5-05 Assassination of a Princess (2/2)

The situation is so urgent that there is not a moment to lose.

That's the impression the prince got.

”Dalken. I don't think this is the only sabotage. It's possible there are still other tricks being played in the country. Investigate that as well.

As you wish.

And...

There's another problem.

The man who rescued Lean...

”Lean” was Princess Linneburg's childhood name.

The prince still calls his sister by that name.

The prince still calls her by her nickname.

She told me that there was a man who had single-handedly defeated the Minotaur, the demon of the abyss.

But it was a very hard story to believe.

The prince himself heard the story from the princess, but it did not make sense.

The man was said to have easily defeated dozens of heavy blows from the Minotaur.

With a single mass-produced broadsword deployed by the guards.

Moreover, it was a quick attack and defense that lasted only a dozen seconds (・・・・・・).

It's impossible.

That was my impression when I first received the report.

It was unbelievable, at least from my own knowledge and common sense.

But as I continued to listen to him, it became even more unbelievable.

In the end, the man used a broadsword with a broken handle to repel a siege axe made of magic iron, and cut off the head of the Minotaur with the axe.

It was impossible to imagine such a thing.

Let's suppose there is such a man.

That is to say, there is a man who has a better fighting ability than the six saints who once faced the Minotaur in the depths of the earth - the party of six.

The Six Saints, a party made up entirely of S-rank adventurers.

These are none other than the six people that the current king, my father, once led to explore the depths of the Labyrinth of No Return.

When they encountered the Minotaur in the depths.

When they encountered the Minotaur in the depths, even Dantarg, the legendary warrior (tank) of the party, prepared to die.

His entire body is covered with muscles harder than steel, and even his eyes are unharmed by arrows or swords.

Although it seemed to be a good thing that the magic of the [Demon Saint] Oken and the king's labyrinthine relic, the Black Sword, barely worked, everyone exerted all their strength and finally killed one of them, gave up all the treasures in front of them, and ran back.

The Minotaur is that much of a threat.

And yet, he was able to defeat it single-handedly...

It was as if a hero from a fairy tale had stepped out of the story.

It was unbelievable.

My sister must have been a little confused. You should calm her down now. Then maybe we should talk to her again.

Her life was in danger.

Even a talented young lady who has risen to the rank of [Silver Class] at the age of only 14, much earlier than herself who was said to be the most talented person in the kingdom, would be confused.

This must be the first time for my sister. No wonder.

Or, there is the question of whether it was really the Minotaur.

But that question has already been answered.

Because one of the Six Saints, Sig the Sword Saint, confirmed the demon's corpse and said that it was definitely the Minotaur.

It didn't add up.

There is no other way to think about it than to believe that someone as dreamlike as my sister says actually exists.

Did you find out where he is?　You must have seen him at the scene.

”Well, that's the thing. I saw what I saw, but...

I saw what I saw, but what?

”According to the witnesses who rushed to the scene, he 'vanished before their eyes like a phantom. I haven't been able to track him since.

What the hell is that?　What do you mean?　A highly trained reconnaissance unit lost track of him?　What the hell is the...

The prince was about to say what the elite were for, but then he remembered that they were his very best men, so he shut his mouth.

I understand what you're saying. I understand what you're saying, but I'm telling you that I saw a man. And then he just... disappeared without a sound.

So you're saying they're too good to track, even with their sensing abilities.

”.......

Who the hell is that thing?

A man who easily defeated the Minotaur by himself, and whom even the elite troops of our country could not track down.

And he's hiding in the country?

The friction with the surrounding countries is growing.

Something's starting to happen.

All right, that's enough. Get to work. Let's not waste any more time.

Sir?

The older man bowed briefly and strode away.

We'll have to take action on many fronts at the same time.

The other man had taken a bold step.

The other party took a bold approach, as if he didn't care if he was discovered or not.

That can only mean one thing.

I think we're getting close.

There's going to be a war soon.

Or maybe it's already happening.

The king needs to be advised.

But my father is a man of intuition.

He's probably already noticed what I've noticed, and he's already made arrangements...

But still...

I can't stop thinking about that man.

If he's not an enemy, there's nothing more reassuring than that.

He saved my sister's life, so I hope he is.

But as it stands, he is an unknown entity.

Why he left without telling us his name, and why he ran away, remains a mystery.

Even with that, it's hard to imagine him as an ally.

”We shouldn't get our hopes up.

This situation...

It's tempting to cling to naive expectations.

But the prince shakes his head.

”If only all the stories my sister told me were true.

If only all the stories my sister told me were true.

It's like her story.

Whenever there is a crisis, a hero will come from somewhere and solve it all.

It was like a common fairy tale.

I'll have to calm down and think about it.

There was one more element running through his mind.

The prince sat down in his chair to sort out the board, and sank into a sea of deep thoughts.