Deep in the forest, around noon, with the sun shining brightly, you could hear Bella’s loud voice resonating.
“Your elbow is down!”
“Put more effort into it!”
“Your side is open!”
Elaine, whose entire body was soaked in sweat, look over at her merciless teacher.
Clap, Clap
“Let’s stop here and rest for a while.”
It was Espel who saved Elaine from Bella.
A slender young man with long grey hair rolled his red eyes and grinned.
“I brought snacks.”
“Wow! Espel is the best!”
“Espel! Aren’t you spoiling Lane a bit too much?”
“Training is only possible with adequate rest. Bella, you’ll be fine but, humans get tired easily.”
“I know that!”
With a sullen look on her face, Bella reached into Espel’s basket and took out an apple. Elaine was already biting into her second apple, smiling happily.
Its already been five years since Bella and Espel had taken Elaine into their home. It was always fun to watch the two, who were like siblings, bicker.
Bella sat down on a fallen tree, leaving enough space for Espel.
“Lane will soon be a sword master.”
“That’s amazing.”
“Hmph, of course. Just look at who her teacher is!”
You can reach the level of a sword master when you are able utilize your sword and mana as one. Because the training to become a sword master not only requires immense training, but also innate talent, sword masters were rare.
However, the small girl they had picked up from the forest five years ago had an extraordinary talent. It couldn’t even really be called just talent, but she was a true prodigy of a different level.
She was born with a constitution that easily accepted mana, and she had a will that was much stronger than any other average human being. Besides, Bella was a very good teacher. With the vast knowledge and experience she had gained over her long life, it was only a matter of time before Elaine would be able to become a master.
Elaine who had at this time finished her second apple, suddenly remembered something she had forgotten and jumped up.
“Ah! Right!”
“What’s the matter?”
“Today is the day the books I borrowed from the bookstore are due, but I forgot!”
Elaine rushed into the house, returning a short while later carrying a bag full of books.
“I’ll be back right after I return the books!”
“Ah, don’t rush! Take your time!”
“Okay!”
Espel watched Elaine leave with a chuckle.
“At least she’s energetic.”
Bella shook her head and laughed as she also watched Elaine rush down the forest path.
Elaine ran straight to the nearby village. The bushes had grown thick because no one used this path anymore besides Elaine, but she was able to get through with some skill. The forest was as familiar to her as her front yard.
Since living with Bella and Espel, she had been living the life of a nomad, traveling all over the continent. In the process, they often even climbed mountains. This time the place they were staying was a small village in a vast territory. They had only been staying here for a short while, but everyone was very friendly and welcomed them.
“Hello Sir!”
When Elaine entered the bookstore, the bell on the door chimed to announce her arrival.
“Haha, the little customer is lively today as well. “
The bookstore owner smiled kindly and closed the book he was reading.
“So, did you enjoy the books?”
“Yes, they were very interesting. Oh, by the way mister, the village atmosphere was very noisy on the way here. Is there something going on?”
On the way to the bookstore she had seen the villagers all bustling back and forth, moving things around and shouting.
“You haven’t heard yet? I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and an inspection team visited the estate across the river a few days ago. We don’t know if he will come to our territory, so everyone is preparing in advance. I also have to go out a bit later to help out.”
After Lloyd de Philion was appointed as the Crown Prince, he personally traveled around the kingdom and inspected local fiefdoms. No one knew the criteria for selecting the inspection sites and the inspections also took place without prior notice.
“Most likely all the territories around us, including ours, will be in chaos. It’s obvious that the lords of the territories are so busy trying to pass inspection just to avoid the pressure that would come from the royal family finding fault with them.“
“Will they really come to this region?”
“Only they know where their destination is. Actually, I’m more curious at how he suddenly appears in all those territories without anyone knowing.”
“Oh, that’s…”
Elaine was about to continue, until she looked at the clock on the wall. Suddenly she stopped and seemed to be in a hurry.
“Ah, it’s already so late. I have to go now! Goodbye, Sir!”
“All right, be careful!”
Elaine then left the bookstore and stopped at the market for a moment. She was originally going to go straight home, but thinking about how she was already out, it would be a good idea to pick up some supplies now.
The bag that had originally carried a stack of books, now contained new things. After she finished shopping, Elaine headed home.
‘They’re going to nag me for being late. The sky is already turning dark. Everyone is probably worried.’
She said she would be back soon, but it was already so late. Elaine hurried her steps. She entered the forest and decided to take a shortcut back home. Pushing through the tall foliage, she recalled the conversation she’d had with the bookstore owner.
‘He’s curious about how the Crown Prince can appear out of nowhere… I wonder if it’s similar to how Bella-!’
Rustle
“Hey, you there.”
“…!”
Suddenly, a large hand appeared out of nowhere, blocking her path. Elaine, who almost collided with the outstretched hand, reflexively took a few steps back.
“What?! A thief?!”
Elaine looked ahead, on high alert. However, the voice that responded came from the opposite direction.
“Justin, if you appear suddenly like that, you’ll scare the child.”
Looking back, Elaine saw a young man with dark blond hair and a worried look on his face leading a group of armed knights. A black uniform embroidered with elaborate patterns in golden thread and a red cloak fastened with gold adorned his body. Even with a single glance, you could tell he was of high status.
