AN: This'll be the last chapter I release so quickly.
Also, I just realised that between the archmage introduced in Chapter 18 and another character introduced back in Chapter 6, I've accidentally got two characters named "Terrence".
Within the royal palace of Lescatie, there was a certain bedroom on the second floor. It was comfortably furnished with a large bed, a table and chair, a set of drawers for personal belongings, and a thick red carpet on the floor.
Sitting in the bed was a woman. Her most notable feature was her long, purple hair shared by several members of Lescatie's royal family. She also had pale skin that had not seen a ray of sunlight in years. She wore a green and purple nightgown of soft cotton.
Lying open in front of her was a book. This particular one was about the history of Lescatie from two hundred to three hundred years ago, but there were also books about other subjects on the nearby table.
When she was finished with her current page, the woman slowly reached out one hand to turn the page. It took about four or five seconds to do so, but trying to go any faster would be too stressful for her.
In this manner, she read about the last campaign of Hero Grenn. This renowned hero had gone deep into monster territory alone, scouting it for the sake of a future assault by an army. However, two weeks passed before he returned… and when he did, he began questioning the actions of Lescatie and even the teachings of the Chief God. It didn't take long for others to realise that he'd been corrupted by monsters. He fled from Lescatie and was never seen again.
"A cautionary tale," the woman read silently. "Proof that even the best of us may be ensnared by monster's wiles, so we must be ever-vigilant."
She turned the page again. The following text wasn't about heroes or monsters, it was simply about routine matters of trade and tax collection and urban maintenance. Still, she read it anyway—it wasn't as if she had anything else to do with her time.
It took about forty minutes for her to finish the rest of the book. This measurement wasn't based on any clock, for none was present in her room, but on the change in the angle of the sun's rays, as glimpsed from the window.
The woman used both hands to close the book and push it away. There was no other book within reach. She might have tried rereading this book, but she was already feeling tired. She thus decided to close her eyes and rest.
Some time later, she heard the door open and shut. She opened her eyes to see a now-familiar face.
"Francisca…" Selina said quietly. "Are you feeling any better?"
"I feel… the same as yesterday," replied Francisca Mistel Lescatie, fourth princess of the Theocracy of Lescatie. "More importantly, how… how is Father now?"
Selina sat down on the chair in the room, which lay next to the bed. "He's still unconscious, but not in any critical danger. Benella and Vivian are both back now, and tending to him day and night. They said it should be a few more days, at most, before he wakes."
"I'm… glad…"
Selina looked at the pile of books on the table. "I can't believe you've been getting through those so quickly…" She took away the finished book on Francisca's bed, replacing it with a new one that was in her hands. "Is there anything else you need? Or want?"
Francisca shook her head slowly. "No… just keep looking for… the people who hurt Father…"
"Surely you must want something more, even if it's just my company," Selina said.
"No… this is enough… for me…"
After some hesitation, Selina nodded and left the room. It was an incredibly brief visit, but Francisca couldn't begrudge her for that. Others would notice if she was absent for too long… unlike the useless fourth princess, the third princess actually played an important role for Lescatie.
Francisca looked at the newly delivered book but didn't open it just yet. She simply thought about her life until now.
The illness that kept Francisca confined to this bed was an exceedingly rare one. No one could agree on its cause, resulting in it having several different names: the Withering, the Demon Lord's Hatred, the Silent Assassin. Its symptoms were manifold, weakening almost every system of the body. On particularly bad days, the afflicted would cough up blood and be too weak to stand. Everyone else with this illness died soon after birth, and it took the finest medical care available just to keep Francisca alive into her eighteenth year.
I've been alone for so long… but… people haven't forgotten me… Mary and Elt haven't forgotten me…
For much of her life, nobody had cared for the fourth princess who was useless even for arranged marriages. Nobody except for the heiress of one of Lescatie's highest-ranking families, and the sleepy-looking boy who was the child of that heiress' servants.
They managed to sneak me out of my room… They showed me what the world outside actually looked like… Those were the happiest days of my life… until they stopped coming…
Naturally, she'd believed they'd lost interest in her. That belief was only reinforced at a fancy dinner a few months ago. Francisca had heard Wilmarina would be attending, so she forced herself to stand up and attend as well, even putting on a dress for the occasion. Yet when she approached Wilmarina, her childhood friend just pretended not to know her.
Francisca clutched her chest. Just remembering that incident caused her physical pain—her illness always seemed to be linked to her state of mind.
