Chapter 76 - To the Empire - 2

A few more days passed, and the work of clearing out the smithy was finally done.

Dovan stepped into the yard and gazed at the packed belongings with a curious feeling. Though he had lived in this smithy his entire life, once he sorted everything out, the things he truly needed filled only three bundles. It was something he had never given much thought to, and only now did it sink in.

“It seems I’ve lived more frugally than I thought.”

There was a hint of playfulness in his words.

Renée covered her mouth as she laughed, then replied.

“I think that’s a good habit. Especially in the Holy Empire.”

“You flatter me.”

Dovan gave a hearty laugh, then offered Renée what he was holding: a black cane.

“Take this. I felt awkward asking for your help empty-handed, so consider it a bribe.”

“This is...”

“A cane. It should easily last you several decades. It’s a sturdy thing.”

Renée ran her hand along the cane, savoring its feel. It was a little heavier than her old one, with a smooth surface beneath her fingers. When she set it against the ground, it made a clear tap.

Thinking of how Dovan had made it himself for her, Renée looked a little embarrassed as she thanked him.

“Thank you. You must have been busy packing everything up.”

“Don’t feel indebted. As I said, think of it as a bribe.”

Dovan smiled as he watched Renée clasp the cane, then added,

“I’ve built a few little features into it.”

“Features?”

“Would you try striking the ground firmly with it? Ah, after filling the cane with divine energy.”

Renée tilted her head at the unexpected request, then nodded and summoned her divine energy.

White divine energy swirled around the cane. When she tapped it against the ground, a wave of white light swept outward.

“Ah!”

Renée jolted, astonishment spreading across her face.

“This is...”

Her voice was full of surprise. She could not believe what had just happened to her. Watching her reaction, Dovan continued his explanation.

“Exactly three times a day, you can fill that cane with divine energy and touch it to the ground to sense the objects around you. It works by reflecting waves that strike those objects. I thought it might help if you ever found yourself alone.”

Bera, who had remained silent until then, spoke up. This was something even he had never imagined.

“You know magical engineering?”

“I dabbled in it briefly when I was young. Well, it proved too complicated for an ignorant fellow like me, so I gave it up. Even this thing owes most of its success to the materials.”

Dovan gestured toward the cane with his chin.

“I made it with some of the Proden left over from your sword, Sir.”

“Proden... you say?”

“That’s right. Its mana conductivity is extraordinary, isn’t it? With that, even someone with as little knowledge as me can manage an imitation of magical engineering.”

Understanding finally dawned on Bera’s face as he looked at the cane. Even so, there was still something he did not understand.

“It’s rather black for something made with Proden.”

That was it: the cane’s black color. By its very nature, anything mixed with Proden should have come out white, no matter what iron went into it.

Seeing the question on Bera’s face, Dovan grinned and addressed Renée.

“Saintess, would you turn the handle counterclockwise?”

“Oh, yes. Of course!”

Still dazed by the sensation she had just experienced, Renée answered belatedly.

It had been an utterly wondrous sensation. She had not seen anything. She had quite literally felt it. Wherever the spreading waves struck, she could tell what was there and what shape it had.

The feeling left her thoroughly bewildered. Unable to find words to describe it, Renée set her thoughts aside and turned the handle as Dovan had instructed.

Then—

SHING.

A blade rang out with a chilling note.

Renée went rigid. So did Bera. Dovan laughed.

“I hid a blade inside it. You ought to have at least one weapon to defend yourself, shouldn’t you?”

He gave her an emphatic thumbs-up.

Renée nodded, sweat trickling down her face.

“Th-thank...”

“Well, since you can’t see, I doubt you’ll use it often... but it’s reassuring just to have it, isn’t it? What do you call it? Locate your enemy with the waves, then swing your sword! I think there’s a certain romance to it.”

Dovan went on and on.

Listening to him, Renée wondered,

‘Should I be grateful...?’

No, she certainly was grateful. He had given her something she had never even imagined in her life.

And yet, for some reason, gratitude was not all she felt. Her expression began to turn peculiar.

Watching beside her, Bera studied the pure-white Proden blade, then nodded.

“There’s certainly no harm in having it. Saintess, if you ever wish to learn swordsmanship, please let me know. I can teach you the basics of gripping a sword and proper stance.”

Suddenly, Renée felt like crying.

She wanted to tell them she was not some sort of weapon of war. But that might be rude to Dovan, who had given her the gift, and Bera, who was looking out for her. With a slightly tearful expression, she nodded.

“Yes...”

Inwardly, she was vowing that she would never, ever swing a sword.

* * *

The day of their departure arrived.

They loaded the belongings they had packed into the carriage’s luggage compartment, climbed aboard, and set off, heading straight for the Empire.

“Woooow...!”

It was Aisha’s delighted cry.

Renée chuckled at the girl, who had been exclaiming nonstop ever since they left the smithy and boarded the carriage. Perhaps simply going somewhere new excited her; the young girl radiated enthusiasm.

“Lady Renée, Lady Renée! There’s a lake over there!”

“Is there?”

“Yes! It’s so biiig...!”

Aisha’s eyes sparkled, and the tip of her tail began to sway.

