"….hm."
"You're finally conscious."
I looked at Feli slowly sitting up and felt my expression relax.
It was still around 7 in the morning.
I did say "finally", but only about two hours had passed.
"…my deepest apologies."
Those were her first words.
Before saying anything else, she apologized.
I thought that it was really like her to do that.
"You did it for my sake, right? Besides, sparring once in a while isn't bad at all."
"But I…!"
Feli tried to move closer to me, but froze halfway.
She realized that something felt off.
"Did you do this, Your Highness?"
Poorly done bandages had been applied here and there on Feli's body.
"I can't really use…magic, was it? I was the one to hurt you, but this is all I could do."
"...."
My treatment was so poor I almost hated myself for it.
I was simply terrible at healing others.
After I confessed, Feli looked at me wide-eyed in surprise, then chuckled.
"Your Highness."
She then called me.
"Please come closer."
I stood up from the chair I was sitting in and walked closer to Feli.
"Excuse me."
Feli then placed a hand on my stomach.
"O wounds, recover"
A green light shone in her palm.
It was a very gentle light.
I could feel the pain subside and disappear.
So that was magic.
I thought it wasn't much different than the previous world's "Bloodline Techniques".
My magic was probably "Spada". Thinking it like that felt convincing.
"Pretty convenient."
My wound had to be relatively serious, as she continued healing for a while, but I could clearly feel the pain diminishing over time. After a few minutes, I would probably recover to the condition before the duel.
"Yes, indeed. Whenever you are injured, please let me heal you."
Feli then laughed at herself, saying that she was the one to cause this wound, though. I said that we were on the same boat then, and laughed too.
"Putting up a front can only hurt you, you know."
"I'll be careful, I guess."
"Yes. Please be careful."
She probably realized that I did not really mean what I said, or that nothing she could say could really help.
Feli simply laughed at how hopeless I was.
When my healing ended, it was Feli's turn.
She removed my sloppy bandages with an apologetic expression, then healed herself.
After a couple minutes, there were no visible wounds on her.
"You're not going to heal that?"
A cut on her right arm.
Feli left a bandage on that single spot.
"This is Your Highness' affection, after all."
She said that so happily.
She left my bandage on a shallow wound, then.
I didn't know what good it would do to leave my poor bandaging there, but her words made me happy. A little.
"Hey, Feli."
I called her name this time.
I then pointed my palms to the floor and, from the shade created by the sunlight filtering through the window, a "Spada" surfaced.
"Take this with you."
I then handed the "Spada" to Feli.
"Think of it as a good luck charm…or maybe you don't need it?"
Feli was a person who kept her promises.
She would surely go to Grerial, as I told her.
And she would surely be useful to him.
So my "Spada" was additional insurance in case of an emergency.
"No, I gratefully accept it."
Feli gripped the sheathed "Spada" tightly.
"I see."
My business was done.
I headed to the closet, took out a coat and put it over my shoulders.
"I'm going to see an acquaintance's acquaintance now. Tell them I'll be back by dinner."
"Then I— "
I will come with you.
Before Feli could finish her sentence, though, I had left the room and closed the door behind me.
"Rest for today. Putting up a front can only hurt you, right?"
I shouted through the door.
I did think it was a nasty way to reply, but I did not stop walking away.
.
Narrow, maze-like back alleys.
A place immersed in darkness, without a single light.
It was still noon, but there was barely anyone around.
"—this must be the place."
I stopped in front of a grimy door.
"Here we go."
I stretched my hand to the doorknob, but—
"….hmm."
I only felt a dull metal texture.
The door didn't open.
That was a problem.
The moment I started looking around, a silhouette slipped out of the darkness.
Because of the poor lighting I could barely make out their figure, but I could somehow tell that it looked around the same age as me.
"I'm in charge today. What business do you have?"
"…the florist…no, Warrick introduced me to this place."
The bouquet of red spider lilies I bought before going to Rinchelle.
I took out the letter hidden in the bouquet, so the boy before me could see it.
<
I wasn't sure I could call that a letter of introduction, but it was true that he introduced me to this place.
The introduced party was a merchant, apparently: there were three addresses in the letter, and I had just visited one of them.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No."
"Goodbye then. The master didn't tell me that anyone was coming today. I am a salaried worker, though I may not look it. Please be on your way."
I had the feeling that the boy was waving me away.
"........"
It looked like there was no room for negotiation. After thinking silently for a while, I spoke again.
"If I took an appointment, when could I see him?"
"Who knows? Why do you think I could know something like that? I don't know what noble villa you pranced out of, but…"
The boy had noticed the gorgeous clothes I wore on purpose.
He then sighed and looked at me.
"In these back alleys, you stand out way too much, looking like that."
The boy flashed an unsavory grin.
At the same time, I noticed people started gathering in the back.
There was a wall behind me.
In other words, it was a dead end.
"Curse your own carelessness, pal."
The boy had no intention of acting himself, apparently.
He was just in charge of the place that day and would not side with either party, or so it seemed.
The ruffians attracted by the "lure" I represented numbered to about 30.
It was all too clear that they had no good intentions towards me.
"Haha,"
I let a chuckle out.
An eerily fascinating, crazed laugh.
I could tell that several of the ruffians were armed.
Some had already drawn their swords.
I wore these clothes on purpose because I didn't want the merchant I would meet to look down on me, but look what the result was.
Normally I would have felt like sighing, but I realized that my luck was as bad as usual, and felt like laughing instead.
"If you have drawn your swords against me, then you must be prepared for the consequences, yes."
No answer.
Don't damage his clothes! How are we going to split it?
Such are all the words I heard. They did not have the slightest intention to talk with me, apparently.
"Oh well."
The boy looked at us from a distance, eagerly looking forward to what would happen.
Other people's misfortune tastes like honey, as they said.
That was quite distasteful, to say the least.
"No hard feelings, this is all in self defense."
I said to the ruffians charging towards me, weapons in hand.
I could see the shadows.
My target was at their feet.
I focused to bind them all to the ground and—
"Spada."
Chop.
I could swear I heard a sound like that in my mind, as the view suddenly cleared.
"Gwaah…?"
Screams and moans of agony filled the alley.
"….sigh."
My luck was really terrible. That's the only conclusion I could reach.
I walked a few steps, sat down near the door I initially stopped in front of, then looked up.
It was still noon. There was time.
If I waited here, I would meet the merchant sooner or later.
"...."
I felt someone's presence and looked to the side.
The boy who chose to stay out of the "quarrel" was looking at me.
"….what's your name?"
His voice was shaking.
Even so, since he realized I was someone not to underestimate, the boy continued looking at me.
He carried a sword at his waist.
Something made his chest swell. Probably a knife.
He said he was in charge of the place that day.
He was a swordsman, maybe.
I liked his stance of heightened alert.
"I am the third prince of the Diestburg kingdom, Fay Hanse Diestburg."
A soft breeze moved my blonde hair. I spoke with my hand still on my "Spada".
"I wish to speak with the famed merchant Dvorg Tsarrich."
Because he was probably the only person that could fulfill my request.
"That is why I came here."