Chapter 5: The Return of the Princess

While tending to the vegetables in the garden, an axe suddenly came flying toward me.

“Whoa, that was close! Who threw this thing?”

I caught the thrown axe and looked in the direction it had come from. A man in armor, frozen in shock, was still in the pose of having thrown something.

“Wha… You caught my axe at this distance?!”

He was muttering something to himself, but throwing a deadly weapon like an axe and being shocked when it’s caught implies he had murderous intent toward me.

In other words, this guy was either a bounty hunter or a bandit.

Since he was alone and dressed decently, he was probably a bounty hunter. But I was irritated at being ambushed like this, so I decided to taunt him a bit.

“Only a bandit would stoop to a sneak attack.”

Toying with the axe I had caught, I walked toward him. The man’s shock turned to anger as he drew the sword at his waist.

“You…! Who’re you calling a bandit?!”

I doubt any bounty hunter would ever challenge someone head-on. Still, being wrongfully wanted, I found sneak attacks like this infuriating.

As the furious bounty hunter swung his sword down, I swung the axe in my hand.

“What?!”

The axe I swung struck the side of his sword, snapping it cleanly in two.

The bounty hunter stared at the broken sword, which spun through the air before landing, point-down, in the ground. He looked from the snapped blade in his hand to me, and then collapsed onto the ground in a heap.

It seemed he had lost his nerve.

“P-please… Don’t kill me…”

Watching him shake with fear and plead pitifully, I felt my irritation wane.

“How pathetic. If you’re not prepared to risk your life, then you shouldn’t be here, idiot.”

I pulled the broken sword tip from the ground and threw it back toward him.

“Eek!”

The sword tip whizzed past his face, lodging itself in the ground a short distance away. A faint line of blood appeared on his cheek where it had grazed him.

“Take that and go home. And don’t come back. I remember your face, so next time…”

I leaned in close to him.

“I’ll kill you.”

“Eek!”

At my low, threatening words, he scurried off, leaving the broken sword tip behind.

Recently, rumors had spread that I wasn’t easy to take down, so I expected someone with real skill. But he was just a fool blinded by greed.

I watched him run off, considering what to do with the axe I still held.

“Well, he didn’t ask for it back, so I guess I’ll keep it.”

Toying with the axe once more, I called out.

“So? How long do you plan to keep hiding?”

No response came to my call.

“Is that so? So, you’re my enemies, then? In that case…”

“P-please wait!!”

“Huh?”

I’d already sensed multiple people hiding in the bushes with a detection spell.

Since they didn’t respond when I called out, I was about to throw my axe in their direction, but then a woman burst out from the bushes.

The woman was dressed as a traveler but wore clothing that looked expensive, suggesting she was someone of considerable status.

Her face resembled that of the princess who had visited here a few days ago.

After she appeared, knights in armor and several other women, dressed in fine traveling clothes though not quite as luxurious, emerged as well.

“Who are you people?”

When I asked this, the knights’ expressions turned to anger.

Ah, just like those guys from the other day.

Another bunch of trouble.

“I-I am Wimpel, the second princess of the Kingdom of Weimar. You must be Kenta Maya, correct?”

Despite being a bit taken aback by my rude questioning, the woman introduced herself as the second princess.

The knights looked displeased, but they didn’t say anything.

Seems like they learned something from the last incident.

So, she’s the younger sister of the last one.

“Yeah, that’s right. So, Princess of Weimar, are you here to ask for my help again?”

Not wanting to waste time, I got straight to the point.

The younger princess looked a bit surprised, as if she hadn’t expected me to jump right in, but she quickly composed herself.

“Y-yes, that’s the main reason, but first, I want to apologize for what my sister did. I’m truly sorry.”

The younger princess bowed deeply.

“She came to ask for your help without offering you any benefit, didn’t she? We realize now how improper that was.”

Though she said this, it seemed like she still didn’t fully understand the real issue.

As I silently watched her, she seemed to interpret my gaze as an invitation to start listing the supposed benefits for me.

“We understand that Lord Maya has been forced to live a long life on the run. Therefore, the Kingdom of Weimar would lift your wanted status, granting you freedom to move within our borders.”

Lift my wanted status, huh?

There’s no way they decided that in just the short time since her sister’s visit.

Most likely, the older princess was planning to make the same offer. But before she got there, I’d already refused and then dealt with that reckless knight, so the conversation never reached that point.

“And also…”

The younger princess smiled slightly and gestured to the women standing behind her to step forward.

“Since your long years of running have surely exhausted you, both mentally and physically, we brought with us some of our kingdom’s most beautiful maidens to offer you some comfort.”

