However, in reality, just like how Satsuki and Miharu may have found it difficult to speak in front of Francois, Francois had things he found difficult to say in front of Satsuki too, which is why he made the suggestion.
“...Is that okay?” Satsuki turned a searching look towards Francois.
“Of course. I’d like to talk to Miharu myself later, but if it’s just for the sequence of events and confirmation of the truth, I can get Haruto’s report instead. There are things I’d like to ask Liselotte and Haruto too. You two would probably have nothing to do while that’s going on, so it would be most efficient to have you talk to each other in another room instead,” Francois said warmly, shrugging his shoulders.
“I understand. Thank you for your consideration. In that case, we’ll head to my room. We won’t need an escort that way.” Satsuki said.
“That’s fine.”
“Let’s go then, Miharu,” Satsuki took Miharu’s hand.
“O-Okay...” Miharu looked at Rio and hesitated before nodding her head. But before Satsuki left the room, she came to a stop and stared at Rio. She bowed her head.
“Haruto, thank you for saving Miharu. I’ll be borrowing her for a moment, but could I talk with you later as well?”
“Of course.” Rio placed his right hand over his chest and nodded respectfully.
◇ ◇ ◇
After Satsuki left with Miharu, Rio and Liselotte continued their meeting with Francois.
“Now, without further ado, I’d like to hear the facts regarding Miharu in Haruto’s own words. The note from Liselotte didn’t have any details. Would you mind?” Francois looked at Rio and said.
“I understand.” Rio bowed his head with familiar ease, then began to explain the events that had happened to Miharu until now.
At first, immediately after she was summoned to this world, Miharu roamed around a wide grassland at the border between the Kingdoms of Galarc and Centostella. She was nearly abducted by merchants to be sold as a slave, when Rio, who had been passing by on his journey, had saved her.
Then, after taking Miharu in under his care, he used an ancient artifact to teach her the language of this world, which she studied dutifully. At one point, they realized that Miharu’s friends might have become heroes in this world and started looking into the background of each region’s hero.
Other than the part about the ancient magic artifact, there weren’t any other falsehoods in his story. However, they had decided not to reveal Aki and Masato’s presence yet, so their names didn’t come up.
“...I now understand the general gist of things. It was a tremendously meritorious feat of you to take in Satsuki’s friend and exert your efforts to reunite them. Furthermore, your merits in saving Amande, Liselotte, and Princess Flora are brilliant as well. I commend you once again. You have truly done your duty well,” Francois said in a stately manner once he’d finished listening.
“It is an honor to receive your words.” Rio bowed his head deeply.
“I’d like to confirm a few things.”
“Please, ask away.”
“It doesn’t sit well with me that someone as capable as you has remained unaffiliated until now. I heard your parents were migrants — is this true?” Francois asked, staring straight at Rio.
“It is true.”
“Then, where did you learn the etiquette of a noble? I cannot believe that a commoner from the streets could acquire such skills,” Francois asked intrusively, without hesitation. This was an area that even Liselotte, who knew that Rio had memories of his previous life, had refrained from asking out of consideration, but it wasn’t a topic that was too much for the king to ask.
Liselotte watched Rio’s expression with a sidelong look in interest.
“One of my acquaintances is a noble, so I learned by interacting with them.” Unaffected by the question, Rio answered fluently. He’d learned in the Royal Academy of Beltrum, but he couldn’t say that directly.
Incidentally, the acquaintance he was speaking of was Celia.
“What is the name of that noble? Which kingdom are they from?”
“Due to several complications in the past, they are currently in hiding under an alias. I am terribly sorry to say this, but I cannot reveal that person’s name without their permission. I humbly ask for your forgiveness,” Rio answered, bowing his head lower. While it wasn’t favorable to refuse to answer Francois’ question, that didn’t mean he could reveal Celia’s existence, either.
