1
The night fell with rain. It was not uncommon for it to rain in the spring, but there was something unusual about the weather that particular night. It was not like the typical, mellow showers that watered the rooftop gardens, made the cobblestones glitter, nourished the fields, and left people refreshed. It was a bleak, cold, uncaring rain, which clung to clothes, sucked the warmth out of bodies, and made one feel naked, apathetic, and lost.
It was the rain of a godless world, the outside world, from which the presence of the Divines had long shielded Bhastifal.
The knights restlessly patrolling the vast walls of Selenoreion eyed the city below with displeasure and doubt, as if their homes had suddenly become foreign to them. They were all waiting for the attack by the unknown enemy, without even knowing the shape in which it would appear.
What was going to happen to this city?
What was going to become of the Empire?
Right now, did that Empire even exist anymore?
What was their “country”, anyway? Thinking about it, there was no magical power that could have covered all the land, bringing everyone and everything in it together, dyeing it with uniform colors. Was their land not only towns and cities inhabited by disconnected strangers, great expanses of nothingness in between, their only bond being the will of the one who had named them his “people” and exerted military power over them?
Deep within the Imperial Palace, that connecting factor, the ruler of Tratovia, remained shut inside the Throne Room, fearing the attack of an assassin, unwilling to show himself to his fearful subjects.
And within that very same Palace, in the great library of the southwestern keep, a young, bespectacled man slammed his palm on the long table before him.
“The time has come!” he told the woman standing further ahead. “The guards of the inner palace change shifts at midnight. That’s our cue. Make your way to the Azure Hall using the upper passageway and defeat the man they call Heaven’s Hand. After that...it’s a one-way road to the Throne Room. Here’s the master key. Make good use of it.”
Benjamin tossed the key to Izumi, who caught it with a casual move, as if merely heading out for another day in the office.
“I guess it’s come time to say goodbye,” he said with a smile. “By tomorrow morning, you’ll be far from this city, loaded with gold. Best of luck to you, Izumi. It was an honor to meet you. I didn’t think real heroes existed, but you’ve changed my mind.”
“What about you?” Izumi asked. “It’s going to be chaos out there soon. Not coming with?”
“Me? Become an adventurer?” Benjamin laughed. “I wouldn’t live one day out there in the wilderness! I’m the indoors type through and through, didn’t I tell you that? No, I’m afraid I shall remain here, depending on Lady Carmelia’s whims. It should be all right. I don’t know the specifics of what she has planned for after the Emperor is dead, but no one has any reason to care about a nobody like me. Being absolutely non-threatening is one of my few strong points. Besides—”
“—Your good looks, huh?”
“...That, above all,” the man added with a charming smile. “Well, I can’t say I don’t regret it at all. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a hero in another world? Fight evil, sword in hand, with songs written about you...So many things left to discover out there. But, these hands simply weren’t made for fending off beasts, as you can see. So you’re going to have to do the discovering in my stead.”
“Regular guys being heroes is pretty popular these days, though,” Izumi told him.
“Really? Maybe I still have a shot then? Oh well. Maybe in another life. Anyway, I have a funny feeling we’ll be seeing each other again. So you’d better stay safe until we do. Hopefully, I’ll have a story of my own to tell you when that time comes.”
“Ah, stay safe,” Izumi replied. “I’m off then.”
“Happy hunting.”
Without further ado, Izumi turned to leave, clutching the keys.
Towards a new future, for better or worse.
Towards death.
Towards life.
Towards destiny.
2
The upper passageway was empty. New guard patrols would gradually replace the previous ones, momentarily clearing the way. Or so it had been explained. In any event, there were no enemies currently in sight. Izumi ran low along the path, sticking to the shadows, keeping her senses sharp. Outside the railing spread the city, veiled in the darkness of the night, the heavy rain obscuring visibility. It worked to her advantage. In that weather, no archer would be sniping at her from the nearby towers or terraces.
Following a few sharp turns in the heights and a handful of quick flights of white marble stairs, Izumi reached the doorway to the main building. Mostly used by servants, it was a simple copper-plated door, turned green by oxidation, securely locked at all times. With the key the secret order had procured for her, Izumi opened the door and slipped inside.
The doorway brought her to the second-floor walkway in the Azure Hall, named after the beautiful blue patterns adorning the ceiling. Izumi had already passed through that hall once with Yuliana, on the day of their arrival. The path to the Throne Room from here was familiar to her, just through the central hall beyond the large gate at the other end.
