Liselotte shook her head with a chuckle. “Thank you for the consideration. However, my attendants are also trained in combat, so we will not fall behind you knights.”
“Hahaha, that is reassuring to hear.” Alphonse laughed heartily, looking at Aria’s slender figure. He didn’t seem to be taking Liselotte’s words seriously.
“...Aria? Aria, you said? Could you be the Governess family’s...” Raymond stared at Aria’s face closely and muttered. Having overheard Raymond’s words, Duke Huguenot spoke up.
“Hmm? Do you know her, Raymond?”
“She’s the daughter of the Viscount Governess’s family. Our fathers are well-acquainted with each other, but I haven’t seen her since we were young...” Raymond said as he stared fixedly at Aria.
“Hmm. No wonder she seemed somewhat familiar...” Duke Huguenot said in comprehension, looking at Aria somewhat suspiciously. He wondered why a noble from Beltrum was serving Liselotte.
“You grew out your hair... I’ve always wondered what you were up to. What happened to your family was, umm, unfortunate... But you were working at the castle after you dropped out of Beltrum’s Royal Academy, right?” Raymond asked with a nervous expression.
“It was difficult for the daughter of a ruined house to stay there, so I quit. I am serving Lady Liselotte now, so I have left my kingdom behind me,” Aria replied simply.
“I see...”
That makes sense... Duke Huguenot accepted with a conflicted face.
Meanwhile, Raymond looked like he wanted to say something as he watched Aria with the same conflicted expression.
Liselotte seemed to notice the air growing heavier. “She’s an extremely talented person, you know? After she ran away and started to work as an adventurer, I scouted her to work for me. She’s now one of my most trusted retainers,” she said proudly.
“Hahaha. I suppose that means our kingdom has regrettably let a special talent go.” Duke Huguenot laughed openly, joining Liselotte in changing the topic.
“Yes, fortunately for me. But under no circumstances would I be willing to return her, sorry to say,” Liselotte said, giggling with a smile.
Since, all joking aside, you really are a special talent. No? She looked over at Aria and gave a small wink.
Thank you very much. Aria smiled in return, letting out a puff of laughter.
◇ ◇ ◇
After the exchange with Duke Huguenot and his entourage, Liselotte was sent off by Baronet Bochsa. She departed for Amande, accompanied by a large party of Duke Huguenot’s knights and her fully-equipped attendants.
The road through the forest was wide enough for three horse-drawn carriages to pass each other, but the two carriages in their party moved in one line as the knights and attendants surrounded them. The rear carriage held Duke Huguenot, while the front carriage held Liselotte, Flora, Roanna, and Hiroaki.
Hiroaki casually gave a big yawn as he stretched his legs within the carriage. “I’m still sleepy, but it’s nice being rocked by the carriage for once. And this way, I get to chat with you guys in a private room, too.” He looked around at the cute girls accompanying him and smiled with satisfaction.
“You must not let your guard down, Sir Hiroaki.” Roanna pouted her lips slightly as she warned Hiroaki.
“Hey hey, there’s no need to sulk like that, Roanna.” Hiroaki smirked with a huff.
“...I am not sulking. I have no reason to sulk. I am merely worried that Sir Hiroaki will be in danger.” Roanna cutely said in an irritated tone.
“Hahaha, I see, I see. However, I’m here to protect Liselotte, not you guys.” Hiroaki laughed cheerily, patting the head of Roanna beside him. Then, he looked past Liselotte seated diagonally before him and landed his gaze on Flora, who sat across from him.
“...Thank you for your consideration. However, as Roanna says, it would pain me to see the hero in any danger too. Please don’t push yourself too hard.” Liselotte pasted a commendable grin on her face as she replied to Hiroaki.
“Ah, I don’t mind if you’re worried for me, but do I really seem that unreliable to you? I’m still a hero, you know?” Hiroaki’s smile turned bitter as he looked at Liselotte and the others.
