Chapter 1 - Volume 1 (1/2)

My lady!」

My wet nurse’s trembling voice felt somehow distant as she called out to me. Why was her usually firm voice, more familiar to me now than the day I was born in this world, shaking? If I let my imagination wander, she sounded like she could faint any second.

「I’m fine.」 Even though I just wanted to reassure her, the words strangely wouldn’t leave my mouth. It wasn’t just my voice, I couldn’t move a single finger or blink, let alone move about.

Ah, that’s right. I was in shock, I understood now. I understood the excessive shock was now even more than shock – my entire body, mind and soul were refusing ‘that truth’. That’s right, yes, that’s right. I understood. I meant to understand, but in the end, I never really understood. I never got further than pretending to understand. I didn’t understand a single thing after all. While pretending to understand, all I was doing was turning my eyes away from the truth.

「My lady!」

I was such a fool.

That thought came to mind as I listened to my wet nurse’s distant scream, my body crumbling and my consciousness fading.

* * *

Well then, ladies and gentlemen. If you would please lend me your attention for a little while.

Once upon a time, there was a peaceful kingdom somewhere. The king laid out a good, just government, the queen was kind and gentle, and their daughter, the princess, was so beautiful. It was a happy, fortunate kingdom, one where everyone smiled and even the smallest delights were shared.

But one day, dark clouds came over the kingdom. What was happening? An ancient demon king who was supposed to have been sealed away many centuries ago made his return. Evil apparitions began appearing in all sorts of places, causing great cruelty and tormenting people.

Of course, the king sent his army to the demon king. But the demon was now even more powerful than he was centuries ago, and he used his power freely on the brave soldiers as they marched towards the demon’s city, easily slaughtering them all.

As despair spread over the land, a ray of light descended from the heavens to the castle. The light remained in the deepest parts of the castle’s treasury, pointing to the holy sword that had once been used to seal away the demon king.

The king then realized it. He realized that the guardian goddesses of the kingdom were showing him the country’s last hope. He realized that, yes, the power of the holy sword was necessary once again to defeat the demon king.

The golden, shining sword could only be taken out of its sheath by the chosen one, the hero. All the young men began to try pulling the sword out of its sheath, going in and out of the royal palace. But the sword just wouldn’t come out. No matter who pulled it, the sword and the sheath stayed close as if stuck by glue, and the sword’s blade never came in sight.

The king finally put out official notices, assembling young men from all over the land. Many young men tried pulling the sword out, all thinking they themselves were definitely going to be the hero, before giving up.

When everyone had lost hope, a young man showed up, standing in front of the sword. He was an imposing, dignified youth, with golden hair as if spun from the sun’s rays and green eyes shining like leaves on a summer day. He was a son from a noble family — even though it was called a ‘noble family’, they weren’t high-class enough to have an audience with the king. He was from a noble family from the countryside, living near the kingdom and ploughing the fields like all the commoners.