Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 15: On the Hill
—The next morning. I had been told what time breakfast was, so before that I slipped out of the mansion and headed to the church.
The clothes I was borrowed were lady Phyllis’s, but they weren’t the same kind of tunic and pants outfit she usually wore. It was a dress instead.
I was told that this was the kind of outfit she wore when she was around my age, and even now, if she’s not careful, she forced into cute clothes like these. Both her mother and the maids were very enthusiastic about dressing lady Phyllis up.
(The clothes in the royal palace were difficult to move in, but these are much easier to move around in. Still, I can’t just keep borrowing. I need to be able to buy my own clothes eventually.)
It might seem strange to think about finding a job for myself, but—at the start of game, the early way to make money is often by defeating bandits.
Before I took any action, though, there was something that worried me: what would happen after Reis-san woke up?
It seemed that worry was justified—the nun in the church hurriedly came out, looking flustered.
“oh no… Ah, you’re the one from yesterday… I’m sorry, the person I was treating here, when I went to wake him up in the morning… he was gone…”
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“He’s disappeared? Alright, I’ll go look for him as well…!”
It wasn’t difficult to follow where Reis-san had gone. Riku, who remembered his scent, came out of my pocket and led the way.
Reis-san hadn’t gone on horseback, and he hadn’t gone too far. He had climbed up a hill where he could survey the small village, and was looking at the mansion where I had spent the night.
“Good morning.”
“Your Highness. Why are you here…?”
“Well… I had a dream that Reis-san had disappeared. What would you say if I told you that?”
It’s a joke, but it’s half true.
Reis-san had fought against Zephen and the others to let me escape. So I knew he would not affirm that we are here together now.
“You’re part of the ‘Shadow Division’ that serves the royal family, aren’t you?”
“…Yes. I was ordered to kill you, lady Ashrina, when the time came.”
“But you helped me escape. Could you tell me why?”
“At first… I intended to fulfill my duty. For someone raised by the royal family like me, there was no other choice.”
“Raised… as an assassin?”
“Yes. After you summoned the relic, your continued existence became a threat to the royal family.”
Hearing that so plainly was both painful and… relieving in a way.
Even though I felt the weight of what Reis-san was carrying, I was spoiled by the fact that he was ostensibly on my side.
“His Majesty the King needed to expand the kingdom’s territory with the artifact obtained in this summoning. It’s possible that the artifact would be used to take land from the Yuchris City Alliance.”
Now I understood why my father had looked at me with such stern eyes, sometimes showing his pain.
“After imprisoning me, they would execute me and turn me into a Red Celestial Summoning Stone… and then perform another Relic summoning.”
Just like what Zephen was trying to do. Reis-san didn’t say anything —his silence was the answer.
“I’m no longer a princess so I may as well say this, but this country is bound by the Sacred Treasures. Everything revolves around them.”
“That’s how powerful sacred Relics are. There are some that can destroy an entire army, far surpassing even the Hypnos that Zephen had… and even then, it’s said that they haven’t yet unleashed their full potential.”
In other words, Relics like the “Map Weapon”—which are capable of attacking everything within a certain range—are incredibly strong weapons of mass destruction in this world, much like how they’re useful in games.
“Then… I think my summoning was a success.”
“…Your Highness, that…”
“The Relic I summoned isn’t a dud. It might look like just a stick, but Relics can be deceiving when it comes to appearance.”
I showed Reis-san the wooden sword I had brought, and then lightly swung it.
“…!?”
A leaf that flew toward me was split in two. The two halves landed at his feet, perfectly divided.
“Your Highness… where did you learn this technique?”
“The power of sacred Relics comes in many forms. I learned it while I was in my prison cell.”
I stopped short before mentioning my teacher, the Relic incarnation, and how he taught me swordsmanship—but if I were to explain that much, it would be a very long story, so I kept it to myself for now.
(…Wait. Come to think of it, do you mean that when I transformed and fought Zeffen, you didn’t see anything at all, Reis-san……?)
The way he was so surprised to see me slicing leaves with my wooden sword must mean that – no, that’s not quite right either.
“Apologies, Your Highness… I was relieved when I saw you safely make it here, and then I started moving toward my own selfish goals.”
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“…Goals?”
“After I was defeated by Zephen, a swordsman intervened… one dressed in foreign attire. I believe he was the one who helped us.”
“…Eh?”
A sound I had never made before escaped me. Even though I had shown him my well-trained swordsmanship, how could he still think that the black-haired swordsman and I were two different people? Well, it’s understandable, but still…
“Your Highness traveled through the forest with that swordsman… and then, after escorting us to Glasbel, the swordsman left. Isn’t that what happened?”
In other words—Reis-san must have been unconscious when I transformed, and when he regained consciousness, he was being carried by the transformed me.
There’s no way Reis-san could have made such a mistake, but somehow, he did. And for some reason, I feel like I can’t tell him that I am the “Black-Haired Swordsman.”
“I still haven’t repaid the favor to him. I wanted to at least know where he was going… I’m ashamed that I, a member of the Shadow society, have no clue. I have no leads at all…”
“Uh, well… he did say we’d meet again someday… I think…”
“…Someone as skilled as him, we’ll probably hear rumors about him eventually.”
Reis-san seemed happy—but that only made it harder to admit that I was the “Black-Haired Swordsman.”
“Ah, um… that aside, Reis-san, you still serve a another member of the royal family, right? Is that alright?”
“…Normally, I am not allowed to talk about such matters even with members of the royal family. But I will not even tell my master where you are, Lady Ashrina.”
“If you do something like that, you’d definitely be punished, wouldn’t you?”
“Since I failed to carry out my duties as part of the Shadow Division, it’s only natural.”
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Reis-san still doesn’t understand… after all the effort of escaping safely, and yet, I can’t let him throw away his life so easily.
“Reis-san, I will recruit you.”
“Recruit, what do you mean…?”
“A kind person like you shouldn’t have to face punishment. That’s absolutely not okay.”
My words were clumsy, but I was desperate. I kept thinking, “What if he refuses? What if he doesn’t listen?” But I wouldn’t give up.
I couldn’t see his expression because he was wearing the mask, but I thought it looked like Reis-san was smiling.
“…It’s the first time anyone has called me kind. I don’t deserve those words.”
“It’s not too much, Reis-san, really…”
“I was saved by Your Highness. You were imprisoned in that dungeon for so long, I still don’t understand how you became so strong… But I truly respect your unwavering will.”
The training I did in that cell had brought me to this present moment..
If he had ran even a little slower, or if I had taken too long to defeat the enemy soldiers—if I hadn’t tried to stop Zephen back then, I would have lost something precious.
When I extended my hand, Reis-san removed his and, hesitantly but gently, gripped my hand in return.
“I look forward to working with you from now on, Reis-san.”
“…One day, I will tell you my real name. My name, not that of the Shadow Division.”
Reis-san’s Master is a member of the royal family, someone related to me by blood—the very person who tried to kill me. I don’t want him to return to that person.
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To make that happen, I have to become stronger. No matter who tries to take Reis-san back, I just have to make sure I stop them.