“You are, of course, most reliable. However, you don’t like conflict, correct? You don’t want to use your hero powers to kill people. Isn’t this what you told us when we first met?” Roanna said, peering at Hiroaki’s face from the side with a pained expression.
“Did the hero really say such a thing...?” Liselotte widened her eyes slightly in curiosity.
“Ah, you mean when I was first summoned? Now that you mention it, I did say something like that.” Hiroaki got a far look in his eyes as he thought back to the past uncomfortably.
“Out of pure curiosity, I would like to hear more about when you were summoned.” Interested in the topic of his summoning, Liselotte decided to inquire about it somewhat boldly.
“Ah, you want to hear about me? Why, I used to be rather inexperienced in my youth, but if it’s at the request of Liselotte herself, then sure. I’ll tell you,” Hiroaki agreed happily. He started chatting talkatively. “Well, to be honest with you, when I was first summoned into this world, I didn’t know anything. Suddenly, Flora was there, telling me I was a hero or something I didn’t understand. Anyone would be wary, yeah?”
“That must have been quite the ordeal...” Liselotte commented, urging him to continue.
“That being said, I wanted to know what was going on, so I listened to what she had to say. And sure enough, there came the cliche words I had been expecting — that I had been summoned as a hero to help them. They told me Duke Huguenot and the others were in some political struggle with the current government, on the verge of turning into armed conflict. And, well, you’d expect them to be looking for my power to use in war, right?”
“So that’s when you said you didn’t want to use your hero power to kill others,” Liselotte said, grasping the general flow of Hiroaki’s story.
“Yeah. Furthermore, I had no intention of becoming a hero... Until I heard about these girls’ situations and decided I had to be the one to protect them. As I learned about the position of a hero, I realized there were things that I could do in a war other than kill people,” Hiroaki said, looking at Flora and Roanna.
And so he became a hero, exactly how Duke Huguenot wanted, huh? Liselotte thought, but didn’t say out loud.
“That’s wonderful of you,” she praised.
“Don’t say that — it makes me seem like some kind of spoiled child overflowing with a sense of justice. That’s not who I am. I don’t want to be seen as one of those nasty main characters.” Hiroaki waved his hand dismissively, averting his gaze out of embarrassment.
“I don’t believe that’s the case...” Liselotte shook her head.
“Yes, it is exactly as Lady Liselotte says,” Flora approved, and Roanna followed suit.
“With all due respect, I must agree.”
“Ah, don’t misunderstand me here. The reason why I want to avoid killing people is because I believe that is a violation of human rights. In the country I was in, no matter what the circumstance, murder was a sentence to being isolated from society for life. And anyway — what goes around, comes around. Humans tend to be tormented by bad aftertastes or feelings of guilt. Honestly, I look down on the act of killing people too. Even if it were for the sake of the kingdom, I don’t think a hero should perform such an inhumane act,” Hiroaki explained, clearly laying out his values.
“...I see your reasons now,” Liselotte said; a quiet and noncommittal response.
I guess he doesn’t know how many murderers he’s surrounded by right now, then, she was thinking to herself.
“That’s all the more reason as to why I’m worried. It’s not uncommon to be attacked by monsters and beasts on the roads that are far away from civilization. There may even be bandits around.” Roanna clutched Hiroaki’s sleeve coquettishly.
“Nah, I doubt any bandit
s would attack a group of this size and power. And if it was against a monster or beast, I wouldn’t hold back from using my Yamata no Orochi to eliminate it,” Hiroaki said, a challenging smirk rising onto his face.
“There is no need for Sir Hiroaki to bother lifting a hand at mere monsters or beasts. You should just leave it to the knight escorts,” Roanna said imploringly.
Yes, I’d be grateful for that, too. From Duke Huguenot’s perspective, I guess he wants to see the hero in actual combat? It doesn’t seem like he has any real experience, after all... Liselotte thought, before taking a tired breath.
“However, that’s part of a hero’s duty too, right? To subjugate or show mercy to those who have wronged other people. I have become a hero now. I should experience things like that, too,’ Hiroaki said, sighing with exasperation.