But that had all changed three nights ago. One of her sisters had actually visited her room and apologised for years of neglect. Moreover…
"I… I didn't even think of you, even though you deserved to know what happened to Father…" Selina admitted, her head bowed in shame. "I had to be reminded you exist by Wilmarina Noscrim…"
That had filled Francisca's heart with renewed hope. True, neither Wilmarina nor Elt had visited her, but it would be nigh-impossible for them to enter the palace now, with its state of heightened security.
Both of you must be busy now, too… but I can wait. It's been years, I can wait a little longer…
Francisca's other sisters and their mother had also visited, though less frequently: her oldest sisters spent most of their time healing Father, while Mother had to deal with the affairs of state.
If I could just do something to help them… but it's no use. There are tasks that could be done without moving around, like managing the accounts, but I don't have any of the training or experience for them. All I can do… is wait.
To take her mind off things, Francisca opened the new book.
Oh? This is...
This book was about romantic stories, with its very first one being about a low-born knight who had feelings for a princess, just as she did for him. To prove himself worthy of her hand, he'd slain a horrifying tentacled monster. The last page of the story had an illustration of their wedding, knight and princess standing side by side.
It was obviously a fantasy. In the harsh world of reality, mere strength in combat might not be enough to permit such an unequal pairing.
But due to all her time spent alone, Francisca had never had anyone to disabuse her of fantasies… not even impossible, immoral fantasies.
So there were times when she imagined herself at the wedding altar, together with both of her childhood friends.
-ooo-
Some time later, Eva and two of his colleagues were in a basement room of Castle Salvarision, interrogating one of the now-captured spies. The other two spies were being interrogated in separate rooms.
"I-I was just doin' it for the coin, Hero Lucas," the soldier said nervously. "I've got a wife and four babes to feed."
"That much, I can believe," Lucas said coldly. "Those in need of money tend to make for useful agents. More to the point, what information have you been passing to your handler?"
The soldier began confessing everything. Eva transcribed his words rapidly, but at times he had to pause due to the sheer horror at what he was hearing.
"I can't believe it," Terrence said. The knight was standing to Eva's side. "I thought… I thought we could at least trust the people here…"
So did I, Terrence, Eva thought sadly. So did I.
When the soldier was done speaking, Lucas' expression was completely unchanged. That nevertheless made Eva tremble nervously.
"Rest assured, we won't kill you," Lucas said. "That would just raise suspicion. All we want you to do is continue sending back routine reports, saying nothing unusual is happening. That would be more believable than telling them the truth."
"I… that's…" the soldier said, unable to meet his interrogator's eyes. "Hero Lucas, I… I know I shouldn't be sayin' this… but… for the sake of the people of Lescatie, can you try to work with the ones in power? To slay the monsters?"
Eva was even more horrified. He tried to say something, anything to deescalate the situation, but Lucas beat him to it.
"Work with them… hmm?"
Eva and Terrence grabbed Lucas's arms. It was a hopeless effort, a mere strategist and a knight could never hold back a top-ranking hero, but they had to do something!
"Tell me, do you love your wife and children?" Lucas said.
The soldier flinched. He was presumably hearing these words as a threat.
"How would you feel if, one day, your wife suddenly disappeared?" Lucas continued, his voice utterly flat. "You searched and searched, eventually finding out that she'd been kidnapped by thugs of a noble, to be his plaything?"
The other three all gasped.
"Of course, nobles aren't supposed to be with commoners, but it's not like those scum ever had any actual principles," Lucas said. "The kidnapping was arranged by your own family, who'd never approved of the wife you married. And of course, you'd now be powerless to do anything to save her."
Eva and Terrence relaxed their grips, too shocked by Lucas' words to think clearly. Meanwhile, the poor soldier looked like a man facing a choice between death by burning and death by drowning.
"But tell me…" Lucas said, leaning forwards. "would you want to do anything, no matter what it took, to free your wife and make that bastard pay?"
"Y-Yes…" the soldier replied, shrinking into his chair.
Lucas leaned back. Eva and Terrence released his arms. Minutes passed without anyone saying a word.
To think… something like that was happening in Lescatie, and none of us ever knew about it…
Eventually, Lucas stood up and announced the interrogation was over. He, Eva and Terrence left the room, while the spy was left inside with a simple meal. They locked the room behind them, but it didn't seem like the spy was in any mood to even try escaping.
"...Hero Lucas," Eva said. "Was your… friend, saved by monsters? By Druella?"
Lucas simply nodded, his expression as hard as granite. Then he walked away.
Siding with the monsters is still an unbelievable decision, Eva thought. And yet… after what we've learned today, it increasingly seems possible.
