Chapter 86 (1/2)

The night progressed

Obtaining slightly calmer temperatures with the season, this is a place of repose since it's within the bed

I'm bad with pitch darkness

Inoff a di different from normal

「……Please pardon ize even in your drea next to her had started sleeping she'd occasionally apologize in this manner

She came to meet me with a flushed look so, I became surprised

But what drivesmark on Alice's porcelain like s those traces left on the nape of her neck with er

「Nn……」

Alicewell and there were no signs of her waking up

「……Leaving a mark so as to show this to me She intends to provoke ive her, that woo, I'm completely unable to fall asleep

Since I'm completely completely unable to fall asleep!

「Since on that note you also, let your guard down too er I had taken control over once ca back up

I understand that, you, idiot Alice!

「……Heal」

I touched the nape of her neck with ic and, cleanly wiped away the mark

「Please at least, keep you personal appearance in order okay……idiot」

I stabbed her forehead lightly

As always for how sheappearance, she's full of openings

What is this unbalance?

Making a bitter s happy to the ceiling

I wonder how long it has been, since I wasn't alone, and――――

I have held a deave birth to me, and soon died

I heard that she was a person with a weak body to begin with but, probably, I can iine how this demon eye could have effected her

That's why I ahter

Parricidal demon eye holder

That isis not once officially announced to the world

「It's the cri by knights or civil officials in the castle, I ca frequency

They didn't even pretend to take the attitude for facing a royal daughter but, there was a reason they called me 『Unwanted Child』 and despised o, a person of this country who held the same sort of demon eye betrayed the nobility, and drove the family into a corner

Since then, demon eye holders have been detested in this country

It is a taboo

Enough that if I act carelessly I could be executed just fro truth known

To speak of that point, I'in with, so to be welcoh

In any case, it's certain that I couldn't pass , it didn't take all that long before I felt like I'd come to hate other people

My self fro aroundreflected inin this world beco off the necklace my father had toldoff a joke

――In alike a child returning a grudge isn't amajor

When I came to, the necklace was placed on my neck and I had fallen to my knees in the castle's courtyard

I was dazed

I still felt like I was in a trance, the truth before my eyes was hamroeaker…………two unidentifiable objects that had turned to ash were scattered before me

「A――A, AA―――」

I don't remember what came after that well

――As punishht to the battlefield at an age where I hadn't reached 10

During that time the principality was in a ith the land to its east

Sacra nobility are all dereater in number but, it's built on that sort of foundation

That's normal in just this country but, the race called 『Demons』 are despised by many

Perhaps they didn't think well of this country's systems, or perhaps that was simply a pretext and they really had political reasons, the eastern theocracy caan called a crusade

The battlefield was a wasteland of whirling dust

In such a battlefield, all I saas a body clad in elegant criht to the furthest forward line

Looking at it fro but an eneet

That was the intent of the principality

As they couldn't execute et rid of the problem in a plausible manner

I'm not afraid――I shouldn't have that sort of e in the battlefield's air, I was in a state where I couldn't even walk

「Are you tre in excitement, princess Eclair」

The voice that came from on horseback was, from an old man with red hair that had s, supreme commander Cliff Steard advanced his horse all the way to my side on the furthest forward line

Baronial house Steard

Even though Cliff is the head of that fae person

A person for whoh vigor to command from the frontlines, the wrinkles carved into his face are deep

To be sure he should have lived for several hundred years by now

「I, I am, not scared!」

「Hohho, that's why, I said as such」

At the relief I was given by that voice, I reflexively displayed my empty bravery

As such Cliff looked ata cheerful old man

While I was surprised that he would still put on such a display

「If this is your first battle, just feeling this air is fine isn't it?」

I shook ave ……」

That isn't so that would be accepted by the country

I will――die henceforth

That's what is desired of me

What was never desired, was that I was born

「Fuumu……The battlefield is, not a place that a child should be sent to iss it The adults and the country who made that happen, are foolish」

A person with a position was judging his country but, strangely, the soldiers watching over the surrounding events weren't surprised

Aah, this again is it

I think they watched our affairs with such an i much at all, Cliff descended from his horse and placed his hand on my head

「Princess Eclair……No, Eclair Your body passed away on the battlefield, how does that sort of thing sound?」

「……Eh?」

Cliff facedup a prank

「Hohho, and from this day you will, be just Eclair」

「……Just, Eclair?」

「That is so, if you don't like that……How about so like, Eclair Steard?」

That was, how I and Cliff met

The baronial house Steard is on one part of the principality's eastern border territory, a noble family entrusted with a truly se person but, I couldn't see anything particularly strange about hiiven that he was a noble with many matters of his own safety to consider

The day I first met him for example

That he sheltered the troublesoave the country a false report

Hisad

One episode in his territory for exa the fields while chatting lightheartedly, alongside the people of his territory

I had never seen a noble that farmwork suited so well

At another ti prey after he said he was going out to hunt in theand vigorous aspects, he likes flowers

This person has probably, forgotten that he's an adult

But I quickly ca Cliff

「Cliff! I finished it!」

Having become someone who died on the battlefield I, entrustedthat ti work in the mansion's yard with my hands covered in dirt

Cliff looked after the flowers in his yard well but, he coarden

So building it fro the earth, I prepared a quickly asse that would be fine to leave to the gardener but, regardless of anything, I wanted to make it with my own hands

「Ooh, it's wonderful! Do you intend to drive this old to death from happiness!?」

As planned, Cliff rejoiced flamboyantly

Since his face becah toat hi at all!」

It wasthat it made Cliff happy so, it beca at me as such, Cliff becaht, this old man shall offer to wash your back in the bath」

「I don't want to! Cliff you idiot! Ecchi!!」

「Mu, muu……such an intent is to this old e then……I seee」

「?」

Soazed atsomeone else as not rant you permission to stroke my head? It'd be pitiable otherwise so, it can't be helped you see!」

「Hohho, that is an honor」

While laughing, he stroked hter and beloved grandpa

Our relationshi+p was that sort of thing

This, competes within my memory over whether it's the most or second most eudemonic time

That this livelihood would continue forever, so I felt

That this happiness would continue forever――――

「――Eh?」

This is, a letter I found in Cliff's room when I snuck in with a mischievous heart

In the desk drawer that I opened after losing against my curiosity, there was a ton of similar letters inside

The emblem is star and wolf……Sacrament's

Fearfully fearfully, I took one which had been put on top of the desk

What ritten there was, content of the sort that made me doubt my eyes

「What is……this……?」

In the letter, there is that the eastern theocracy came to invade

The principality's strict coh that forward position

That, until reinforcements arrive, Steard must hold out alone

「……Why, is it so quiet today, why?」

I noticed it, for the first time then

The lively sounds outside the mansion from the territory's people's daily life were too quiet

The number of chao Cliff said he had to set out to do so like le, I juathered here while saying they were doing exercises

Training for when the need arises is i such a carefree thing

――The tiht now, is when that need arose!

As such I left thearound the territory, I realized anew that the territory's people were clearly few in nue

Beyond my position, I didn't notice since I didn't leave the h that I was covered in sweat, I remembered a familiar minister-sama and flew into the church

Within the church, I finally saw the forreat number of the territory's people

The majority omen, children and old men