasgards currently have three children... was it? Which Hasgard are you?"

Amelia rotated her newly freed wrists.

"The third."

I held up three fingers: thumb, index, and middle.

I was the middle finger. Was that why I'd lived the longest of the three?

"I've removed all the ropes. Please stand. I'll escort you on your way."

Despite my words, Amelia didn't stand. She merely stretched both arms toward me with a sullen expression.

"Well?"

With that brief word, she extended her arms a little farther.

What?

What did she want me to do?

"Come on, hurry."

What was I supposed to do with her arms...?

"I can't stand."

Surely she wasn't asking me to carry her?

"My legs have gone weak from fear."

... Don't lie.

I saw you moving your legs when I untied the ropes.

You can move just fine!

Have some dignity.

"There's no time for this, Hasgard. How long do you intend to leave me in this place reeking of blood?"

Her bid for physical contact was utterly blatant. Trying to get a strange man she'd just met to hold her...

This was... a princess?

That aside, she'd called me "Hasgard."

I hadn't expected that form of address.

Meanwhile, Amelia clapped twice and spread her arms again, taking it upon herself to pose conveniently for me to scoop her up.

"Ugh."

With a smooth motion, I reluctantly lifted Amelia into my arms.

A princess carry.

Since Amelia was a princess, this really was a princess carry. A princess carry couldn't possibly get any more princess-like than this.

It might have been a pointless observation, but she was light enough to make me worry about her eating habits.

"Hasgard, let's go to the library."

"Pardon? You're going to study even after all this?"

I furrowed my brow in warning, but Amelia remained firm.

"Let's go to the library. Today is the day I borrow books and study on the terrace of my favorite teahouse. Neither those kidnappers nor you can interfere with my schedule. That is an order. An order."

"... For the record, I did try to stop you."

In one swift movement, I slung Amelia over my shoulder.

"Eek!"

She let out an absurdly high-pitched shriek.

"Wh-what do you think you're doing! Put me down at once! Put me down!"

"Didn't you say you couldn't move?"

"E-even so, how dare you treat a princess...! How dare you carry a princess this way! Put me down!"

This was her punishment for lying.

She pounded on my back, but it barely hurt. Apparently, the swordsmanship teacher had been going easy on the princess.

"H-Hasgard! I... I was wrong! I was wrong, so...!"

Ignoring her, I shrugged my shoulder to settle her into a more convenient carrying position.

Right, now I remembered.