by CHIROLU
“Hmm?” Dale then shot Latina a dry smile and shook his head. “Nope, you weren’t imagining it. He totally noticed. See, he’s a little shaken right now, right?”
“I can’t tell.”
“Nor can I.”
Since he had known Gregor for so long, Dale was the only one that could tell, as his friend didn’t exactly wear his emotions on his sleeve.
At any rate, the splendid parade solemnly advanced along towards the center of town. Once the envoys were out of view the crowd started dispersing on its own, its constituents excitedly chatting away. There didn’t seem to be anything dangerous to the air about the scene at all. And looking at the state of things, there were sure to be all sorts of fresh rumors about the envoys floating around town.
As such thoughts ran through his head, Dale hastened Latina and Chrysos back to the Ocelot. They took a minor detour to the skewer stand once more, though, to indulge Latina’s curiosity.
Not long after that, Gregor snuck his way into the Dancing Ocelot. Then, he drew his blade, wanting to land at least one blow on Dale to start with.
“I’d expect not, but do you have any idea of the state in which I was left, realizing the person I was supposed to be guarding was already at our destination?”
“I told you, don’t blame me.”
“Well I certainly can’t blame the person in question, here. Besides, it was hardly a punishment, having you accompany me in such light exercise.”
“Hahaha. Normally you wouldn’t call someone with your level of skill coming at you with a drawn blade ‘light exercise,’ would you?”
“If you know my level of skill, then you should also know that I wouldn’t land a fatal blow if it wasn’t necessary.”
“That doesn’t exactly bring me peace of mind...”
As he chatted along with Dale, Gregor vaguely sensed the source of the discomfort he had sensed since the battle with the Demon Lords of Calamity: Even after the man had dodged his onslaught of slashes, Dale wasn’t showing any real signs of exhaustion. He decided that apparently his friend had passed beyond being classified as a mere “person” by this point.
The First Demon Lord has become his sister-in-law, but he shouldn’t have met her until after he went to Vassilios...
Gregor was well aware that one could easily surpass the abilities of a normal person by becoming a demon lord’s retainer. But since a hero was a demon lord’s antithesis, Gregor wasn’t sure if one becoming a demon was even possible to begin with. Still, to the First Demon Lord, Dale was her sister’s partner. He couldn’t rule out the possibility that she would want him as her own retainer.
Well, he wasn’t fully satisfied with the matter, but he also couldn’t force a hypothesis as to what had happened at the moment. Plus, considering his friend’s personality, he was sure he would hear about it, one way or another, eventually. That’s why he didn’t feel the need to grill him right now.
As he thought to himself, Gregor tossed out a bit of a half-joke.
“Well, I really would like have a proper life-or-death battle with you someday, you know...”
“And I sure wouldn’t,” Dale immediately replied, shooting him down.
The fact that he sounded disinterested rather than angry actually told Dale how serious Gregor was, which was rather frightening. As a pure swordsman, Gregor aimed for ever greater heights and polished his skills. Or to put it bluntly, he was honestly a bit of a battle maniac. But Dale knew that overtook his calm rational side, so he breathed a sigh rather than giving any sort of overblown reaction.
“You’re the type who doesn’t show his true strength in training or mock battles, aren’t you?”
“Really...?” Latina said, reacting to Gregor’s statement. She was tilting her head because ever since she was little, she had seen Dale continue to diligently polish his skills, never neglecting his training. And so, she didn’t think she had those sorts of ups and downs to him.
“Dale is the sort of man who can’t display his true strength without a firm goal to work towards,” Gregor bluntly stated, not bothering to mince words. Dale grimaced disapprovingly at his friend’s comment, but he must have known it was true, as he didn’t offer a rebuttal.
The reason for Dale’s ups and downs were because he was deeply dedicated to the idea of protecting others. Since there was certainly no chance of losing something he held dearly at the moment, his true strength was nowhere to be seen. Dale didn’t see any value in the fame that could be gained from victory, nor was he concerned about his pride being hurt by a loss.
And it was no surprise that Latina wasn’t aware of that other side of Dale. After all, she was the symbol of all that he wanted to protect. Whenever he was standing before her, he was always full of motivation. His pride drove him to never want to fail in front of her, ever since back when he was just her guardian.
“But still...” Gregor started, looking like he was a bit at a loss for words as he wiped his sweat. His eyes were fixed on the girl with the golden eyes standing nearby.
Meanwhile, Chrysos looked back at Gregor, who she had seen leading the procession when she went to see the envoys. As she had been informed about the Eldstedt clan, the most powerful noble family in all of Laband, she was well aware of the sort of position this man held.
“No matter where I may be, I am simply Latina’s elder sister, Rhyso,” Chrysos suddenly declared.
“Huh?” Latina questioned, tilting her head.
“How blunt.”
Dale and Gregor shared strained smiles.
“Depending on your intentions, you might wish to pray to the gods.”
“Indeed,” Gregor briefly responded, understanding what Chrysos was saying. He didn’t kneel to her or anything of the sort.
He observed the two sisters while taking care not to be rude, and then gave a sigh of admiration.