There were no knights. The silence of the hall was complete.
And yet—the way was blocked.
As she had been warned it would be. She knew to expect it.
And yet, seeing that man once again made Izumi’s pulse nervously pick up the pace.
Before the great doorway stood a single warrior.
Today, he hadn’t painted his body, showing his heavily tanned features, his dark brown eyes, his long, thick, brown hair, tied tightly back.
Instead of heavy armor, that brawny man wore a brown vest and a leather kilt. Like Izumi, it seemed he favored mobility over defense. In both his hands were swords, one with a curved blade, a bit like a large sickle, another one straight and short, similar to a Roman spatha. Both quick and deadly weapons in skilled hands, difficult if not downright impossible to counter with a greatsword, even if their reach was shorter.
There was no way to catch him by surprise either.
No place to hide in the straightforward hall.
Calming herself, Izumi descended the nearby stairs and faced her nemesis directly. Without a word, they stared at each other across the hall.
Once before, Izumi had suffered a bitter defeat to this man. Although, for him, the loss of the sword despite his overwhelming advantage was probably no less bitter. Here, their grudges would be settled.
This was it.
The confrontation that would be remembered in legends long after.
The summoned champion from lonely planet Earth, Itaka Izumi…
And on the other end of the empty aisle, the strongest warrior in Tratovia’s infamous Guild of Heroes, the man known as ‘Heaven’s Hand’, a hand that takes lives the way a farmer’s scythe mows down hay, unrivaled and irresistible, Waramoti from the land of Oss...
Two people representing the highest order of skill attainable by mortal humans, one man in the Empire’s defense, one woman against it.
Surely only one would walk away from their second meeting, if either.
Throwing away all unnecessary thoughts, feeling the unbridled thrill and tension that only those in a genuine life-and-death situation could experience, Izumi drew her sword, kicked off the floor, and dashed forward.
Gefir, Sifl, Gram, Tauhirn...Magically augmenting her abilities beyond their human limits, Izumi was prepared to give her absolute everything in this fight.
Carmelia had warned her to never activate more than four runes at once. Izumi activated five all the same, disregarding the risks.
Because this was an opponent who demanded no less.
Even stripped of his divine blessings, Waramoti was still a seasoned hero who outclassed Izumi in every aspect of combat, in strength, stamina, durability, mobility, and, most importantly, field experience. Underestimating him would come at a deadly cost. Going easy on their enemy was what all Izumi’s foes had died for, it would have been nothing less but the pinnacle of irony for her to be undone for the same reason.
Too much was at stake to not take him down with absolutely everything she had. This fight could be decided with a single move. And if she didn’t claim his head with that one move, it would become her end instead.
She would lose everything.
Carmelia would lose everything.
And Yuliana—
“You’re already dead!” Izumi cried and raised her weapon. “As Kenshiro says!”
As if to mirror her, Waramoti charged, swords in both hands, a look that would traumatize children on his face. Without wavering, without blinking, his dark eyes were fixed on his opponent, no doubt searching for some critical weakness to exploit, to deliver the deathblow.
And then, as the combatants neared, that proud warrior raised his muscular arms. With a determined face, he cast both his weapons away to his sides, dropped sliding down to his knees, and shouted in his thundering voice,
——“I SURRENDER!”
“...Huh?” Izumi stopped, the kneeling warrior before her.
Had she misheard him? Did some synapse in her brain misfire, causing her to hear things? Surely he had yelled, “I will kill you!” instead? That would have made a great deal more sense. No, there he was, kneeling in front of her, unarmed hands pressed firmly against the red carpet, indicating nothing but full and total submission.
“Whoa, that’s sly!” Izumi gasped, appalled. To think a warrior of his level would resort to such dirty tricks to make her lower her guard! “Well, whatever you’re planning, it doesn’t matter.”
Izumi gripped her sword tighter, preparing to cut off his head.
“No! Stop!” Waramoti quickly gestured for her to wait. “I mean it! There is no trick! I surrender!”
“What?”
“I cannot best you, nor do I have any reason to even try. I don’t want to die! You can proceed from here and I will do nothing to hinder you or get in your way.”
“...You think I’m going to believe that?” Izumi retorted, lifting her sword again.