Liselotte decided it was the perfect opportunity to ask Hiroaki of any real combat experience. “...Do you have any experience subduing monsters or beasts, hero?”
“None. Unfortunately, my previous world was rather peaceful. That being said, I won’t cower before a mere monster or beast. I hate any sort of sniveling like that. Well, though they may have wronged people, it still doesn’t feel too good taking their lives...” Hiroaki responded, looking gloomy.
“You really do hold an intense dislike for conflict. Sir Hiroaki, you truly are so kind...” Roanna’s expression darkened as she looked up at Hiroaki’s face.
“It’s fine. I’m in this world right now, after all. My old world is gone. It’s probably necessary for me to lightly experience some real combat and say my true farewells to that other world.” Hiroaki seemed to be completely submerged in his sentimental feelings as he petted Roanna’s head.
“You truly are a wonderful person,” Roanna said, clinging to Hiroaki.
Liselotte sighed quietly to herself, her gaze shifting to Flora sitting beside her. Ugh, I hope we arrive in Amande soon... Hmm? She realized rather belatedly that Flora had been quiet during that entire exchange.
“Princess Flora, how are you feeling? I hope the carriage ride isn’t too uncomfortable for you... Please let me know if you need anything,” she offered out of concern.
“Ah, no, I’m fine. Thank you for your consideration.” Flora gave an uncomfortable smile and shook her head.
“That is good to hear. I couldn’t help but notice you weren’t saying much...” Liselotte said, observing Flora’s face.
“Ah, no, umm. I’m not very good at talking, so I feel calmer just listening to other people talk like this. Everything Sir Hiroaki is saying is new to me, so...” Flora excused herself, smiling bashfully.
“...Oh, I apologize for assuming, then. But would you mind talking to me a little? There is much I would like to hear about from you, if possible.”
“Oh, I would be happy to,” Flora agreed cheerfully. Hiroaki, who had overheard their conversation from where he sat opposite to them, raised an objection.
“Oi oi, don’t forget about us too.”
“...Of course. So, what shall we start with?” Flora would probably speak less with Hiroaki joining the conversation, but Liselotte couldn’t refuse him. She knew she would have to lead the talk and accepted Hiroaki reluctantly.
◇ ◇ ◇
While Liselotte and the others were steadily proceeding down the road...
Far in the skies above, the Proxia Empire ambassador, Reiss, was flying along clad in his black cloak. The security’s turned out heavier than I expected. Duke Huguenot’s faction’s accompaniment was completely unplanned for. It was all well and good sending the Evil Black Wyvern ahead to interrupt their business, but now what...
Reiss observed Liselotte’s party with sharp eyes; below him, Liselotte and the others showed no sign of awareness about Reiss’ presence above their heads as they traveled to Amande.
The original goal was to only capture Liselotte Cretia, but this makes the attack much more difficult to set up. However, Princess Flora’s presence is a welcome surprise. If handled carefully, this situation could allow for us to control the relationship between the Huguenot faction and the Galarc Kingdom, Reiss thought to himself with a cold smirk to his mouth. There was no way he was passing up this opportunity.
Which means I’ll have to splurge a little. I wanted to save this for the attack on Amande, but it’ll be good to test how far the current heroes have grown, too.
Not much time had passed since their departed from Nor, so Reiss leisurely pondered when he should launch his plan with a pleasant look in his eyes. He decided to observe them for a little longer.
Chapter 7: Ambush
After that, Liselotte’s party continued to clatter along in their carriages, ignorant of Reiss’ presence above them. They proceeded through the deep woods towards Amande. The front carriage where Liselotte and the others were riding had been filled with incessant chatter for some time now.
“...So I shut myself away in my room that day, reading two whole books before I knew it. When I finally came out in the evening, my sister was very exasperated with me,” Flora was saying happily.
“Fufu, you sure must like reading,” Liselotte interjected with a smile.
“Yes!” Flora agreed happily.
