NOVEL NEXT Chapter 43
Somehow, Nia ended up joining the party, leaving only one person remaining.
“Rozen is…”
“I’m not as impressive as Nia… so, I guess I won’t be able to join the party.”
Everyone quietly nodded, as if they were aware of that fact.
“Then, is there somewhere you want to go? Like the neighboring city, perhaps…”
I understood roughly why the hero made that suggestion. Since Nia was favored, Rozen would have likely faced discrimination or hatred as a consequence. So, they might have figured she wouldn’t like this city.
But Rozen was different.
“…No, I want to stay here.”
“Really…?”
“After all, this is the city where I was born and raised.”
How could anyone oppose when the person involved insisted on it? I buried the other suggestion I had in my heart.
At that moment, Serelin spoke up.
“Hmm, then I have a suggestion.”
“What is it?”
“How about learning from Count Kalken?”
“Count… him? Really?”
The suggestion seemed so unexpected that everyone’s eyes, except Serelin’s, went wide with surprise. I was no exception.
“It seems he recently retired from the knights and is feeling a bit lonely… If you share your story, he’s likely to accept your request.”
“Se, Serelin. Is that really okay? No matter what…”
“Don’t worry about being polite. Oh, right. Can everyone stay here until tomorrow? I sent a telegram earlier, so he should be excited and rush over soon.”
“Um… well, one day is fine…”
With the hero’s permission, we stayed in the city for a day, and the next day arrived.
“Ahaha! Serelin! Where are the traitors who have dishonored His Majesty the Emperor?!!”
“Count, please calm down…”
Count Kalken honestly resembled the northern barbarians a lot. He looked like he could blend in easily among the barbarian tribes beyond the northern mountains.
With his smuggler-like beard, massive frame, and… a halberd.
Even those bound up were about to faint at the sight of him, so there was nothing to say.
“Serelin, my apologies…”
“Ah, Hilya, you came along.”
“I couldn’t just send my father to handle this.”
Hilya Kalken seemed to be the Count’s daughter. Given the title and her attire, she appeared to be a knight like Serelin.
“Okay, then the documents will be transported by the knight order… Ah, wait a moment.”
“You scoundrel! How dare you insult His Majesty!”
“Yikes!”
“Father, can we not enjoy ourselves after the handover is done? The more you act like this, the more you hold back Serelin and the Hero’s party.”
“…That won’t do. No way.”
Hilya Kalken maneuvered her father with remarkable finesse.
Well, having seen him for decades, she must know him better than anyone, aside from Lady Kalken.
“Then, I suppose that brings us to the end of this.”
“Ah, Count Kalken, may I ask you for one favor?”
“What is it?”
“Would you take this girl as your apprentice…?”
“Um?”
“Ah, hello…”
When Count Kalken looked at Rozen with a puzzled expression, it felt akin to a menacing scene of bullying a delicate girl.
Even the Hero flinched momentarily at the fierce vibe, but the reality was different.
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Rozen…”
“Oh, you’re the only conscience mentioned in the documents. Very well, I’ll accept that proposal.”
“…Wait, this actually works?”
Serelin, who quietly approached upon seeing the Hero’s dumbfounded expression, whispered.
“The truth is, Count Kalken has taken many children who lost their parents or are commoners as his apprentices. So, I thought he would accept Rozen as well.”
So, does that mean Rozen will become a knight from now on? Personally, I hope she doesn’t turn out like Count Kalken.
“And, is there anything else you’d like to request?”
“Nothing else. Thank you.”
“No need to be so formal. If we meet again in the capital, you’ll understand, right?”
“Of course. I’ll show you the newly honed swordsmanship then.”
“Ahaha! I look forward to it!”
With that, Count Kalken took the criminals and marched out of the city.
It felt as if a storm had passed.
“Rozen…!”
“Nia, you’ll manage well without me, won’t you? I mean, there’s Rui after all, so you don’t have to worry…”
“Uh-huh, of course…”
“You should be careful with everyone; they are all incredibly strong, especially listen closely to the Hero…”
“Yeah…”
It felt like a mother giving advice to her child.
In the original story, Rozen cared for Nia a lot, so I could vaguely imagine how it felt back then.
“And remember to be polite to Rui. She’s the one who let you into the party.”
“Of course…”
“And I know you like the Hero, but don’t forget to help Rui first.”
“Then…! She’s my benefactor!”
I thought I heard something, but I couldn’t catch it clearly due to the laughter of Count Kalken in the distance.
Anyway, with her belongings packed up, Rozen left the city with Count Kalken.
It was funny that she said she would stay in the city but ended up leaving, but that was only temporary.
Once she learns everything, Rozen will come back to the city.
And this time, no one will dare lay a finger on her.
“…Well then, shall we go?”
“Let’s depart~!”
“Please take care of us!”
“Ahaha, Nia Bella, you don’t have to be so nervous.”
Seeing the four heroines chatting and laughing brought warmth to my heart.
I watched from the back and felt an indescribable emotional resonance from witnessing the original story firsthand.