“I swear it,” he insisted. “On my honor, I speak the truth and nothing but the truth. I am not your enemy. Never was! There is no need for us to fight.”
No matter how she stared at him, Izumi could discern no wickedness or mischief in his stern, straightforward gaze. The man appeared to be telling the truth. His weapons were too far away for him to suddenly seize them and lash back at her. One could argue that his body itself was a weapon of lethal effectiveness, but Izumi, fifth Dan in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, with Tauhirn and Gram active, wouldn’t be overwhelmed so easily. She clearly had the advantage.
“Well, I’d better lop off your head anyway, just to be on the safe side,” she said and raised her sword once more.
“I AM A BARD!” Waramoti exclaimed.
“Excuse me—what?”
“I am a bard,” he repeated. “I never wanted to be a warrior or a mercenary or a hero or whatever. My dream, ever since I was a child, was to become a traveling singer and compose ballads for other people’s pleasure.”
“You don’t look one bit like a bard,” Izumi pointed out.
“Of course not,” he admitted. “The village I come from isn’t known for its bards. My people are all warriors, men, women, children, even the pets. Cows too, for blast’s sake. I was put through excruciating training to become a dog of war from the moment I was old enough to hold a sword, the same as everybody else, and that is the sole reason why I look the way I do. It’s just muscle, crude flesh! But within my chest, my heart never ceased to yearn for the art of music and poetry.”
“You really do have a knack for making up stuff, I give you that. But sorry, I’m pretty sure it’s going to come back to bite my ass if I don’t kill you here.”
Izumi raised her sword again.
—“Would you like some tangerines?”
“Ha?”
Waramoti suddenly broke into song.
“Then come to markets of Esopos, the first thing in the morning/
But I’ve become a man of seas/
Where the wind is now blowing, I’ll be quickly into going/
Throw away such fantasies/
They take your head and leave it hanging, on your door they come a-banging...”
“Er, what are you doing?” Izumi interrupted him.
“My first song performance,” Waramoti explained. “The Tangerines of Esopos, it was called. It earned me forty pieces of copper at a tavern at Esopos. Although, I suppose they mostly paid out of fear when I asked them to, and not because they honestly liked the piece. Even after I went to the trouble of composing it for their benefit. Then again, rather than saying I intimidated them, would you not say that this was a form of successful marketing instead?”
“You were...actually telling the truth?”
“When I became of age, sick of the whole honorable macho warrior-thing, I left my home village to pursue my true calling. I worked tirelessly to make my dream come true and sang in every town, every port, every street corner I could find. My reputation started out a tad poor at first, but I persisted for the sake of art. Eventually, however, I ended up gaining some troublesome fans.”
“Fans?” Izumi raised a brow.
“The Divines,” Waramoti answered. “My travels eventually brought me to Bhastifal, and I made the mistake of doing a public reading of poetry at a pub in the Gralia district one night. I was trying to woo a certain woman, but somehow, Lord Cinithlea also heard my efforts. For reasons unknown, she developed a profound appreciation for my art, the likes of which no mortal has displayed before or since. At first, I was overjoyed to finally find myself a patron, and of such high profile to boot. And yet, my joy soon turned into horror instead.”
“Horror?”
“Yes. Since that fateful night, the Divines forced me to go read them my poems every single day I was in the capital. Because of their magic, I was unable to run away, so I volunteered for the Imperial army instead, knowing the Divines were unable to interfere in the matters of the state. I figured I’d get sent off to war somewhere far, far away, where I could finally break free of the spell and escape—or better yet, die off in peace. But the Lords wouldn’t let me get away that easily. They pushed their blessings on me, which not only kept me from death, but turned me into legend. Again and again, I was forced to return home victorious, and I was about to reach writer’s block for real. But suddenly this morning, all of this changed. The Divines have vanished, and their blessings together with them. I am a free man now, and I will never fight another war in my life. From today on, I am Heaven’s Hand no more. Gods, I hated that name! I am now Waramoti, the Bard, and that is what shall be carved on my gravestone, if it’s up to me to decide.”
“………………………………..Uhhhhh, okay.”
Somehow, the greatest duel in modern history was over before the first blow.
Suspicious though Izumi remained of him, Waramoti showed no sign of changing his mind, but courteously instructed her to go on ahead, opening the great door for her. He even returned the magnetite vest.
