We arrived at the next former city-state. The outer walls of each one still had the same imposing atmosphere, keeping out invaders.
This is apparently the easternmost town in the empire. It seems some of the Eastern Knights are stationed here. The two of us, the hero and I, arrived here 10 days after we left the destroyed nameless city, fighting off monsters. The hero explained in a faint voice. For some reason, the voice sounded like it was whispering in my ear. "Is it magic?" I wondered.
"Keep your hood pulled down and your face down in the city ahead."
"Wh-why?"
"There's no life in the people here."
"So why?"
"They were forced to become Imperial citizens. It was pressure. In the end they lost to the Empire. They revolted many times but were crushed, and they no longer have any power."
"Did you succumb to force?"
"Yeah. I made him submit."
The hero stares off into the distance. "What have I seen?" he wonders, but stays quiet and doesn't say anything. A checkpoint has begun right in front of him.
"Stop! Show me some proof of identity!"
"Here it is. I'll only be staying for one day."
Four knights surrounded me. I showed one of them my Adventurer's Guild ID.
"Hmm! An adventurer, huh? I bet spy work is fun. Hahahaha."
A knight who laughs in a vulgar way. It gives the Eastern Knights a bad image.
"Come on in!! To Imperial territory."
"Oh, I'm relieved."
The hero said, and took the reins of his horse and started walking. I followed behind him and pulled alongside him.
"What's with that attitude?!"
"That's what it's like under the Knights. It tells you where the four great Knight Commanders come from."
"Was he a hero to the north, south, east and west?"
"I don't know. I think they were just four foolish generals who were consumed by greed. But I don't know anything about it. I think Lance's father was... No. I'll stop here."
As I walked, wondering if it was okay for me to say such a thing, since I was an Imperial citizen, I came across a well-built townscape. It was a city with fields even within its walls.
As I entered the town, the windows were blocked off by wooden boards. Even though it was a main street, there were no stalls. Few people were out and about. Everyone had their heads down. The only thing that was lively was the blue sky. The air was so dark that I felt like the sky would soon become cloudy.
"Now... let's spend the night in the dark. Make sure you don't look depressed."
"Okay, but I want to get out of here quickly."
"Nefia, I completely agree."
For some reason, we feel uncomfortable. We can sense that we don't belong here.
Feeling uneasy, I searched for an inn, found one nearby and checked in at an inn with stables. I went shopping to replenish the things I had wasted on my journey. I took care of my travel items in my room, and that was the end of my day.
*
The next day, I left the inn as if I was running away. In the cold air of the early morning, I walked down the street in silence without saying a word, and went outside the gate. The knight didn't stop me from going out. I stretched out on my horse.
"Phew! This town is so suffocating!"
"It feels oppressive and I don't like it either. The wind is bad."
"No one seems to be in a good mood, really."
"Oh, you look depressed. That's why it's easy to tell you're a stranger."
"I wonder what's going to happen to this town?"
"I don't know. Anyway, I'll give you this."
The hero reaches into the large bag and pulls out a thin book.
"What is that? A spellbook?"
"No, it's a fairy tale. The same one you picked up. I knew what it was about so it was easy to find."
"You, why did you bother to..."
"Well, it was your favorite fairy tale, right? I like it too. I was happy to hear that we grew up reading the same thing, so I just said, 'Yes,
"...Hmph! That's disgusting. But it brings back memories. I guess I'll read it and try to remember."
The hero hands me the book on horseback. The hero is holding the reins so I just have to make sure it doesn't fall off. Open the book.
"I wonder why I really hated it... so much so that I sealed it away and forgot about it."
She is reading a book with her long hair tucked behind her ear. A nostalgic picture. Different people draw it differently, but it's generally the same.
"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess..."
The content should be the same.
"One day, the princess is captured by an evil dragon."
I read slowly. Not out loud, but savoring the words. The story is about a battle between a dragon and a knight who kidnapped a princess. In the end, the dragon and the knight kill each other, but the knight leaves his name as a hero. I remembered. All the reasons why I hated it.
Being a man, he longed to become a knight. But he learned that he could never become one. He was jealous and disgusted that there was no one who could help him like the princess.
"Yeah, that's right... As I grew up, I started to dislike the fact that reality was so different from the stories."
Even though he was locked up, he was a man, so no knight appeared like the princess. Even though he was a man, he couldn't become a strong man like a knight. He stopped reading and remembering fairy tales. He suffered from the difference between his dreams and reality.
"Have you finished reading it?"
"...Hmm. I don't feel very good about it. When I was little, I thought of reality as being the same as fairy tales."
"Me too. I was thinking the same thing."
The hero shook his head. I responded by expressing my thoughts.
"When you grow up... you feel something completely different. When I read it now, the princess didn't do anything."
They are simply being protected. Tokiya responds to that.
"I see... I didn't really pay much attention to that part when I read it. I just admired the cool knight who fought the dragon for the princess."
"You too?"
"And Nefia?"
"Ah... nothing."
He lowered his head and glanced at the hero out of the corner of his eye. He shouldn't be proud of himself. This is something embarrassing. Something that didn't come true. After all, dreams are just dreams.
"That's right, I feel satisfied because I feel like I've become the person I've always wanted to be. I've become a Black Knight, and now... well."