Just as Renée suspected, excitement had already taken over Aisha’s whole heart.

They were going somewhere new. They were entering a wider world. Those thoughts were part of the reason, but above all, no one would torment her Master anymore.

She would no longer have to see the sad expression that sometimes crossed his face.

As Aisha leaned far out of the carriage window in her excitement, Dovan spoke.

“Aisha, what will you do if you fall out? Bring your head back inside.”

“Oh, yes.”

Dovan reined her in. He knew, too, just how much Aisha worried about him.

A small surge of emotion stirred within him. Her circumstances were such that it would hardly have been surprising if she had gone astray, and he had not been able to devote much time to caring for her. Yet his apprentice was growing into such a kind girl. He was proud of her.

The atmosphere was peaceful and unhurried.

Having pulled her head back inside, Aisha began swinging her legs and asked another question.

“Lady Renée, will there be lots of handsome men in the Empire?”

Her cheeks were faintly flushed.

For all her tough, determined ways, Aisha was still a twelve-year-old girl. She still harbored the innocent romantic dreams that only girls her age could have.

Dovan’s face stiffened slightly at her question, while a laugh escaped Renée’s lips. She nodded.

“I imagine so. Hmm, there’s someone who comes to mind, actually.”

“Who?”

“His Highness the Empire’s second prince. He’s very famous.”

He was talked about all across the continent.

It might seem strange for a second prince, rather than the crown prince, to be so famous, but hearing what people said about him would soon dispel that notion.

“What was it? The youngest-ever commander of the Imperial Knights, heir to a Masterpiece... and incredibly handsome. Everything I’ve heard about him has been along those lines.”

“Wooooow...!”

Aisha’s tail stood straight up. Her delighted cry held even greater anticipation than before.

“Will we get to see him?”

“Hmm, who knows? The festival celebrating the Empire’s founding is coming up, so perhaps, if we’re lucky?”

“Ahem! A-hem!”

Dovan cleared his throat. Renée giggled again at his evident discomfort, then turned her question to Bera.

“Oh, you’re from the Empire too, aren’t you, Bera? Have you ever seen the second prince?”

“... Yes.”

Bera nodded. His answer sounded a little sour.

The second prince, Albrecht de Frich. He was known by another title at present, but after the Demon King rose to power, he would be called the Knight of Reverence—the title he bore as the leader of the heroes.

Naturally, Bera, who had fought tooth and nail with those heroes, could not possibly be unfamiliar with him.

That also explained the sourness in his voice.

... Or so one might say. In truth, however, Bera’s present reaction had a slightly different cause.

One that baffled even him.

For some reason, he did not like Renée talking about Albrecht—especially in such favorable terms.

“What’s he like? Is he really just as the rumors say?”

“Well? Tell us! Is His Highness really incredibly handsome?”

Renée and Aisha asked in turn. Aisha had even begun calling the second prince “His Highness.”

Bera suddenly recalled how she had grumbled that all nobles were trash. He looked at her sullenly, and his voice was just as sulky.

“He looks like a sleazy womanizer.”

“... Pardon?”

“Looking at him makes me feel ill. His voice is sleazy, too. Well, his swordsmanship is passable, but mine is better.”

It was an assessment built from bias upon bias upon bias.

Renée tilted her head, while contempt spread across Aisha’s face.

“Why are you suddenly bragging about yourself?”

“Shut your mouth.”

“Bleeeh...”

Aisha stuck her tongue out and wagged it from side to side.

For some reason, the atmosphere was turning awkward.

Flustered, Renée hurried to smooth things over.

“S-still, surely there must be a reason he’s so famous?”

“I couldn’t say. The most famous rumor I know about the second prince is that he prefers men.”

Her attempt failed in the face of Bera’s utterly unprompted slander.

Bera told himself it was not a lie.

There had, in fact, once been a rumor that the second prince enjoyed the company of men.

Of course, it had been spread by noble ladies he had rejected, owing to his utter lack of interest in women. But that detail did not matter to Bera.

What mattered to him now was lowering Renée’s opinion of the second prince.

His attempt certainly worked.

... Just in a slightly different direction.

The corners of Renée’s mouth twitched stiffly.

“I-I see...”

He preferred men.

At those words, her “always-wrong intuition” reacted yet again, without fail.

Renée gave an involuntary shudder. She tried desperately to banish the thought that had occurred to her, but it was not easy.

‘N-no, surely not...’

Men were a step too far. How could she be expected to consider even men romantic rivals?

Renée’s face darkened.

The second prince. A man of overwhelming power. A sleazy person, according to Bera.

She wondered if he might use that power to abduct Bera and lock him away.

[“You shall be mine forever.”]

Goosebumps spread over her entire body. Stark revulsion filled her face.

Her sense of danger sounded the alarm.

As Renée began visibly expressing her aversion to the second prince, Bera’s expression relaxed. Aisha, meanwhile, had a question.

“What does ‘prefers men’ mean?”

“You don’t need to know.”

“Huh? No fair!”

Watching everything from a seat off to one side, Dovan found himself shaking his head.

‘This won’t be easy.’

Watching either Renée or Bera was enough to make him burst with frustration.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

‘Will I live long enough to see those two get together?’