“Just as the rumors stated, you two really do look quite similar.”
“Their personalities are totally different, though... Well, not totally, actually. There are some similarities, I guess.”
If Dale had to point something out, it would be they were both seriously aloof girls who had been raised in ignorance of the outside world.
“I wish you would consider how it made me feel, when I went to greet the Golden King’s procession at the relay point...” Gregor grumbled, a rarity for him to do so openly.
Dale ruffled his own hair and responded in a bit of a troubled tone, “I’m telling you, there’s no use telling me that...”
“None should exist who know of my face, though.”
“Couldn’t you at least try to hide just a little bit?”
Despite the fact that he had just denied his involvement, Dale couldn’t hide his astonishment at that statement from Chrysos. Meanwhile, Gregor was looking like he had started considering the far-off future instead.
“First off, the adventurers there noticed the king was missing. I had broken out in a cold sweat, worried I might soon be facing a mob.”
Nobody said a word.
“I hadn’t realized at first myself, but still... The soldiers were left wondering why the adventurers looked like they were about to start running wild. Really, I was left racking my brains trying to figure out how to get the situation under control.”
Everyone remained silent, still.
He had felt like he could hear the intense, bloodcurdling shouts of the regulars of the Ocelot, which served as a sort of relay point between Vassilios and Laband.
It was certainly true that none of the adventurers had ever seen the Golden King. However, they were all plenty familiar with her identical twin sister.
The soldiers had no idea what was happening when a lament of, “We were seriously looking forward to at least getting a glance...!” was raised by the adventurers, as Gregor was the only one of them who was acquainted with Latina and knew her background.
“So it was that dangerous of a place, was it? Perhaps my decision happened to be quite fortuitous after
all, then...”
When the very cause of all this boasted so openly, Dale couldn’t help bowing his head to his friend.
“If it’ll serve your needs, then I’ll be your sword-fighting opponent whenever you wish.”
The root of the problem here had been his sister-in-law, after all.
“Anyway, Chrysos...” Dale started, getting his thoughts back in order.
“What is it?”
“The envoys have arrived.”
“Yes, I went along with you to go see them, did I not? Are you going senile already?”
“You said you were going to join up with them here in Kreuz, didn’t you?”
“Gah.”
“And since they’re going on to talk with the leaders of Laband, you can’t exactly leave that up to a double, right? Before things are exposed, you should return to your role as the Golden King—”
“＊＊＊＊、＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊”
“Hmm...?” Dale questioned, tilting his head in response to Chrysos’s rapid words that he failed to pick up on. Meanwhile, Latina had a troubled look on her face.
“Chrysos, even if you say that...”
“＊＊、＊＊＊”
As Chrysos gave that reply, she hid behind Latina. Then, she stayed like that, not saying a word.
Dale was left dumbfounded for a moment, but then he thoroughly wrinkled his brows as he realized the meaning behind Chrysos’s actions.
“Hey,” Dale stated in a low, displeased sounding voice, but Chrysos showed no signs of coming out from behind her sister. And Latina was looking seriously troubled, trapped between the pair.
“You’re not a kid, so stop being so unreasonable.”
“＊＊、＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊”
“And stop pretending you don’t understand our language whenever it’s convenient for you.”
Despite Dale’s firm tone, Chrysos didn’t budge. Then she childishly puffed up and turned away, an action without a hint of the dignity you’d expect from someone known as the Golden King.
“Chrysos...” Latina said, turning around to face her sister, who was now throwing a serious hissy fit. Chrysos went ahead and spoke up first though, as if trying to seize the initiative.
“Platina, do you not find it difficult to be separated from me?”
“That’s not the case at all...”
Having been asked that, there was no way that the good-natured girl could take a firm stance against her sister. She really didn’t want to part ways, either. Her twin was pretty much her other half, more precious to her than almost anyone, and she didn’t want to lie about those feelings.
“I will not ask that you accompany me all the way to Vassilios. I realize that it is still too soon for you, Platina.”
“Yes... I’m sorry, Chrysos. I still just can’t...”
“I shall strive my hardest to get rid of those dregs causing problems known as the elders, so that I may welcome you back as soon as possible. I shall drive all those who call you a sinner not just from the temple, but from the entire town.”
“Isn’t it bad to be basing stuff like that on your own personal feelings...?” Latina asked, breaking out in a cold sweat. She didn’t know the state of things in the shrine, but she prayed that her sister wasn’t on the verge of beginning a reign of terror.
Meanwhile, Dale had no clue about the specifics of the situation either, but he thought it would be only natural for Chrysos to make good on her words. After all, anyone who acted cruelly towards his adorable little Latina deserved to be put to death.
Well, if Latina had never been exiled as a sinner, I never would have met her, so I’ve got mixed feelings on the matter... Dale thought to himself.
He would never truly let his dedication waver, though.
Ignorant of what Dale was currently thinking, Chrysos continued her discussion with Latina.
“Would it not be acceptable if we at least stayed together while I was in Laband? I have waited for so very long, wondering when I would be able to see you again.”
“Rhyso...” Latina said, her eyes growing cloudy as she called her sister by her childhood nickname. “I feel the same way... But there’s work that only you can do as the king of Vassilios, right? And so...”