I meet the hero's eyes.
"Because I can do my best to protect the Princess."
"Don't look at me, you idiot. I'm not a princess."
I looked away. Now there was someone protecting me. Come to think of it, it was a woman now. My face grew hot. I thought back to my current position in my head, "That's strange, for some reason I feel like I'm similar to a princess in a story. Well, I wouldn't be facing a dragon after all."
"Your face is red. Are you okay, Nefia?"
"I was just reminded of my dark past. Don't touch me, idiot."
"I'm really sorry... a dark past, huh... right..."
There was silence, and the next conversation was after dark.
*
After dinner, I practiced swinging my sword.
"Hmph!!"
With regrets from the past. Perhaps because he remembered his dream of becoming a knight, his hand gripped the sword tighter. Only recently did he become accustomed to using this sword. Swing it with one hand. Swing it with both hands. While imagining Lady Elmia.
"You look energetic today too, Nefia."
"Well, I couldn't do it yesterday."
I actually like training. It allows me to do things that I couldn't do by staying at home. It allows me to move my body.
"But I don't think I can beat you."
"I don't know. You never know until you try. A fight to the death is a gamble. The last person standing is the winner, even if they call you a coward."
"...A lion will use all his strength even when hunting a rabbit."
"The rabbit might have a trump card."
"That's right. When I was captured I was attacked from the roof and couldn't do anything."
"Oh, so... there was no blood on the sword."
I was taken by surprise at the time. I wonder how I could have gotten through it. I don't know, so I'll put my sword back in its sheath and ask.
"Hey, hero. What would you do if there were two enemies in front of you, in front of you, and one on top of you?"
"I'll kill the first two. Then I'll kill the one who came after me. I'll leave the other one alive and torture him. I'll get him to spill information and then I'll get rid of him."
"...You're not a hero, you're a devil, aren't you?"
There is no image of a god's blessing or light at all. If anything, it seems more like the blessing of an evil god.
"Demon huh. Well, I don't mind being a demon. Come on, I'll try my luck. Stay away for a bit, it's dangerous."
The hero unsheathes his sword from its sheath. He grabs it with both hands and swings it around. A cross slash, a spin and another cross slash. A sideways sweep. He swings the large sword around with ease. The sound of the wind cutting through it reaches his ears. Come to think of it, he has no idea just how strong the sword strike is.
"Hey, can we just cut each other off for once?"
So I was a little concerned.
"No, it's dangerous."
"I'll only protect you once."
"No, no, the powers are different."
"It's okay! I blocked King Maximillian's blow! It's okay."
"...I'm not really interested."
"That's my order. We will defend like this."
Hold the sword to the side and hold it above your head with both hands.
"If that's an order, there's no other way."
"Hahaha, well I wasn't that nervous the first time we faced each other. Come on!! Bring it on!!"
The hero raises his sword.
"Let's go."
The moment he spoke, a chill ran down his spine. His body tensed as the hero looked straight at him. He didn't feel like he could block it. And then, at the moment he was lowered down, he felt like he was going to be crushed and closed his eyes.
Kin!!
There was a small impact on my hand. I opened my eyes timidly. The hero put down his sword and apologized.
"It's impossible, after all. Satisfy me... I can't do it."
"...Ah, yeah it's okay! I'm satisfied!"
My legs are shaking. They're not strong or heavy. I can't really describe it. I realized that I really had no motivation when I faced them. If he had used all his strength, I would have been cut in half. I could understand that with my body.
"Nefia, you should change the way you fight."
"yeah?"
"You need to stop defending yourself. You can't take it."
"Wha-what?! Ah, no. Yep."
I thought about denying it, but I realized just now that it was impossible. I felt like I would be crushed.
"You should abandon defense and focus on avoidance."
"...This body is really weak."
I can't overcome them by force. It's frustrating.
"Well, Elmia told me the same thing... She was able to overcome me with sheer force, so what am I lacking...?"
I kick a rock on the ground. There's definitely something missing. I know what it is, but I can't.
"...Strength isn't something you can acquire overnight. It's okay. I was weak too."
"That's true... I see. There were no strong people to begin with."
"Ah, she's not here. If you don't mind, would you like to practice some wind magic?"
"Is that okay?!"
"It's difficult, but I'll teach you."
The wind magic I have seen is strong. It will really make me stronger. It is what I need right now. But that alone is not enough.
"Hero! Use your wind magic to make me stronger!"
"picture!?"
"It's strange for a Demon King to ask a Hero for guidance! But this is the quickest way! It's an order!"
The hero looks into his eyes. He looks straight back at him.
"...Okay, I get it. It's rough, but I'll teach you."
"Yay!"
"Huh? What a cute gesture."
I clenched my fist in front of my chest and pumped my fist. Then I came to my senses, puffed out my chest and repeated myself.
"Oh, really! Very well done, hero! I'll teach you properly!"
"Of course, Princess. Damn, cute."
"I told you not to treat me like a woman!!"
"Yes, yes... Princess. No, you're too cute."
"Damn it! You idiot! Stop calling me cute!"
I hit him in the face with force. The hero was smiling from start to finish. Always. It'll probably be like this from now on too.