“You don’t need to believe me,” he said. “Just take my weapons and bar the door from the other side. So long as I remain in guard here, no one will dare pursue you.”
“Thanks...I guess?”
“No, thank you. It’s because of you and your associates that the Divines have ceased to be, is it not? Therefore, I owe you no less than my life and freedom twice over. It is a debt I will do my utmost to repay some day.”
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
“No, thanks,” Izumi declined. “I’d rather never see you again, if I can help it.”
“Why, do you still hold a grudge for the other day? You were the one who tried to kill me out of nowhere, remember! Can you fault me for only defending myself?”
“Hm...I suppose that’d be a bit unreasonable,” Izumi had to admit, recalling her actions that night. His story totally made her look like the villain.
“Right?” he agreed. “So let’s put that trifling matter behind us. By all means, for the gratitude I have for you, we should be best of friends.”
“Look, even if you aren’t strictly a bad guy, that doesn’t mean I suddenly like you a whole lot. Rather, you needlessly handsome muscle guys make me uncomfortable, so why don’t we keep this purely platonic, and part ways without further ado?”
“Ah, a professional to the core,” Waramoti nodded approvingly. “I, on the other hand, have deep respect for your type. You are unusually disciplined, for a woman.”
“What do you mean, for a woman? That’s sexism!”
“...What schism?”
“Never mind,” Izumi heavily sighed. “Talking to you is seriously draining. I’m just going to go ahead now.”
“Good luck,” the man told her. “And do be careful. My oath of fealty prevents me from disclosing anything that might bring his majesty to a disadvantage, so I cannot directly help or advise you. Fortunately, he gave me no direct orders to defeat you either, so remaining neutral should keep me safe.”
“It sure warms my heart how you put your own safety above mine, even after declaring us as best of friends.”
“That just means I trust you to make it through this alive without my needless sacrifice. If you fail, despite my faith in you, then wouldn’t that make me look like a terrible judge of character? Would one normally count on a complete stranger like this? Not, right? Surely this only speaks of the firm bond that destiny has forged between us. Besides, who will record the events of this fateful night in a song, if I, the only literate person here, were to perish?”
“Don’t just assume I’m illiterate!” Izumi retorted. “Although, it’s true I’m probably never going to write any of this down. I don’t have such a talent and it only sounds like a huge waste of time. Not like anyone would believe a word of it.”
“True, I might have to alter a few details here and there to better appeal to the local audiences,” Waramoti went on to ponder. “But such is the part of the poet. I have my own livelihood to mind also.”
“Aren’t you a little too quick to give up on honesty? You have no principles, do you!? Wait a minute, what parts were you going to change, exactly!? I can’t let you publish anything that will ruin my reputation! I have my brand as a champion from another world to consider!”
“Wait, what kind of brand? Demonic, or divine?”
Barely before losing her temper, Izumi recalled her mission and forced herself to leave the self-proclaimed bard behind. Getting past Heaven’s Hand without expending her fighting strength was no doubt an enormous stroke of good luck, but it was still too early to celebrate. Waramoti’s words had, in part, indirectly confirmed the paranoid idea which had haunted her all day.
She was being expected.
The exact hour and manner of her arrival were already known to her target, even though it shouldn’t have been possible. Exactly what manner of a vile setup awaited her ahead, in the ominous Throne Room, she couldn’t yet even guess.
But there was no choice.
Regardless of the danger, there was no turning back now.
3
I need to do something. The longer she waited the firmer this thought grew in Yuliana. For reasons the princess couldn’t understand, Izumi was expected to kill the Emperor tonight, as if the fact were already written in stone.
Following her brief meeting with his majesty, Yuliana had been escorted back to her chambers in the tower on the south-western edge of the palace, and locked there. She kept restlessly pacing back and forth, plagued by anxiety, while the melancholic day slowly passed. As the nightfall neared, that torturous restlessness only grew worse.
Something terrible was going to happen. Soon.
If Izumi was indeed being expected, then she was most likely headed into a trap and would be killed. If, by some chance of a miracle, she managed to kill the Emperor instead, then the whole country would be plunged into chaos and disorder. And Izumi wouldn’t walk safely out of that either.
So many were going to suffer, and for what?
Did anyone even know?
There had to be a way to prevent their meeting, stop the worst from happening.
But how?
