Ruri questioned Finn, who had just arrived with the information that Asahi had disappeared from her room.
"What do you mean, Finn ...?
Asahi is surely being guarded all the time." - Ruri
Jade looks at Finn for an answer.
"As Ruri said, there is soldiers stationed outside the room, and outside the windows are steep cliffs, I thought that a mere human could not get out, but she wasn't there when the civilian went in to check on her." - Finn
While the effect of the fascination Asahi left on the other classmates slowly disappeared, they where told again of the deceit of the King of Nadarsia.
It was originally scheduled to be Jade that went to talk to Asahi and her classmates, but if it was just to tell a story and because Jade did not want to talk to Asahi, he sent a civilian in his place.
"They said that there was a junior servant girl in the room instead" - Finn
"A junior servant?" - Ruri
Ruri tilts her head.
She looks at Jade with an unexpected "What does that mean?" look, but Jade's eyebrows push together.
"The servant seems to have helped her escape.
They exchanged clothes, the servant girl gave Asahi the lunch trolley and she left, and the serving girl remained in the room." - Finn
"Do they know each other?" - Jade
It's too reckless. As soon as someone goes in the room, the news is out.
After escaping imprisonment, punishment can't be avoided. Jade wondered if the servant girl understood that she will be punished for helping Asahi escape.
"No, they don't know each other. Only …" - Finn
Finn's words tail off, and he shows a pained face.
"The girl wants to meet your Majesty. She said that the current Princess is a fake, and claims that she is the real Dragon Princess.
It seems to me that she seems to be a girl that Joshua found and brought to the Kingdom after Agete's command" - Finn
"Dragon Princess?" - Ruri
When Ruri tilted her head to the unfamiliar word, Jade saw her and held his temples as if he had a headache.
Agete's orders brought Joshua into the picture, and in the process of finding the girl Jade had met on the streets, he gained information about a similar girl who was taken by slave merchants and so they rescued her.
However, the girl Jade wanted to find was already next to him.
Jade himself acknowledged her, Agete knew that Ruri was the one, and after that nothing needed to be said, but apparently the servant girl had misunderstood something.
"Call Joshua. Let Joshua deal with the girl." - Jade
"We have already." - Finn
"Jade, what is a Dragon Princess?" - Ruri
"The Dragon Princess is the wife of the Dragon King" - Jade
"Jade's Princess ... ....
That's the person Joshua brought to meet you...... Don't you have to go see her?" - Ruri
Ruri had heard that Jade was searching for a lady, but as she questioned she felt a little uneasy.
"I don't need to meet her, because she can't be my bride." - Jade
"Really?" - Ruri
"Oh, and I have Ruri, I don't need another woman." - Jade
Jade smiles softly at Ruri.
Ruri told herself that he was looking at her as if she was a pet, but she couldn't stop her cheeks becoming red.
Jade realises that his feelings where not properly conveyed to Ruri, and Jade decides to tell her using his words rather than actions, because Ruri is still misunderstanding him.
The misunderstanding between them has still not been uncovered.
"Your Majesty, flirting can be left for later." - Finn
Finn is amazed by the carefree nature of the King and calls out like it was an emergency. Jade makes a disgruntled sound through his nose.
"I know. If you do not find her quickly, I will be in a bad mood." - Jade
"What's the first thing?" - Ruri
It was Finn who answered Ruri's question.
"A lot of former aristocrats have been visiting the third district to see the King of Nadarsia and the priests.
On top of that, the soldiers who were captured during the war with Nadarsia have gathered in the eleventh district.
Both have a grudge against the Shrine Maiden that triggered the war.
If she is found by either of them, we'll be sorry." - Finn
"I'm sorry... ... …" - Ruri
A shiver ran down her spine as she imagined the scene.
"With the servant girls access she will be unlikely to be able to enter above the sixth district.
Then, she can only go down the districts. It's really annoying." - Jade
If you're a nobleman, you understand your place, and no matter how angry you feel, you are not likely to use violence instead of words.
However, soldiers are not the same. Most of the prisoners of war are farmers, who can easily cause a riot after being swept away by their feelings.
"We are currently closing each district and making it impossible to travel between them. But...…." - Finn
"It would be troublesome if she is already in the eleventh ward" - Jade
"Yes. The search party is out and they will find her soon. All we can do is pray she doesn't meet the soldiers." - Finn
"What about the searching magic?" - Jade
"The situation is that non of the wind spirits want to help us and we have to search ourselves." - Finn
After saying that, Finn looks towards Ruri.
Suddenly Ruri shouted towards the sky "Kotarou!" Then Kotarou, with Rin placed on his head appears from nowhere, coming down from the sky.
"Kotarou, can you look for Asahi. You can find her, right?" - Ruri
"Why?" - Kotarou
"Eh...why?" - Ruri
Ruri did not think such a reply would be returned.
"I would grant any of Ruri's wishes.
But Ruri hates that girl? Why should I help? I think that they will be fine without my help anyway.