“I see. If you say that person has special circumstances to be considered, then I won’t pry any further for now. What I want to know is the motives behind the actions of a person like you. Your background and relationships are merely things to support that.” Francois said eloquently.
“I am personally unaffiliated with any kingdom. I am not moving under the directions of the noble acquaintance I have, either. The relationship I have with that person is purely personal, and they are completely unrelated to the current case. Furthermore, while I am not the most familiar with kingdom politics, I am certain that the noble holds no grudge towards Your Majesty or the Kingdom of Galarc,” Rio replied, taking a stab at what Francois wasn’t saying.
“Then, you moved to allow Miharu and Satsuki to meet each other. What did you want to gain from having them meet?” Francois asked bluntly.
“I only want what Miharu wants,” Rio stated simply.
“...Huh?” Francois let out a disappointed sound. The members of royalty sitting in on the meeting also looked like they were taken by surprise.
“Miharu wanted to meet Satsuki. That is why I wanted to be of assistance to her. That’s all there was to it,” Rio added after observing Francois’ reaction.
“...That was the only reason you approached Liselotte and accomplished so much?” Francois asked while staring at Rio closely.
“It was a coincidence that I came across Liselotte during her crisis. Of course, I considered the possibility of the Galarc hero being Satsuki and had the thought to approach her for it for my own self interests. However, I believe things have only gone this smoothly thanks to Liselotte’s power and Miharu’s great fortune in that the hero was indeed her friend Satsuki,” Rio replied humbly.
Immediately after, Francois’ mouth lifted in a wicked grin. “Bwa—bwahahaha! You sure say fascinating things. Everything is for Miharu’s sake, in order to save the girl toyed with by fate—so you’re saying that you pulled these hero-like achievements for that simple reason?” Francois said, laughing heartily.
“I believe hero-like is too high a praise for someone like me...”
“Ridiculous. You saved one of my kingdom’s key cities, the daughter of a great noble, the princess of a prominent kingdom, and repelled a demi-dragon in the process. If you cannot call the person who accomplished these things a hero, what would you consider a hero to be? Not to mention, at the end of all these achievements, the reason turned out to be all for a single girl? It almost sounds suspicious, but that’s precisely why it sounds like the stories of legend. You’re a man to respect.” Francois grinned good-naturedly, brushing Rio aside. The royal man and woman were looking at Francois as though they were seeing something rare.
“...I am unworthy of your words,” Rio said modestly, hanging his head low.
“Have a little pride. You’ve done enough to allow yourself that. However... heh heh heh. Delightful. I haven’t laughed freely in so long. Perhaps it’s because of how often I talk to the sly foxes in the kingdom and the royal court, but I had braced myself for some ulterior motive. If I may so ask informally—are you in love with Miharu?” Francois was still holding back his stifled laughter as he asked Rio.
“...No, that isn’t the case.” Rio shook his head with a troubled look.
“Incidentally, how old are you?”
“I am sixteen.”
“Oh? How young. You have composure beyond your age. I couldn’t tell what kind of a person you were from what I saw in the report, so I wanted to figure out
where your loyalties lay in this meeting... Ah, but now I understand a little. A mysterious enchanted swordsman with the ability to repel a large demi-dragon’s breath,” Francois boasted in good humor.
“It’s an honor,” Rio said in a show of modesty.
“You’ve brought an interesting man here, Liselotte.” Francois grinned, looking to the girl in question.
“I’m honored. Having had nothing but unfortunate events happen recently, I consider meeting Sir Haruto to be a blessing of the highest degree. I believed that Your Majesty would be able to see Sir Haruto’s disposition with a face-to-face meeting, so I’m delighted to hear Your Majesty’s praise for him,” Liselotte said with a cheerful smile.
“So you’re saying the current situation is exactly as you planned, hmm? How vexing.” Contrary to his words, Francois’ mouth was turned in a satisfied smile.
