Chapter 49 (2/2)
Of course, I was cautious not to expose my original path beforehand .
「Wha-, do you have any business with me? I don’t really recall giving anyone reasons to pursue me . 」
For an instant, I forgot I was disguised as a woman and almost ended up speaking as myself .
I asked my question after leading them all the way to a street deserted of people . It was directed at the individuals that shadowed me ever since I left the bar without ever getting too close or falling behind too much .
After that silence fell upon the alleyway .
Just as I was thinking of confronting due to their refusal to reply, a pair of men dressed completely in black from head to toe showed themselves .
「Madam, might you be Hero-sama? If you are, -!!」
Combining 『Godspeed』, the most advanced skill in Haste, and 『Ground Shrink』, the most advanced skill in Sky Walk, I moved behind the man before he managed to blink and pressed 【Twin-Edged Blade of Light and Shadow] against his neck .
「Who told you this? There shouldn’t be a single person in this city able to tie the Hero to this appearance . 」
「P-please wait! We’re under orders from the Princess!! We’re here only to confirm the truth behind the rumors of a girl that looked like the Hero!!」
Looking from that angle, I certainly did have a memorable face . And also if my memory didn’t fail me, those guys should be the ones attending the Princess as bodyguards .
「Alesia, the Princess of the Kingdom that betrayed me, eh? What use would she have for me after so long?」
「T-the Princess has not betrayed you!! We are your allies that know your wish!! We were sent to brave danger so you can return to your world as per the original accord!!」
「…………」
「His and her majesties used the fact that the Theocracy proclaimed you the next Demon Lord to deflect the unrest provoked by their tyrannical rule onto you . The Princess has been stricken with grief over this! Also, the summoning ritual is the royal family’s secret . Anyone can prepare the offerings for the ceremonial magic, however, the ritual itself has only been passed down through oral tradition!! The Princess’ assistance will surely be something of use to you!!」
That certainly struck where it hurt .
I wasn’t well-versed in magic itself . I couldn’t actually use magic on my own, all the magic spells and skills I had access to were fully tied to the Soul Sword .
Therefore, if the things didn’t end up like this, then it would have been fine to ask the royal family directly for the magic to send me home .
Right then my plan was to sneak into the library of the royal castle to search for information . However, if I was to believe what this man had said, then any such attempt was meaningless .
「…So, what did you intend to do with me once you found me?」
「If-, if you would like, I’d like to bring you to see the Princess, even right now if required and… before that, to our safehouse . Don’t worry, we are your friends . 」
Could I trust them?
I hadn’t met directly with the Princess ever since we parted as I left for the final battle with the Demon Lord .
Due to her standing it was likely that she couldn’t openly go against the decisions of the King and Queen .
So it might just be possible for me to escape this life on the run I’ve been leading until now that made me feel like I had been trapped in a bog .
「Please, believe me, the Princess was really anxious for the Hero-sama’s life . It’s exactly because of this that we were able to make contact with Hero-sama so swiftly . The Princess has said that she would like to help Hero-sama . 」
Those words unintentionally made me struggle for breath .
Please believe me, the vision of myself pleading that same thing uncountable number of times overlapped with this man before me .
「…… I get it . Take me with you . 」
Seeing the Soul Sword removed from his neck and dissipated, the man became visibly dumbfounded and relaxed .
「Th-then, this way . From here on, we will head towards the building within the royal castle where Hero-sama was summoned . From there we planned to jump to the safehouse with a teleport stone and have you wait until the preparation for the Return Hero ceremonial magic is done . Since we don’t really know who might be watching, I’d like to avoid actions that would expose our movements . 」
Normally, teleporting in or out of a settlement was impossible anywhere bigger than a village . It’s because numerous magic tools were usually buried within its boundaries as a security measure .
Without them, enemies would have easy time launching surprise attacks and raids during a war .
However, there was a place in the royal capital without such protection . That was the building in the royal castle that I was summoned in . After all having those magical tools there would interfere with Hero Summoning . That’s why in the effective sphere of the building, the method of burying magic tools that disrupt with teleportation was abandoned in favor of procedures that allowed them to be set up and dismantled quickly when a need arose .
「If that is the case, I agree . 」
I wanted to leave my thanks to the people that guided me into the city but in the end, I gave up on that . As long as I was treated as the world’s biggest evil, just having connections with me was a dangerous thing in itself . That being the case, it would be better if this matter ended without them being linked to me .
I followed behind the men dressed in black and soon we reached the grove of mixed trees in the royal capital suburbs .
「Oy, aren’t we going to the royal castle?」
「We are . Deep in this glade, there is an entrance to a secret passage that leads directly into the summoning area of the royal castle . 」
Having heard that I followed them deep into the trees, soon the two of them began investigating the ground . They found the entrance to the passage in less than ten seconds and raised the square-shaped stone slab .
We were welcomed by a gust of old, stale, damp air and a thick carpet of dust .
The stairway paved with stone and the atmosphere created a spectacle truly suiting the very concept of a secret underground tunnel .
「This way . Please, watch your step . 」
The men lit the candle lamps that they took out from their bags and slowly descended down the stairs .
From there we continued down a level path for a while . Only noise carried by the stagnant air were the footsteps of the three of us .
After a while, we finally arrived at a dead end . We pushed the ceiling from the inside and I found myself in a nostalgic place, the room that I was summoned into .
「Aah, Hero-sama, you’re safe!!」
And in front of me, just like when I was summoned, I saw Princess Alesia with a smile like a flower .
Swaying, silver hair that extended to her shoulders gave her looks a fragile impression that hadn’t changed much from the time we first met .
She was two years younger than me, but in these three years we have been apart she had grown taller and her body had matured noticeably . However, the impression she gave off hadn’t changed much through all this time .
「Hero-sama, are you injured anywhere?」
「A-, ah, I’m fine . You did well to know it was me with just one look……」
「Your new appearance? I have heard before of the power that the 【Mirror Sword of the Heavenly Evil Spirit] holds . 」
Saying that she laughed with a familiar smile .
That was a smile that didn’t differ one bit from the one I knew . It made me exhale with relief .
Even though I had faith following all the way to here, I had still thought that perhaps the Alesia in front of my eyes, having pride in her magic skills, was the same as the other light magic users and was aiming for my life .
「Though there are various explanations that I would like to offer you, we don’t have time for that right now . Please use the teleport stone . This is the only room in the royal capital it will work in when provided mana . 」
Saying that she handed me a semi-transparent, yellow crystal .
It was something that I had personally used many times .
「Let’s talk after teleporting . I’ll teach you the procedure for the ceremonial magic required to return at the destination . 」
「Alright . 」
I started pouring mana into the teleport stone that I had received and it started to shine in response .
As mana flowed into the magical array, the teleport formation covered the ground as if to swallow the whole room .
In that instant,
「Fufu, truly, an altruistic fool . 」
An ominous sneer reached my ears .
Before I could respond as the light was completely obscuring my vision I could for one last time see the Princess’ face, this time free of the mask .