Saying this, she looked at me with an expectant gaze, as if to say, “Surely, you can’t refuse this, right?”

I detest the rulers of this world to the point of revulsion.

“Take these women and get lost.”

My words shocked not only the princess but also the women she’d brought along.

“P-please wait! Is this not enough? We… We also brought gold! Surely that would…”

“Listen.”

I cut her off, and she immediately fell silent.

“I told you before, didn’t I? I have no intention of doing anything for this world.”

Did she not hear me?

“T-that was because of my sister’s poor negotiation skills…”

“It’s not about compensation. Whether you pay or don’t pay, I don’t care. I have no interest in your fate. You humans, the demons – kill each other all you want.”

At this, one of the knights, seemingly unable to hold back any longer, rose and spoke up.

“Y-you! Are you saying you don’t care what happens to the people of this country?!”

He seemed to see me as someone who’d let people die without a second thought.

I decided to answer him honestly.

“That’s right.”

My blunt response left not only the knight but also the princess with their mouths agape.

“How could you…”

“Think I’m terrible, huh? Well, yeah. But I’m not from this world. I was kidnapped here, tricked, nearly executed, and forced into a life of running just because I resisted. How could I possibly care about the people of this rotten world? You tell me.”

With that, the knight had nothing more to say.

“Now get lost. You’re really starting to annoy me.”

As I turned to leave, a voice called out to me.

“Please wait!”

“Huh?”

Was there still something? I turned to see that it was one of the women who had been brought to “comfort” me.

“To think you’ve suffered so much… I had no idea. So please, allow me to ease your heart. I don’t care about rewards or anything; I genuinely want to comfort you.”

“…Huh?”

Is she saying she just wants to be with me? Why? In such a short time, has she fallen for me or something? There’s no way that’s possible, especially given my rudeness.

“…I don’t need that. It’s a nuisance, so go home.”

“B-but I…”

“Enough!”

I snapped, unleashing a bit of my magic pressure on her.

“I said I don’t need it. Don’t force your feelings onto me.”

“N-no, it’s not like that, it’s just…”

“If I say I don’t need it, you’ll leave, right?”

With a smile laced with intimidation, I watched her nod repeatedly.

“I won’t negotiate. I have no intention of getting involved in this world. Don’t come here again.”

Leaving them with that, I headed back to the house.

As I checked with detection magic, I noticed the princess and her group slowly leaving.

To think they’d try a honey trap.

Even if it wasn’t, there’s no way I could believe someone suddenly fell for me in a situation like that.

I have no idea what they’re thinking.

Guess I’ll stay on my guard just in case.

◆◆

“Did you actually fall in love with that man?”

On the way back to the concealed carriage, Wimpel addressed the woman who had tried to cling to Kenta. She was genuinely curious why the woman would act that way, given Kenta’s obvious disdain.

However, the woman’s response was beyond anything Wimpel had imagined.

“Of course not. He rejected us so outrightly, didn’t he? There’s nothing about him to fall for.”

“What?! Then why did you act like that?”

Wimpel, surprised by the answer, was eager to understand her reasoning.

“Didn’t you mention it yourself, Your Highness? After a long time on the run, he must be filled with pent-up desires. Yet, even though we’re the top courtesans from various establishments, he didn’t give us a single look. So, I guessed—ah, he must already have a woman.”

Wimpel was taken aback, but the other women all nodded in agreement.

“Oh, you thought so too? That’s exactly what I thought.”

“Right? If he were a young man with needs, he’d definitely be looking us over intensely.” 

One of the women said, casting a knowing look toward the knights.

Caught under her gaze, the knights quickly looked away. It seemed they’d been looking at the women in a less-than-appropriate way.

“But it was just a theory, so I decided to test it out.”

“Ah, so that’s why you acted as you did.”

“Yes, and the result was as expected. He’s definitely got a woman hidden somewhere.”

The woman looked at Wimpel with a smug expression.

“If he won’t move for honor or money, perhaps he will if we take her hostage.”

Wimpel looked at the woman intently. It was clear that Kenta wasn’t going to cooperate willingly, but with a hostage, he might. For a man who paid no attention to the finest beauties in Weimar, he must truly cherish this other woman. She’d be valuable as a hostage, without a doubt.

“That may be our only choice.”

The woman smiled broadly at this.

“Good. So, Your Highness, about my reward—considering the risk I took to make this information credible, I believe it’s only fair to expect a reward, isn’t it?”

With a sigh, Wimpel replied.

“Very well. How much do you want?”

At that, the woman’s face lit up with a satisfied smile.

What they didn’t know, as they chatted so freely, was that the woman they intended to target was Kenta’s greatest weakness, a source of wrath like none other.

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