While Miharu’s presence was very useful for maintaining Satsuki’s good mood, this man might unexpectedly be the bigger catch. Liselotte seems to have formed a favorable relationship with him in the time before the banquet, too. The reason why she set the timing of this meeting to just before the banquet was probably because she wanted to monopolize her relationship with him. I see she hasn’t changed at all, he thought.
“I humbly ask for Your Majesty’s mercy.” Liselotte quietly lowered her head.
“I’ve had a wonderful meeting. All that’s left is to hear some things from Miharu and make a judgment. With my interest piqued, I expect you to entertain me in a little more conversation. But first, I owe an apology to the savior of our kingdom for making accusatory remarks. Forgive me.” Francois apologized to Rio with a strained smile. His tone was still from a position of power, but it was already quite the exception to apologize to a wanderer with unclear background. It showed just how highly Francois valued Rio in such a short amount of time.
“There’s no need for that at all.” Rio bowed his head with emphasis.
Francois’ smile softened faintly. “I see. Then, allow me to introduce my son and daughter. This is the First Prince Michel and Second Princess Charlotte. They are 21 and 14, respectively. You two, come here and introduce yourselves to Haruto.”
The two of them approached Rio, who promptly stood up to bow to them.
“I am the first prince, Michel Galarc. News of your military feats in Amande have reached my ears too. I never imagined I’d be able to meet the rumored hero. It’s an honor.” Michel gave a slightly exaggerated shrug of his shoulders as he introduced himself to Rio. He had blond hair and a handsome appearance that was well proportioned, but he had a certain pompous air to him.
“No, I am honored to have caught Your Highness’ eye,” Rio replied to Michel with a friendly smile.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Haruto. I am the second princess, Charlotte Galarc. It’s wonderful to know that the hero who saved Liselotte is such a young and intelligent gentleman.” Charlotte smiled cheerfully and addressed Rio in a clear and cute voice. Her appearance was truly adorable, her semi-long hair a deep red that suited her well, and although innocence remained in her face, her demeanor was that of a lady.
“I am unworthy of your praise. Thank you, Princess Charlotte.” Just like with Michel, Rio responded to Charlotte in a friendly manner.
“No, it’s extremely rare for Father to take a liking to someone when meeting them for the first time, you know? That in itself is something you can be proud of,” Charlotte said with a carefree smile.
“Now, don’t say that, Charlotte,” Francois said with a slight smile.
Charlotte showed a hint of a mischievous expression. “Hehe, it seems like Father is feeling embarrassed.”
“Don’t trouble Father too much, Charlotte,” Michel chided her in exasperation.
“Yes, Brother.” Charlotte nodded obediently.
“As you can see, she’s still a bit childish, but she’s a considerate little sister. She’s got a sociable personality, so she’ll probably talk to you about various things, so please treat her well,” Michel said, like a good older brother.
“As you wish.” Rio smiled and nodded, observing how they seemed to be quite the close pair of siblings.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, while Rio was speaking with Francois and the others...
On the top floor of one of the many towers of the Galarc royal castle was Miharu. She was being led to the living space of the quarters that was allocated for Satsuki to live in.
Satsuki headed to the kitchen to prepare tea and snacks, while Miharu sat down alone on the sofa in the living room. She looked around the space in interest — the room was furnished with what were clearly expensive items, filling the room with the mood of a stylish five-star hotel suite.
Several minutes later, Satsuki appeared in the living room.
“Thanks for waiting. Here, help yourself.” Satsuki placed the tray of tea and snacks on the table before sitting on the sofa across from Miharu.
“Thank you. Do you live in this room alone?” Miharu bobbed her head and asked.
“Yes. They offered to assign me a maid, but I told them I can do it all myself and refused entry from anyone else. There’s a living room and dining room, and the kitchen and bathroom are all fully furnished. There are three bedrooms, so it’s a little too big for someone who’s living alone, but it’s kind of like living in an apartment,” Satsuki said with a bitter smile.
“Then the chance of being eavesdropped on here is...?”