“I apologize.”
The owner of the hand then emerged from the bushes. An enormous man bowed his head, but that somehow looked even more intimidating, as he was several times bigger than her.
Elaine moved her hand to her waist where she kept her dagger hidden underneath her clothes. This way she could be ready at any time.
“Woah, woah, calm down. What on earth is a little lady like you doing carrying something like that?”
“…”
“It’ll be dark soon but, I saw a child wandering around alone in the distance, so I followed out of concern. I was planning to have a subordinate announce our presence first, but I apologize if we surprised you.”
“…”
“It seems I was overly concerned. Was it unnecessary?”
The blond man pulled on the rains of the horse and came closer to Elaine. The cloak fluttered open on his shoulder revealing a glimpse of a golden eagle embroidered on his chest.
‘That…!’
“Still, the forest is dangerous, day or night. I will take you to the village. Would you like to accompany me?”
“Crown Prince…?”
“Oh my, it looks like I was unable to hide it, even dressed like this.”
The Crown Prince smiled kindly and gently pulled his cloak back to cover the embroidery on his chest. The golden eagle was the symbol of the Philion Royal Family. One of the knights behind clicked his tongue.
“Even if you do that, it’s already too late Your Highness.”
“Be quiet, I know.”
While the crown prince was scolding the knight, Elaine burst into laughter at the absurdity of the situation she was in.
‘Huh, does this mean the crown prince really came all the way here?’
She couldn’t say anything and just stared, blinking. The Crown Prince, who misunderstood again, looked sorry.
“I was trying to stop you from being surprised again, but it looks like I unintendedly failed.”
“Oh, no, it’s okay.”
“There’s nothing to be nervous about. Where do you live. I will take you home.”
“It’s really okay…”
“Huh? I couldn’t hear you clearly.”
It’s obvious that if she told them she lived in the forest, people would question her sanity. If that happened, things would become a bit difficult. The crown prince seemed like a nice person but, it was annoying how steadfast he was being.
“Uh, that’s…”
Elaine rolled her eyes, trying to find the words to respond. Then, suddenly screams broke out among the knights.
“Aaaagh!”
Elaine hurriedly scanned the surroundings. A group of people in black hoods immediately surrounded the area. The sound of weapons clashing came from the direction of the screams and shortly after covered the entire area. A bloody battle broke out between the men who suddenly appeared and the knights.
The crown prince shielded Elaine behind him and drew his sword.
“Justin! Watch my back! Protecting the child is our top priority!”
“You can’t do that! Your Highness’s protection is of the utmost importance!”
“Nonsense! The child got mixed up in this mess all because of me!”
The Crown Prince muttered lowly, his blue eyes twisted in self-reproach.
“Damn it, there was a traitor. It was a mistake to leave a portion of our forces at the foot of the mountain.”
Elain, caught between the two men, pulled her dagger from her waist.
‘I have to protect myself.’
‘All I have to do is hold on for a little while. There’s no way Bella and Espel didn’t hear all the commotion. Soon, they will come to the rescue.’
She held the dagger tightly in her hands.
All at once, several assailants rushed at the crown prince. The crown prince faced the majority of them alone, without giving up his position. Even though he couldn’t move freely because he was protecting the child behind him, he wouldn’t give up easily.
At first, he appeared to be fighting with ease, however, there were limits to fighting while protecting someone. When the crown prince hesitated for a moment, an assailant slipped past and aimed for the back of his neck.
Justin realized too late and urgently called to the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness!”
Elaine was a step faster than him and rushed toward the Crown Prince. She threw the dagger she was holding and it landed accurately into the vital spot of the assailant.
Thud
The assailant collapsed lifelessly on the ground. Elaine let out a low laugh, staring at her empty hands.
‘If I had known it would be like this, I’d have brought more than just one dagger.’
Looking at her calm face, Justin couldn’t believe his eyes.
‘Who is this girl, really…?’
Having just knocked down several people around him, the Crown Prince turned around with a surprised face and spoke in a laughing voice.
“That was amazing!”
“Now you’ll need to protect me, Your Highness. What I have just thrown was all I had.”
“I see. I’ll do my best.”
The assailants seemed to be surprised as well and hesitated for a while, but soon after they began rushing the group again. However, this time they were unable to reach the Crown Prince or Elaine.
In the next moment, the assailants who had jumped into the air and attacked, were engulfed in a blue flame. Not even a scream was heard as they disappeared without a trace.
A moment of silence followed. All attention was focused on one place, forgetting there was a fight taking place only moments prior. The woman who appeared and became the center of attention spoke in a melodic voice.
“What is going on here?”
“…”
The woman walked lightly through the grass that had become stained in blood. She then stood still intimidatingly, though still beautiful with her long jet-black hair and purple eyes. She then smiled kindly.
“Lane, what are you doing here?”
‘Uh oh… Bella must be really upset.’
“What exactly is going on here?”
Elaine, who said she was only returning some books, didn’t come home, even though it was so late. Bella thought she should go and pick her up, before it got too dark outside. When she came out there was the sound of weapons clashing in the distance. She came to take a look just in case.
Bella’s eyes showed annoyance.
“Should I just kill them all?”
