“I do think you’ve mellowed out considerably, but your attitude and conduct toward imperial palace associates hasn’t changed, has it Roth? Especially toward those who scorned me.”
At Princess Krell’s words, I tilted my head.
“? Why would I need to change it?”
“You should! I know it’s for my sake but… please don’t increase the injured at the imperial palace any more!”
“Impossible.”
“Think a little before answering…”
Hanging her head dejectedly, Princess Krell said that, but even if it’s a request from my beloved master, I can’t consent. I have no kindness for foolish scum who made my precious woman suffer.
“Geez… you really are a troublesome butler.”
“My apologies.”
“Nevermind, I get it. I fully understand Roth’s personality and know telling you is pointless.”
“To know my personality inside out… how requited.”
“We’ll prepare a four gram surprise gift for your left ring finger another day.”
“Why does it become that… Also, it won’t be a surprise if you tell me beforehand.”
“You’re right, my mistake. Please forget that conversation.”
“When told to forget, I can’t forget it~”
Princess Krell chuckled, the last sound between us before silence descended.
The wind grew colder than earlier, and faint croaking started from somewhere. They say frogs start croaking before rain, so this surely means rain this evening?
While thinking that and watching the white dove, Princess Krell suddenly said,
“Do you think the culprit will really appear?”
“You mean the one targeting the etoile magical key?”
“Yes.”
Though sudden, I answered.
“Can’t say either way at this point. As I said yesterday too, there’s the possibility they’re targeting something else while threatening to steal the etoile magical key, or it could just be a prank. Right now there’s too little information to make a definitive prediction.”
Realistically speaking, just touching the glass case instantly brings down that trap I can only describe as a lump of killing intent. How would someone unaware of that steal the etoile magical key? The moment you touch it, it’s over… No, it’s bad to have the preconception that stealing it is impossible. If the bastard who sent the notice really intends to steal the etoile magical key, they’ve surely prepared means to get past traps at that level. They can’t be crazy enough to challenge a hopeless battle if they have no chance. Reality isn’t so sweet that you can force your way through.
“It seems like just having Roth guard would be enough.”
“Naturally. The only ones with a chance of penetrating my protection are magicians wielding Seventh Heaven’s Key magical keys. Even then, it’s questionable whether they could penetrate or not. However, just protecting isn’t enough this time.”
Just protecting once, they’ll probably watch for when I’m gone and attack again. If we don’t capture the culprit conclusively, there’s no guarantee of future safety. We can’t just drive them away.
“We have to capture them for the problem to be resolved.”
“Do you think it’s possible? No offense, but that director is a bit… well… unreliable, to say the least.”
“It does seem impossible.”
I can’t trust someone who nearly killed us by accident. If Princess Krell’s body had been harmed… that director would be seaweed compost by now.
“However, I did tell them to bring in magician guards from the imperial palace that day. The magicians and guards should somehow handle security. The museum side probably wants me and Princess Krell to join as fighting forces, but I have no intention of helping more than the minimum.”
“What will you do if it’s stolen?”
“Nothing can be done. The etoile magical key would simply be stolen.”
“Isn’t that a bit cold?”
Princess Krell spoke to me somewhat resentfully.
I understand how she feels, but this isn’t based on my personal emotions.
“This isn’t something I should get involved in to begin with, Princess Krell. If I who boast absolute defense helped from the start, they would learn nothing. Then they’d start relying on me every time something happens in the future. I only protect my beloved Princess Krell, so they need to become able to protect with their own power.”
It’s the same as education. If you help with everything, the child won’t grow at all. Sometimes you have to coldly abandon them and make them develop the power to resolve problems themselves.
Hearing my opinion, Princess Krell rounded her eyes in surprise.
“Unexpectedly, Roth may be good at using the carrot and the stick.”
“You think so? Simply put, I’m just unmotivated this time since there’s no real harm to me or Princess Krell. If any harm came to Princess Krell, I’d chase that culprit to the ends of the earth, then burn their body until not even bones remained.”
“There should be limits, so please don’t overdo it even if that happens. Though with Roth here, I don’t think that situation would occur anyway.”
“True. I believe there are no daredevils who would lay a hand on Princess Krell. Because then I’d lose control of the brakes.”
“All we can do is hope no foolish people appear.”
“We can only hope. Well then, shall we start heading back?”
Since we walked while chatting for a while, we’ve come quite far. Looking back, I can’t see the mansion, only greens filling the view from the densely growing trees. We won’t get lost just returning the way we came, but I can’t make Princess Krell walk this distance and time any further.
Changing our walking direction towards the mansion, Princess Krell asked me.
“When do you next plan to go to the museum?”
“I’m thinking seven days from now. Visiting again too soon when they likely haven’t made any preparations would be meaningless.”
“Oh that’s right.”
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Remembering something, I held up a forefinger and told Princess Krell.