“That is true...”
Chrysos gripped Latina’s hand tight, all the while bearing the feelings welling up inside of her. Her gaze that had once fallen lifted back up. Latina looked straight at her sister, who seemed to now understand her position.
“In that case, you shall accompany me, Platina.”
“Wah?” Latina gasped in surprise.
“I was told that you were coming to the capital with Dale, right? Then you’d just be moving your schedule up a bit, correct?” Gregor chimed in.
“Huh? I haven’t heard anything about that. What’s going on?” Latina questioned, clearly bewildered. This all a bolt out of the blue for her.
“Ah, I forgot...” Dale muttered while breaking out in a cold sweat.
He had completely forgotten to tell Latina about the duke’s “request.” It had been given to him at the same time he learned of the Vassilios envoys arriving, but the shock of Chrysos’ sudden appearance, among other things, had wiped it from his mind.
“Platina, you do not wish it to be known that you live here in this city, yes? Then simply stay by my side as my younger sister, the princess.”
“Huh? But you’re going to meet with some really important people, right...?”
“Well of course they wouldn’t have petty officials meet with a foreign ruler,” Dale chimed in.
“Of course my father will be one, and His Majesty is scheduled for a meeting as well,” Gregor added.
With that, Latina flew into an even more obvious panic. After all, in her own mind, she was essentially a commoner.
“If it came down to it, could you simply not act as if you did not understand the language?” Chrysos suggested.
“I’ve met Sir Gregor’s father before, though...” Latina replied, pointing out a key issue with the rather crude plan.
“I have also prepared fake horns, so that you may blend in with those of us from Vassilios, Platina.”
“Chrysos, does that mean... You intended to get me mixed up in all this from the very start?”
“Devil eyes could tell they were fakes, but they used the shape of my own horns as a model, so the results were quite good.”
“Chrysos, you can’t just change the subject like that to cover things up...”
“Actually, I think that she may not even be trying to do that...” Dale said with an astounded look on his face, but he didn’t even try to rein in Chrysos. Realizing what he was thinking, Latina turned towards Dale with a bit of a sad look on her face.
“Dale...”
“No, you see, I got that order, and then I gave my consent, so... I’m seriously sorry that I forgot to tell you.”
Considering Dale’s position, it would have been very difficult to turn down a request from his employer, the man who held the greatest power in all of Laband. He may have been an extraordinary hero and a demon who blazed his own trail forward, but he still needed to at least exercise discretion in official matters.
Without saying a word, Latina turned her gaze from Dale to Gregor. From what he had said before, he was in agreement with Chrysos. That meant that nobody here was on her side, which made her sweat even harder.
By the way, Vint had already grown bored of this exchange and left to go play. Though even if he hadn’t, it was unlikely that he would have added much leverage to her position.
The conclusion the now-panicked Latina reached was that she needed time to compose herself, which she wouldn’t get by staying here. And so, she quickly made an about-face and fled straight into the kitchen. Without even a moment’s hesitation, she continued on through the Ocelot’s storefront.
“Ah, she ran for it,” Dale casually muttered.
By his side, Chrysos’s eyes showed a twisted g
lint of humor. Though the two were identical twins, such an expression would never be seen on Latina.
“Do not allow Platina to escape!”
Dale realized who that shout was directed towards when he saw the state of things inside the shop. The regulars were all barring the exit, leaving Latina standing there dumbfounded.
“Why...?” Latina asked in a trembling voice, because the regulars of this shop were only second to Dale in terms of always being on her side.
“Sorry, little lady... It got decided by committee,” Sylvester replied to the now ghastly pale Latina while making a face like he was swallowing a bug. That expression was only natural considering how many years the regulars had been soft on their favorite adorable waitress. But even so, he gave no sign of budging.
Nobody present needed to ask what sort of committee he meant.
“How naive, Platina. Grasping control of the hearts of others is a simple matter for a king. Or did you think I was doing nothing at all as I visited this place?”
After casting a sideways glance at Chrysos as she bragged about her victory, Dale bluntly asked Sylvester, “How did she buy you off?”
“She... she asked if we wanted to see the little lady dressed like a Vassilios noble...”
“Platina will not wear Vassilios formal wear on her own. The people of this shop are quite soft on Platina, so she proved an excellent bargaining piece,” Chrysos stated, brimming with confidence.
“I can’t deny that,” Dale agreed after thinking on it for a bit.
“You can’t, huh?” Gregor chimed in with a sigh, resignation in his voice. “Now that I think of it, the news that the ruler of Vassilios had a beautiful twin sister caught the attention of the portrait painter who frequents my family home...”
“If it involves not just myself but Platina as well, it will surely serve to foster the friendly mood between our two nations. After all, she is the Platinum Hero’s Fairy Princess.”
“Shall I have a copy sent here once the portrait is finished...?” Gregor muttered, only for the regulars to go wild before even Dale.
Considering the circumstances, Latina was already on the verge of tears. It was a sight that really ignited a desire to protect her, but Chrysos had seized control of the moment, so sadly no one there would lend a hand to save her.