...But if anything, shouldn't the monsters be reluctant to make peace with us? We've killed so many of them…
Yet wars between humans often ended in peace treaties, Eva knew that well from his history books. Even if there was still bitter feeling on both sides, they could sit down at the negotiating table to prevent further deaths. If monsters were truly rational, then the same would be possible with them. It would still need a tremendous amount of effort…
I have to contribute. I cannot swing a sword or throw a fireball, and I don't have the charisma to win people over, so I must put my mind to use.
Suddenly, Eva felt a hand rest on top of his shoulder. It was a reassuring gesture, yet one that also made his heart skip a beat.
"Eva, you okay?" Terrence said.
"Y-Yes, I'm okay," Eva replied. "Thanks for the concern."
"There's not a lot I can do besides this," Terrence said. "Even when it comes to fighting, I can't match any of those heroes. But you're different, I'm sure you're already coming up with a hundred plans for us to try out."
"A-A hundred is an exaggeration…"
The two of them walked through the corridors of Castle Salvarison. Throughout it all, Eva never asked his friend to let go of his shoulder.
I'm sorry… if you knew the truth, you'd be disgusted…
To him, Eva was just a good friend and roommate, But to Eva, Terrence was something far more.
Eva clenched one of his fists, behind his back so Terrence could not see.
Why… Why did I have to be born like this? I'm no good at being a man in the first place…
-ooo-
Shortly before night fell, Captain Mersé ordered the army to stop marching and begin setting up camp.
Cargo was unloaded from wagons and pack animals. Tents flew up like the countless mushrooms that were sprouting from the damp soil. Campfires were lit, with many cursing at the shortage of dry wood to burn. As one of the soldiers, Elt joined in the work.
Eventually, the camp was finished. It was quite obviously flawed: there weren't enough tents for all of the soldiers, and they weren't able to set up any fortifications, not even a simple ditch. But the person in charge was Mersé, who wouldn't blame her soldiers for not living up to standards on this impossibly rushed mission. That was one of the things Elt liked about her.
Primera disappeared around the time the camp was being set up. She returned with two very large, and very dead, boars slung over her shoulders. Each carcass was practically intact, killed instantly by an arrow to the head. Primera dumped the boars near two of the largest campfires, resulting in loud cheers.
It's a great idea, Elt thought. Even there's not enough boar for all of us, having any fresh meat will be great for morale, and it'll get people to open up to her… oh.
Primera strode off without trying to socialise with anyone. A little disappointing, yet also perfectly natural for her.
Elt made his way through the crowds of soldiers eagerly waiting for the boars to cook. He eventually found Primera outside the camp perimeter and up in a tree's canopy.
"There's no need for you to be here," Primera said bluntly. She was eating a fruit she'd picked from one of the trees.
"This isn't about the mission, I promise," Elt said. He fidgeted "It's… something more personal."
Primera frowned, but she didn't move away or tell Elt again to leave. That was a good sign.
"Primera… before you came back from your mission earlier, Sasha talked to me for a long time," Elt said. He took a deep breath. "And she told me that… that… she loved me."
That caused Primera to fall out of the tree and land on the ground, her fruit splattering into the mud. She jumped to her feet before Elt could help her up.
"S-S-Sasha did that!?" Primera said, her face redder than a tomato. "W-W-Well, you must be happy about that… Sasha's a great person…"
"Actually, we both agreed we needed time to think about that," Elt said. "And I've been doing a lot of thinking, from last night and all through our march."
"About… what?"
"I never really thought people might be interested in me that way," Elt said. "But… when Sasha and I contacted Druella, she also mentioned that Mary did so much because… because she loved me as well. I didn't trust Druella then, obviously, but now…"
"She does feel that way about you," Primera said bluntly. "It's obvious from the face she makes when you're near her. Seriously, how did you not realise before now?"
Elt fidgeted again. "It seemed normal to me, she often looks like that…"
"So you've been making her feel that way for as long as you can remember!?" Primera said. "Seriously, what is with your… your ignorant charms? Did you get a blessing from that goddess of love Sasha is tied to now?"
"Well… when you put it that way, it does sound stupid of me," Elt admitted. "But… that's why I don't want to keep making mistakes like that. I want to make all the people around me happy, as much I can. So please, Primera…"
The half-elf turned around to face the opposite direction from Elt. Her body trembled.
"Can you tell me… how you feel about me…?"
"I… I…" Primera slammed a fist into a nearby tree, causing it to creak. "You're one of the few humans I trust. But you can be really annoying, like right now! And I… I…"
Primera lowered her head so it was facing the ground. Her next words were almost imperceptible over the sounds of the forest.