“…Rui. Let’s go.”
“Ah, Hero! Why aren’t you leaving first…?”
“…Well, I promised to take care of it yesterday.”
“Ah.”
The promise to prioritize their care.
“Then, let’s depart.”
I turned my head and quickly hopped onto the Knight Lux.
I felt the Hero’s gaze on my back, but I didn’t want to turn to face him.
It seemed like it would feel awkward if our eyes met right now.
So we began our journey to the next city, with Nia Bela riding the horse with red fur that was glowing in the stables.
*
The term “beautiful space” was a gross understatement for this palace.
The overwhelming beauty and vastness couldn’t simply be described as beautiful.
It was a colossal palace built solely to serve one person.
The golden throne gleamed so radiantly that it was placed higher than anywhere else to prevent ministers from gazing upon it.
In this space, which felt as if it were a temple where a god resided, only two people existed.
“…Count Kalken has made contact with the Hero’s party.”
One was seated on the throne.
He softly began to murmur the recent circumstances of the Hero’s party.
“A witch has newly joined the party. The Witch of Fire, the daughter of the Witch of Threads?”
The Emperor.
There was no information he could not obtain within the Empire.
He had known for years that that city had been ostracizing the Witch of Fire.
Those who commit crimes in the Empire think they can act freely outside the Emperor’s gaze.
But that’s a mistake.
It’s simply the case that the Emperor finds it either interesting or bothersome, and thus doesn’t act.
“Once again, the rumors of the Hero’s party will spread positively, and their connection to the Royal family will solidify.”
Since Serelin and the Hero mentioned ‘the Emperor,’ it ultimately meant that the Hero’s party remains loyal to the Emperor.
“As for the North… about a month, I suppose. Then ‘she’ will soon meet her mentor.”
‘She’ referred to the mage who entered the party second from the last.
“I honestly did not expect this. The proposal made to [Mage Castle] was accepted by [White Smith]. Although, I doubt it was a proper acceptance.”
The genius sorcerer [White Smith] who appeared one day.
Even the great mage [Mage Castle], who protects the royal family, had to be one step behind in terms of creative prowess and magical skills.
“Seems she’s not a solitary artist type after all… Well, then again, from the point she’s offering to substitute for someone, perhaps I was wrong.”
The Emperor snickered.
“Isn’t that right, [Mage Castle]?”
“…Hah.”
At that moment, the other person present let out a sigh.
Responding to the Emperor after a long monologue with a sigh was an act of utmost disrespect that would lead to immediate beheading for any ordinary minister.
However, she was [Mage Castle].
Since her teenage years, she had been tasked by the late Emperor to protect the royal family, as the great mage.
She was someone who even the masters of many magic towers couldn’t catch up to.
“Louis is simply too much! How could he leave without saying a word…?!”
The voice of the Mage was younger than expected.
It sounded like someone in their mid-twenties at most.
Having known her for over a decade, the Emperor was already accustomed to such complaints and mannerisms.
“So, you’re sad about losing your little sister.”
“Of course! Imagine waking up and realizing your beloved Louis is gone!”
“Unfortunately, I don’t love her. By the way, she is ultimately your aide, isn’t she?”
“What are you saying? It’s all love!”
“You could have stopped her. You knew she’d contact the Hero’s party from the moment she did.”
“…How could I? Louis chose his own path…”
The Mage spoke while wearing gloves engraved with numerous magical circles that formed a beautiful pattern.
“In the end… the time for Louis to leave the nest and take to the skies has come…”
“You were the one keeping her in the nest.”
“…”
The girl who lightly ignored the Emperor’s remark turned her back to him and grumbled.
“Still, I think it’s a bit too much to leave without a word! I should play a prank on him next time!”
“…Make sure you only do that outside the system. I wouldn’t want this place, nurtured by the previous monarch, to disappear.”
“I’m joking, just joking.”
The Mage laughed lightly and turned back to the Emperor.
“Of course I said that… but if something unexpected happens, I’ll forcibly bring Louis back.”
“How… never mind that. The real question is why.”
“The connection between the Demon King and the Hero’s party.”
“Are you referring to the verses from the prophecy?”
“Exactly. Right now, Louis’s power, though differing in usage, is so strong that none of the Hero’s party can beat her.”
“That truly poses a problem. Had you not been concerned about that, you would have joined the party.”
“Would it have just been me? The sword god from the Jertholtke sword mountain, the Pope from the main church, the Elven Archdruid, and so forth… they would all have participated.”
“Instead, because of that connection, the Demon King will feel at ease.”
“That’s a concern for Louis’s mentor as well. Perhaps we’ll discuss it once we arrive in the North.”
The Emperor rose from his throne and adjusted his robe, speaking.
“You two should handle that. Just fulfill what I asked of you.”
“The Empire’s protective barrier? That can be dismantled anytime.”
“Then it doesn’t matter.”
With those words, their conversation came to an end.
Moments later, the two individuals disappeared in their ways, leaving only silence in the vast palace.