Why was Izumi doing this, anyway? Was the woman still trying to save Yuliana? The one thing the princess had feared the most was about to come true. If only Yuliana could somehow tell the woman that she was in no danger...
“Ah…!”
Suddenly, the princess recalled the enchanted chain she had been given by the mysterious young man. How could she ever forget about it! It should have still had enough power for one brief contact. Yuliana now quickly pulled that chain from her pocket and clutched it, gathering her focus. If that youth was indeed connected to Izumi somehow, then he could surely deliver the warning. “Keep away, you’re being expected!”
It took quite some time to establish the contact.
Was the magic in the chain already waning?
But eventually, the familiar voice did resound in her mind again.
“Your highness? Is something the matter?”
Her heart beating painfully hard in her chest, Yuliana quickly responded,
“I’ve heard his majesty is expecting an attempt on his life tonight! Is this true? That someone’s planning to kill him? It’s not Izumi, is it? Please tell me it’s not her...”
“Huh? Ah, er, why are you asking?” the young man’s voice stammered.
“You have to tell her to keep away from the palace, if you can! She’s walking into a trap!”
“A trap!? What do you mean by that?”
“They know she’s coming! We can’t let her go through with it, she’ll be killed for certain! And there’s no reason for his majesty to die either! It’s complete madness, this whole affair! You can’t let them go through with it! There’s got to be another way!”
“Me? What do you expect me to do? I’m just a...a totally inconspicuous nobody, with no authority whatsoever. A cog in the machine. Nobody’s going to listen to anything I say!”
“You have to try!” the princess told him. “I’m going to see if I can get out of here. But in case I can’t make it in time, please...Don’t let Izumi anywhere near the palace, all right? Tell her I forbid it! I will never forgive her if she does! She must not kill the Emperor!”
“I—I will see what I can do. But please, your highness, don’t do anything stupid now. The palace is on high alert. If the guards catch you wandering outside, you could be—well, they will not be asking questions tonight! Anyway, it’s not safe! So stay away from the palace, no matter what! Do you hear me?”
“I can’t just sit still while they’re killing each other!”
“I understand how you feel, but it’s at times like this that you must try to stay calm and think rationally—Bzzt…A…E…”
Benjamin’s voice abruptly faded away mid-sentence.
It appeared that either side had run out of energy to preserve the contact.
“Oh great...” Not relieved in the least, Yuliana threw the magic item away.
It was clear that there were no guarantees that the message would reach Izumi, unless Yuliana took it to her in person. She had to find a way out of confinement, but how? She was on the highest floor of a tower, with only one way down. Well, two, if you counted the window. Needless to say, surviving the fall of nearly a hundred feet wasn’t something she was willing to try.
Then again, she had already escaped once today…Even if the exact methods of that feat were unknown to her.
Would Aiwesh aid her now?
The sun had already set and the Divine’s powers were restricted by her element. But, performing the ritual to manifest the spirit, Yuliana could share her form and expend her own vitality, allowing the ancient being to temporarily overcome her restrictions.
There was no other way.
Yuliana knelt, crossing her arms across her chest and closed her eyes.
“My Lord, I beseech thee—ah!”
The princess was suddenly blinded by a flash of light, which appeared to fill her whole head. An abrupt surge of power within her startled the girl and, as though she had been slapped, she lost her balance, leaving the incantation unfinished.
“What…?”
Yuliana slowly sat back up, rubbing her eyes. Her head hurt. Although no explanation was offered for the odd seizure, she got the vague impression that she was being reprimanded. It was the first time the Divine spirit had expressed such direct strictness with her.
“Why...at a time like this?”
It was as if Aiwesh was telling her to not get involved. Why?
—Be patient, my child, and the world shall be ours.
“Eh…?” An odd, vaguely frustrating feeling filling her, Yuliana struggled up to her feet. Clearly, she was on her own. There would be no help from anyone else. But even after being denied by her Lord, she didn’t intend to give up. People’s lives were at stake. So long as she had control over her own arms and legs, she was going to keep trying.
With no better ideas, Yuliana approached the door and repeatedly struck it with her fist. There should have been two guards on watch outside...It was risky, but if only she could slip past them, her range of options would become considerably broadened. This was the last method she wanted to try, but desperate situations called for desperate measures.
“Open up!” she shouted. “I demand to speak to his majesty at once!”
