58-58 Adventurers Daughter (1/2)

Inez Harness has never known her family.

Her adventurer parents died before she was old enough to remember, leaving her alone.

After moving from place to place with her parents' adventuring friends, the young Inez was eventually taken in by the Harness Orphanage in King's Landing.

──── There were many children there who had eyes just like his own.

The director of the orphanage and the staff were kind.

It was not a family.

But it was something close, something warm.

They graciously took her in, gave her hot meals and new clothes.

And these kind and warm people reached out to her and told her to come and live here with them.

But Inez didn't think she could be a part of it.

Because ────.

”You are a plague.

That's what I've been told, and I've moved from place to place.

In fact, I think that sometimes something bad happened in the places I was.

Every time, I was told.

Your parents were unlucky.

That's why they died.

You're just as unlucky as they were. Bad things happen when you're together.

That's why you're still a pestilence.

Your parents have been good to me. But you've done your duty.

So I'm asking you to go to ──── and go somewhere else.

And no matter where I went, I was always told the same thing, and eventually I was kicked out.

But the people at the orphanage never said anything like that.

After a few months and years of living in the orphanage, Inez gradually got used to the place and began to feel safe.

Strangely enough, nothing bad happened to her.

Maybe...

Maybe it's okay for me to be here.

That's what I started to think.

She had friends to play with, and she gradually became familiar with the staff.

In this way, Inez grew up without any problems and in good health. ──── It was supposed to be that way.

But then, one fine day.

When Inez casually walked out into the garden of the orphanage, she turned her hand to the sky and noticed a strange glowing thing (・・・・) floating there.

It was like a very beautiful, thin, shining membrane.

I wonder what ──── this is, or is it ......?

Inez wondered and continued to stare at it.

Then a little boy noticed the shiny thing at the end of Inez's hand and ran over to it, reaching out to grab it playfully. ──── Immediately, a part of the boy's body was cut off.

That was the moment when it became clear that Inez was a rare Gift.

The [Gift] that Inez had gained had given her unimaginable power.

The ”Sword of Light” that cuts through everything.

一国の軍隊ですら、その気になれば、何の訓練もなしで(・・・・・・・・)あっという間に殺し尽くしてしまえるほどの、絶大な力.

────たった一人いれば国を滅ぼすに十分(・・・・・・・・).

国を運営する地位ある人々に、イネスはそう判断された.

使い方によっては莫大な益を産み、また使い方を誤れば巨(おお)きな災いとなる、隔絶した力────少女はなんの準備もなく、それを手にしてしまった.

ただ存在するだけで一国を脅かす者.

そんなものを国としても放っておくわけにはいかなかった.

イネスは結局、孤児院に籍を置きながら、同時に【六聖】全てを師として教育を受けつつ育てられることになった.

────そうして、また数年の月日が経ち.

イネスは弱冠１４歳にして【神盾】の名を与えられ、王国の上級騎士という要職に就いた.

そのような年齢の少女がその立場に就くことなど、王国の歴史が始まって以来初めて、異例の待遇だった.

だが、それに異を唱える者は誰一人としていなかった.

何故なら、その頃には既に彼女の類稀なる武勇(・・)────言い換えれば、恐ろしさ(・・・・)は広く民衆にも知れ渡っていたからだ.

────曰く、ただの訓練で小高い山を二つに割り.

────曰く、同行した討伐任務で飛び来る牙飛竜(ワイバーン)の群れを一刀で全滅させ.

────曰く、ながらく隊商を襲ってきた盗賊団の拠点を一晩で崩壊させ、壊滅させたと.

その逸話は最初、大袈裟な噂話であると一笑に付されたが、その後、実際の物証を目にする者が増え始めると、信じがたい噂は紛れもない事実であるという事が知れ渡り、彼女の名声が高まるのに拍車をかけた.

加えて彼女は聡明で何事も良く吸収し、並の管理階級程度の知識は既に有しており、また、上級騎士となる為の国家試験を首席で合格するほどに頭も切れた.

彼女が元々身寄りのない孤児であり、騎士叙任の時に自らの意思で育った孤児院の名を姓としたことも評判を呼び、『【神盾】イネス』はあっという間に国民の広い支持を得た.

その年齢の若ささえ魅力と映った.

何も否定する材料は見当たらない.

王国の民は諸手を挙げて彼女を歓迎した.

【六聖】に次ぐ、次世代の『伝説』が生まれた瞬間だった.

そうして【神盾】の名を戴く騎士叙任と同時に、イネスは一つの任務を言い渡された.

それは、王の一人娘────まだ幼いリンネブルグ王女の護衛兼、世話係.

イネスは少し意外に思った.

自分は王国の『剣』、そして『盾』として、この身と命を捧げるつもりだった.

なのに、護衛────は良いとして、世話係？

疑問に思いつつも、その仕事を受け入れた.

始めてみると、その仕事は不思議と性に合っていた.

もっと簡単に言えば────とても、楽しかった.

王女は明るく聡明でよく話し、自分の知らない物語や遠くの世界のことを、まるで辞書や図鑑を紐解くかのように語り聞かせてくれた.

また、しょっちゅう王女の思いついた不可思議な遊びにも付き合わされ、その相手をするのに苦労はしたものの、それもイネスにとってはとても新鮮なことだった.

何故なら────.

孤児院の子供達はあの出来事があってからイネスと距離を置くようになり、誰かと遊ぶなどということはそれ以来、一切無かったことだから.

孤児院の子供達とは、あの自分が腕を斬り落としてしまった少年に謝罪の言葉を告げて以降、一切、口をきかなくなった.

幸い、その少年の腕はその場にいた院長が治療を施し、元どおりになった.

でもそれから、イネスは他の子供達に近づくことすらしなくなった.

近づけばきっと、怖がらせてしまうから.

下手をすれば、また同じことが起きないとも限らない.

事実、自分が近づくと皆が避け距離を置く.

建物の廊下ですれ違う時も無言で道を開けられ、遠目に視線を投げられる.

From everyone's point of view, Inez always felt something close to fear.

Fear of the unknown, fear of those who would do her harm.

She had already accepted that it was inevitable that she would feel this way.