"I can't… I can't say it… You deserve someone better than me…"
There was only one thing Elt could do. He approached Primera and hugged her from behind.
"W-W-What are you doing!?" Primera said, flinching in surprise… but not pushing him away.
"I'm the one who should be saying that," Elt whispered. "I'm the one who shouldn't be good enough for amazing women like you…"
Elt continued the hug for more than ten seconds. It should have been impossible for a commoner to do this to a hero, especially one with a normally prickly personality. Yet, although he could feel Primera's heart racing, she never struggled.
Eventually, Primera said, "...You idiot. Do you even realise what it sounds like, saying you want to make everyone happy?"
Now it was Elt's turn to feel terribly embarrassed. That sight of one man with three wives, all the way back on Court Alf, was something he'd never be able to forget. It sounded ridiculous… yet Druella hadn't lied to them so far.
"Th-That wasn't really what I meant…" Elt stammered.
Primera elbowed Elt in the chest. As shown by no ribs being broken, she hadn't put any force into it.
"You really need to think before you say things… At this rate, you'll somehow catch the eyes of other women… and you've already got at least four, if that meathead is in on it as well…"
Elt bit his lip uncertainly. While his captain was quite friendly with her troops in general, she only ever invited him to go out drinking together, not anyone else. She'd also gone to great lengths to help him after his and Primera's first encounter with Druella.
Captain Mersé acts like she's got no interest in romance… but sometimes, the way she looks at me, it's…
Elt had to talk to her. It would be risky in this crowded army camp with many people demanding Mersé's attention, but he had to find the opportunity at some point.
Then Elt's thoughts returned to the person he was currently with. He remembered that he was touching a woman in a deeply personal manner, allowing him to feel her softness, her warmth. He hurriedly let go and stepped back.
"S-Sorry about that…"
Primera turned around, her face still very much red. "Idiot… if you're sorry, you shouldn't do that… in the first place…"
The two of them weren't able to meet each other's eyes. For a while, they just stood there in embarrassment, listening to the calls of the forest animals and the laughter from the camp.
"...Elt…" Primera said eventually. "There's a lot about my past I never really told you, or Sasha, or anyone else…"
"I know," Elt said. "We didn't want to ask questions if you wouldn't be comfortable answering."
Primera sighed and tugged on the sharp points of her ears. "In my earliest memories… I remember my parents being happy. They'd been cast out from both their homes for their marriage, but the three of us were happy together, in a little hut in a forest… until a gang of human bandits came."
Elt clenched his fists. He was more familiar than most with how cruel humans could be. Still, to attack a family who were just keeping to themselves… it was unthinkable.
"Looking back at it now, they might've been deserters from an army like this one," Primera said. "It'd explain their rusty weapons and armour… Anyway, my parents fought back, and managed to kill all the bandits… but… but..."
Elt pictured a little girl in a home once filled with happy memories, now filled with numerous bloody corpses, two of which belonged to her only family.
He couldn't hold himself back. Overcoming his embarrassment, he hugged Primera again.
"And… that's why…" Primera murmured into Elt's shoulder. "I couldn't… say it… I started feeling this way about you… over a year ago… but I couldn't say it… because… I didn't… want to hurt you…"
"That's another reason why we have to change Lescatie," Elt said. "So horrible things like that won't happen again."
"You… idiot…" Primera said, punching Elt lightly. "You just want to… add a half-elf to your harem…"
Elt gulped. "N-No, that's not it!"
Primera slowly pulled out from Elt's arms and looked into his eyes. "But I guess that makes me the bigger idiot, for… for…"
Then she shook her head furiously and ran off behind a tree.
"A-Anyway, that's enough of your nonsense for today! You have to go back now, before… before anyone starts getting ideas about us…. being together!"
Trying to approach her now would just be counterproductive. Elt started making his way back to the camp.
I still can't believe it… Primera as well… What should I do? How can I make them all happy?
There was the earlier-mentioned option of… being with… them all. But it was obvious something like that would have its own problems. Elt would be unhappy at seeing a woman he loved be with another man, and he suspected the same would be true for women.
Granted, there was a part of Elt that found that option tempting. Followers of the Order weren't supposed to have such desires, but… in practice, everyone did. Elt did, all of the soldiers he trained with did as well.
Wait, does that mean women too…? Including…
Elt slapped his cheeks.
That's enough of… that topic for now. I need to get back to the others…
Elt returned to the camp and ate his share of dinner. He then retired to his tent, a simple triangular structure of sticks and canvas.
Two other soldiers shared the tent. Elt was actually grateful for their loud snoring, since it prevented him from having unwanted thoughts.
However, that only lasted as long as he could stay awake.