There came no response. She didn’t even sense anyone’s presence on the other side. Nevertheless, Yuliana continued to stubbornly hit and kick the door, calling for someone to open. Over time, her manner of addressing the outsiders turned increasingly ruder, until she was practically yelling out insults.
Then, at long last, she heard a key in the lock and took a step back.
The guards weren’t going to be happy with her after all that racket. It could even turn into a fight. Without a weapon or an armor, the princess was at a disadvantage, but she couldn’t let that stop her now.
Then, the door opened, and instead of a crude guard, a palace maid’s head appeared in view.
“Good heavens, your highness, you kiss your mother with a mouth like that?” she asked the princess.
The maid was one of the two who had been looking for Yuliana earlier, apparently assigned to her service in place of the previous pair. The maid’s earlier companion was also behind her, but it seemed there had been no guards outside, after all.
“I was just trying to get...Oh, never mind!” The embarrassed princess started to reflexively defend her behavior, before realizing the pointlessness of it.
The two maids entered the room.
“Were you hungry, your highness?” the other one asked. “If you want a late night snack, I can prepare something for you. Although, I feel I must warn your highness of the perils of snacking at such a time...”
“—What Tilfa means to say is that you’re going to get fat,” the other one said. “Even more fat than you already are, that is,” she added, glancing at the princess’s bosom.
“I was trying to break it nicely!” the maid called Tilfa cried.
“Yes, you’re always sucking up to royalty. But I’m not going to let you get promoted and leave me behind by myself.”
“Hila! At this rate, we’ll both end up in prison! Or worse!”
“Don’t worry,” the maid called Hila said, “if we’re taken in for questioning, I will blame everything on you.”
“I’m going to get thrown in prison alone—Or worse!”
“You two...” Yuliana rubbed her forehead and felt that her headache was growing worse.
“Forgive us, your highness,” Hila said, not sounding very remorseful, “but this is our second night shift, we’ve been awake for two days straight, and cannot be held responsible for our behavior.”
“We will most certainly be held responsible!” Tilfa pointed out.
“What I mean to say is, I am progressively unable to give a damn.”
“Why do I always get paired up with you? My luck is simply the worst!”
“Excuse me,” the princess interrupted the two arguing servants. “Aren’t you the least bit interested to know why I was making so much noise here?”
“No,” Hila blankly replied without a pause.
“Ah, forgive us, your highness,” Tilfa humbly bowed. “Please tell us what you want.”
“She doesn’t care either, she’s lying. See? What a kiss-ass.”
“Hila, shut up!”
“Learn to be more honest with yourself. People admire earnestness over good manners these days. Take Malik, for example. She’s such a rude fucking bitch, yet all the guys can’t stop buzzing around her without a moment’s rest, and the head maid doesn’t seem to care...”
“I don’t need to be popular, I just want to get paid this month, is that too much asked…?”
“Okay, listen up, you two,” Yuliana raised her voice. “I’m going to be perfectly honest with you now. I will take whatever keys you have, lock you up here, and leave. Do you have anything to say about that?”
The maids fell quiet and glanced at each other.
“...No, as you’d expect, that’s really going to land us in prison,” Hila said.
“Ma’am, I understand this is a trying experience for you, but...”
Yuliana took a quick step forward, caught Hila’s neck under her arm and held the maid down in a chokehold.
“I should add that besides being a princess, I am also a knight officer, and prepared to use force, if necessary. Now, Tilfa, was it? Your keys. You have them, don’t you? After all, no one in their right mind would consider giving this fool anything of importance.”
“Hey, I resent that—” Hila tried to speak, but Yuliana tightened her hold.
“Yes, here, please don’t kill my friend,” Tilfa quickly took out the keys from her pocket and handed them to Yuliana.
“Don’t give them!” Hila shouted. “Stay back!”
“Oh, aren’t we brave?” Yuliana said with an evil grin, pulling the maid closer to herself. “As I thought, it’s at moments of crisis that people reveal their true colors, and even a fool can prove to be a hero.”
“...No,” Hila said, “it’s just, it’s turning me on, getting roughed up by a busty younger girl. Please don’t stop.”
“…..”
“…...”
Yuliana took the keys and locked up the two maids in her chamber.
“Is everyone in this country absolutely mad…?”
She headed down the long spiral staircase, while frantically trying to plan her next move. Even if she could get out of the tower, she would most certainly be caught trying to get into the main building. The guards wouldn’t allow her to see the Emperor at a time like this, regardless of what she told them, but simply either return her to her room, or throw her in jail.