Liselotte looked at Flora’s expression. So it isn’t that she’s bad at talking after all. When she came to my estate last time, too, she responded properly whenever I asked her something... she thought, analyzing Flora. Rather than being bad at speaking, Flora was probably just shy. While that was part of the reason why she didn’t speak much, Hiroaki’s enthusiastic bragging about himself probably didn’t help with allowing Flora the chance to speak, either.
In that regard, Roanna was a much better listener in how she cleverly made Hiroaki feel good about his chattering. Her difference in personality to Flora was clear.
“Ah, well I’ve read eleven books in a day before,” Hiroaki boasted.
Liselotte widened her eyes in a show of amazement. “Why, that is amazing.”
“As one would expect from Sir Hiroaki. With that speed of reading, you could put a great amount of information into your head...” Roanna looked at him with reverence.
“Well, even I can’t read technical books at that speed, but if it’s popular fiction produced for entertainment, then I’ve read most of the ones produced in my world. I just forget myself and lose time reading,” Hiroaki said smugly.
“Umm, I can’t read that fast, but I think I understand. I find myself completely immersed in the world of the story when I’m reading fictional novels, too...” Flora offered hesitantly. She seemed to find it easier to join the conversation when it was about topics that interested her.
Liselotte giggled, smiling. “I would love it if the two of you could tell me a little more about the worlds you’re so immersed in and what you’re thinking about when you read,”
“Oh?” A thought seemed to occur to Hiroaki, making him grin happily.
“...The world I was in, you say?” Flora’s eyes rounded in surprise.
“Yes. If you don’t mind, will you tell me about it?” Liselotte asked, peering at Flora’s face closely.
“Umm, I read novels while thinking of myself as the mirror opposite of the main character in the story. The main character that has something I don’t have moves around in a world I don’t know about. As I wonder about what the main character might be thinking or what kind of actions they will take, my mind gets more and more immersed until it feels like I’m in the world of the story, experiencing all the emotions...” Flora said, looking a little embarrassed.
“Ah, I think I get it. There aren’t many good works out there that can make you think that way, though. Most have such rough backgrounds and development that they cannot achieve that,” Hiroaki lamented.
“Then the world Sir Hiroaki speaks about is...” Liselotte began to ask, when suddenly —
“S-Stop the carriage! Monsters are in the area! Everyone, prepare for combat!” Aria’s yelling voice could be heard from outside. One
beat later, the carriage came to a stop.
“Whoa, what’s going on?!” Hiroaki’s body shook as he looked around the carriage in confusion.
◇ ◇ ◇
Moments before notice of the monster attack reached Liselotte’s carriage, Aria walked in front of the carriage with Liselotte and the others inside, surveying the forest with her sharp eyes.
...That’s strange. It’s too quiet.
“What’s the matter, Aria? You seem kind of tense. Do the gazes of the knights bother you?” Cosette, who was walking next to Aria and noticed her sharp look, called out to her.
The current positions of the squad were as follows: Aria and the other female attendants were escorting the front of Liselotte’s carriage, Stewart and Alphonse each took a side to the left and right of both carriages with most of the knights, while Duke Huguenot’s carriage was protected from the rear by commanding officer Raymond and several other knights.
“No, that’s not it.” Aria shook her head with a sigh.
“But... can’t you feel them looking?” Cosette said with a happy giggle.
“They just find it curious to see women holding weapons,” Aria answered flatly. Compared to the armed knights, the attendants looked distinctive in their uniforms with weapons equipped. Among them, Cosette particularly stood out by carrying her halberd.
“Well, I’m sure that’s part of it, but wouldn’t you get used to seeing that pretty quickly? I think they’re actually entranced by my beauty. What do you think?” Cosette said proudly. In reality, her appearance was far above that of an average person.
“Then wouldn’t the attention gather on you more than Aria?” Natalia said exasperatedly from where she was walking nearby.
“S-Shut up. Aria’s face is too perfect and cold. Someone cuter like me is much better. Right, Chloe?” Cosette objected, turning to the trainee attendant walking beside her.
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