So I can not understand why Ruri is trying to help." - Kotarou
"Well, I certainly dislike Asahi, I don't want to see her again.
But to say I hate her, I don't hate her. It could be dangerous, and it's impossible for me to leave it alone.
So look for Asahi. Please." - Ruri
She puts her hands together and asks Kotarou.
Ruri starts thinking why she has to become desperate for Asahi.
If this was the king or a priest of Nadarsia, they would completely neglect her, but Ruri has a slight sentimental feeling because they had been together from early childhood.
It is not just Asahi. Ruri would do the same for the classmates who tried to get rid of her.
They are also people who can not return to their old world, and she holds an unexplainable emotion towards them that cannot be explained.
Kotarou felt Ruri's unbudging strong will and gave approval because "If its what Ruri wants".
Flowers and wind dance around Kotarou.
"She seems to be in 11th district" - Kotarou
"Of course" - Jade
Jade clicks his tongue and frowns.
＊＊＊
Asahi was walking around the castle, lost.
She wanted to see Ruri. However, she didn't know where she was, but Asahi was descending down, leaving the sixth district following the instructions of the woman who helped her escape.
Sometimes she was stopped by a soldier stood at a gate in front of a long corridor between one building and the next, but if she showed them the silver plate the size of a finger she received from the woman she was allowed past without a problem.
As she continues walking, she strolls past a loud room.
There wasn't a door, and you could easily see inside. A lot of people where eating, it is most likely a dining hall.
It reminds her that she escaped before she had eaten, and she suddenly got hungry after noticing the smell drifting from inside.
Asahi suddenly became uneasy.
She wonder how she was going to get out of here and find a meal.
Until now, she had been treated gently in Nadarsia's castle, and even with this current inconvenient life, meals where brought up at the right time. But from now on?
Neither her father nor mother where here, only Ruri was the one she could rely on. And her former classmates who came together with her to this world had been taken to another room and she doesn't know where they are.
Asahi was alone.
She remembered the words Ruri said. There is no one to depend on here, Asahi must live using her own power.
She came to the conclusion that it would be good to work for a meal, but she doesn't even know how this world works, let alone how to get a job.
She felt uneasy, not realising that she was feeling fear, and it becomes impossible for her to move from where she was stood.
Standing on the spot, her eyes met with one of the guys who was eating.
Then the man gazed at her as he slowly remembered something, she watched his eyes widen and he suddenly raised his voice with anger.
"You, you're that Shrine Maiden!" - Man
Hearing the shout, everyone who was eating their meals turns to face Asahi, who was being glared at by the man.
Asahi was delighted. To have someone who knows her. Would they be able to tell her where Ruri was so she can improve her situation.
However, unlike the innocent thoughts of Asahi, the atmosphere in the dining hall was getting worse.
"Hey, is it real?"
"Oh, no doubt. I saw her face during the war, so I won't forget her face"
"That outfit, isn't it the clothes the servants of the castle wear?
Were you living peacefully, after leading a lot of our friends to death? Don't make me laugh."
"The Shrine Maiden is here to lead us to prosperity!"
The men approach Asahi.
Their faces were full of anger and murderous intent, and even Asahi who was ignorant to others' feelings could feel the danger she was in.
She jumped and ran away.
"She's running."
"Follow her!"
"We'll show you how we suffered!"
A lot of men stop eating and begin chasing Asahi.
Asahi runs through the corridor, breathing hard as fear shows on her face.
She doesn't last long, and her legs collapse.
She is startled and looks back, the men begin closing in on her back immediately.
"Because of you" - Man
"Um…,Well…, it's not my fault, it's the king." - Asahi
"You where in favour of the war, too. Because you wanted it, the citizens agreed, and the war broke out!" - Man
"It was necessary to help Ruri-chan, after all." - Asahi
Despite desperately appealing for justification with a shaking voice, her words just fanned the fire.
"Why should we put our life on the line to help your friends!?"
We have families waiting at home!" - Man
"Erm, because …" - Asahi
If Asahi had wished for something, that wish would be fulfilled.
Therefore, Asahi who thought that he would naturally help her was at a loss for the answer.
"No, hey, I lost my brother in this war!" - Man
"Ahhhhh!" - Asahi
When the men reached out their hands, a wind blew around Asahi and made an invisible wall.
"Woah, what is this" - Man
"Don't worry, just break it!" - Man
No matter how much he reached out his hands he could not reach Asahi, and the men were stuck a little distance away from her.
However, Asahi did not feel relieved.
She was surrounded by men who where glaring at her with bloodshot eyes, beating against the walls in a desperate attempt to get to her, some fought so hard against the wall their fists became bloody.
If such a sight occurs in front of you, you can not be relieved.
Rather, Asahi fear increases because they are so close.
"Ahh, someone ... …" - Asahi
Although they could not hear Asahi's voice calling for help, Dragon soldiers rushed forward from the back of the crowd and pulled the men away one by one.
Asahi who saw this happening through a gap between the men, felt relieved and fainted on the spot.