“No one can step into this room without my permission. You can speak without worrying here, so tell me everything. With how you’re acting, I’m guessing you didn’t want the king to hear?” Satsuki tilted her head with a smile at Miharu’s nervousness.
“Yes. The truth is, Aki and Masato came to this world with me, but they’re hiding in a different location right now...”
“I see, so the two of them are here as well. I guess it’s a small blessing that you guys weren’t all separated, huh... Yeah, I should just be happy the two of them are safe. You didn’t tell the king that the two are somewhere else?” Satsuki’s thoughts processed fast and she was quick on the uptake.
“Yes, Haruto advised me that it would be dangerous for all of us to appear when we weren’t certain of the situation.”
“...So it was his idea to bring you to the castle?”
“I requested it. Haruto said he could come to the castle alone to make contact with you, but it pained me to leave everything to him...” Miharu shook her head slowly, looking somewhat apologetic as she answered.
“I see... I would have liked to see Aki and Masato too, but I think it was a careful and correct decision not to bring them to the castle right away. I’ll tell you about myself later, but could you first tell me in chronological order what happened to you guys? And about Haruto — the one who saved you.” Satsuki stared closely at Miharu’s face and smiled gently. Miharu nodded in agreement and began to recall what had happened to her.
“We first wandered onto a grass field in this world. There was nothing around us, my cell phone didn’t have a signal, and we were at a loss...”
“...That’s a tough situation to be in. I was summoned to the castle so it was fine for me, but you guys were walking along a modern street when you were pulled into the wilderness, huh?” Satsuki said with a pained expression.
“Yes, we were really confused. We decided to head towards civilization and started to walk, but...” Miharu recalled and frowned faintly.
Satsuki seemed to notice the change in Miharu’s expression, as she held her breath. “Did something happen?”
“Umm, the first people we met were slave merchants that nearly abducted us,” Miharu replied as brightly as possible.
“Wait, did you get out of that okay?!” Satsuki asked in a panic.
“Yes, as soon as we were forced onto the carriages, Haruto appeared and saved us. I couldn’t tell what was going on, but I believe there was a fight. He settled things with the slave merchants for us..
.” Miharu spoke about what happened vaguely. She didn’t actually know what had happened outside, but she could tell from the yelling that some sort of commotion had happened.
“You really had it so much tougher than I did... and yet, you lived courageously and even found me again. I’m ashamed to say I was moping for a long time after I came to this world,” Satsuki said, looking guilty.
“I was together with Aki and Masato, and we had Haruto, who arranged everything for us, so that’s why I was able to be at my best.” Miharu shook her head with a wry smile.
“...He sounds like an amazing person, that Haruto. I can tell you really trust him a lot. But, just who is he?” Satsuki asked.
“What do you mean, who is he?” Perhaps it was because Satsuki’s question had wide implications, or perhaps it was because she was suddenly asked about Rio, that Miharu questioned her back in confusion.
“How should I put it... His appearance almost looks like a half-Japanese person with strong western blood, you know? His hair’s grey too, and the name Haruto has connections to Germany, but it could also be seen as a Japanese name... so I’m curious, I guess. I’ve never seen anyone with a face like his in this world, so I was wondering why he’s done so much for you guys...” Satsuki added to her question, asking in a roundabout way as to whether Haruto was Japanese.
“Umm, Haruto’s a person of this world who was born and raised in the Strahl region. It’s just... and I’d like you to refrain from telling others what I’m about to say without Haruto’s permission, but do you know about the place called the Wilderness to the east of Galarc?” Miharu said, choosing her words carefully. For the record, she had talked to Rio in advance and predetermined how much she was allowed to explain about him in her reunion with Satsuki.
“...Ah, yeah.” Satsuki nodded slowly.
“Haruto’s parents are from a place further east from the Wilderness called the Yagumo region. They migrated here, but it seems like people with black hair and what we would consider East Asian faces on Earth live there.”
Heroes in the Moonlight Page 8