“Next time we’ll eat out when returning from the museum.”
“Eat out? That’s rare. Despite absolutely refusing to eat out before because ‘having another man’s cooking enter Princess Krell’s stomach displeases me.'”
“An acquaintance of mine is the owner chef of the restaurant ‘Lamitt’ in Mifras. They have very delicious tomato stew.”
“Ohh… If Roth recommends it that much, it must be exquisite.”
“Yes. I’ve been there repeatedly trying to steal the flavor-“
And at that moment.
I heard a bash nearby, so I stopped talking and turned my face towards the sound.
There was-
“A dove.”
At an angle to our right, a small white dove perched on top of a thin branch extending from a tree trunk, staring fixedly at us.
Its eyes were red, and there was almost no dirt on its white body.
Wild doves living in forests and such would immediately flee at full speed just from large creatures passing nearby, but this dove showed no sign of escaping whatsoever.
While considering if it was a pet dove that escaped and came to the forest,
“How cute.”
Princess Krell approached the white dove and stroked its small head with her fingertips.
For a moment, I thought the pigeon might flee, but contrary to my expectations, it didn’t. Instead, it narrowed its eyes, appearing content, and even rubbed its head against me.
Considering its friendly demeanor, my assumption was mostly correct.
Drawing closer to the pigeon, Princess Krell turned back with delight and said, “Look, Roht! This little one is incredibly friendly!”
“That seems to be the case. However, there are many birds of prey in this area, so it might become prey before long.”
“Why do you have to say such things!”
“Because it’s the truth.”
A pigeon tamed by humans and forgetting its wild nature would make a good meal for the harsh natural predators. According to my prediction, this pigeon wouldn’t survive more than three days. Perhaps by evening today, it might become prey for nocturnal raptors. Nature can be unforgiving.
“But, it really seems accustomed to humans. It’s not at all wary…”
“Yes, maybe it was kept by a kind person and developed a liking for humans.”
“Or maybe it’s taking advantage of humans who offer it food without asking for anything in return.”
“Stop, that’s making the little one less adorable.”
“Well, it’s not uncommon for pampered animals to take advantage of humans—huh?”
At that moment, I noticed something and stopped speaking, focusing on the pigeon’s legs. It had four reddish claws gripping the branch firmly, but slightly above its ankle, there was a shiny object attached. This is…
“A ring, huh.”
Murmuring the identity of the silver object, I gently removed it from the pigeon’s leg.
It had an ordinary design, with no decorative gemstones or inscriptions, just a regular ring. It seemed to be made of pure silver, so it was probably of considerable value.
Why would a pigeon wear this on its ankle?
The reason quickly occurred to me. Actually, there was only one possibility.
“It seems this pigeon was used in some sort of ritual.”
“A ritual?”
“Yes, well, it was a fad among young women for a while. They believed that if they caught a wild pigeon and attached a ring to its leg before releasing it, the ring would reach their future partner. There was no basis for this superstition, and it was a silly ritual. Anyway, it seems this pigeon is quite accustomed to humans.”
Though I couldn’t understand why people would believe such baseless rumors, young women were drawn to romantic things, and this fad spread around the imperial capital about three years ago. As a result, many pigeons were caught, had rings attached to their legs, and were set free. It became a social issue, and such acts are now prohibited… but apparently, there are still some people who secretly do it.
Foolish individuals who can’t follow rules, it seems.
“The ring will reach their future partner, huh?”
“Yes, that’s the idea, but… Krell-sama?”
I shifted my gaze from the ring in my hand to Princess Krell and was slightly surprised.
The light in her eyes had vanished.
Usually, her eyes sparkled and showed innocence, but now that charm was gone. Her eyes looked murky, as if she had peered into the world’s darkness or abyss. She stared intently into my eyes without a trace of a smile.
Why did Princess Krell suddenly emit such a dark aura?
I quickly understood the reason and slipped the ring back into my pocket, taking her hand.
“Please don’t worry, Princess Krell. Only you will occupy the seat of my partner, and I have no intention of letting any other woman sit there. The one I love is only you.”
“! Uh, well…”
Returning to her senses, Princess Krell mumbled something hesitantly. Seeing her like this, I continued my reassurances.
“There’s absolutely no chance that I would be interested in other women. Since I was born, you’re the only one I’ve ever looked at with desire.”
“That’s quite bold of you to say to the person herself!”
“! My apologies.”
Oh no, my emotions got the better of me, and I ended up using an indecent expression. I should choose more refined words that would be acceptable even in high society.
“I only want to have children with you, Princess Krell!”
“You’re making it worse!”
Her shout echoed through the deserted forest.
Choosing elegant words is quite difficult.
While contemplating that, I continued to express my love to Princess Krell as usual. In the meantime, the pigeon had flown away from the branch without me noticing.
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