Or...there were worse options. She had received a clear warning, after all.
Yuliana couldn’t possibly fight all the knights along the way either. Were there even any weapons in the tower? But, if direct methods weren’t possible, then what could she do, exactly? She couldn’t fly, and she couldn’t well dress up as a guard and fool the others to get past them either…
“Wait a minute, not as a guard, but...”
Yuliana stopped in her tracks.
Surely the palace servants had nothing to fear? Thinking about it further, Yuliana regretted not taking the outfit of one of the maids, even if that had resulted in an even more bothersome exchange…
But where were the maids staying while keeping watch, anyway? There had to be a place closer by, where they could remain on standby. Somewhere close enough that they could hear her hit the door. Yuliana started to check the doors along the way down, searching the rooms she could access with the keys she had taken.
Her reasoning had been correct.
Yuliana soon found a room with a fireplace and tables and a small kitchen. There was nothing especially useful in there, but she continued looking. In the next room, the floor below, were bedclothes, sheets, towels, and curtains. Searching this storage further, she eventually came across a rack with spare maid uniforms.
In a hurry, Yuliana took off her dress and changed into an outfit closest to her size that she could find.
“This is...more awkward than I imagined.”
That white, gold-lined uniform was tight, especially around the chest and her waist, making her recall the maid’s painful earlier observation. But, together with the headpiece, it hid her features well enough, making her look like another impersonal servant. No one who didn’t know her could tell she wasn’t part of the palace staff. Together with a lantern she had found, she looked much like a simple maid on some late-night errand.
Even if it didn’t let her directly into the palace, the disguise should have allowed her to move around without instantly raising an alarm. She could decide what to do next once outside.
With strengthened resolve, the princess hurried down the stairs to the ground floor.
There were two guards watching the entrance outside. She simply walked past them, as if they didn’t even exist. No one called after her, as she crossed the rainy front yard, to the next gate in the perimeter fence. With the keys, she was able to unlock the gate, dispelling whatever doubts any observer might have had of her identity, even though she had to try twice to pick the right key.
Locking the door again behind her, the light of hope brightened within the princess.
Just like that, Yuliana had escaped confinement. But the main palace stood far away still, like a mountain she had barely started to climb. The frizzle wetting her face, she looked around, trying to find the best way forward.
In the darkness of the night, Selenoreion looked like a whole different city. On a quick look, Yuliana judged she could either follow the stairs ascending right, past the tower, which took to the main entryway, after a brief circle around the corner. But the front gate was bound to be heavily guarded. From her position alone, past the fences and pillars, Yuliana could see two knights, and by their positioning, it was easy to deduce there would be more along the path.
No matter how she appeared like a simple worker, brazenly marching in through the front entrance on a night like this would have looked weird.
No getting in that way.
However, she saw another, more roundabout way.
High up, behind the buildings ahead, Yuliana could see a skywalk connecting the servant’s wing with the main palace. That had to be her way in. She stepped across the road, and unlocked the next gate on the opposite side, to get to the yard before the dormitory. Fortunately, the Imperial Guard had prioritized the walls and entryways in their line of defense, allowing her to move through the inner areas without questions.
The princess rushed up the stairs by the servant’s dorms, up and up, at times running into a dead end between the tightly spaced buildings, at times seeking a shortcut through indoors, running into strange folk, and making up random excuses, a few times slipping on the wet pavement, breaking her lantern by accident, once getting scared by a guard dog behind another fence.
Before finally, after the great adventure, the skywalk extended before her weary feet.
Just a bit further from there, and she would find the Emperor.
Just a bit further, and she might see Izumi again.
A great tragedy could be averted—she was certain.
If only she could see those two, everything would be made clear.
No more lives had to be lost.
How?
She couldn’t tell, but she would find a way.
Encouraging herself to keep going, Yuliana ran across the stone bridge high up between the buildings. After about one third of the way, it hit her.
——“IYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!”
Agony unlike any she had ever experienced struck the princess down mid-step.
As if a lifetime’s worth of guilt had gripped her heart all at once, she collapsed on the spot, writhing, blinded by chilling pain.
Yuliana had experienced a similar feeling once before, over three weeks ago in the Felorn woods. But the sensation this time was much stronger, clearer in both effect and meaning. She knew without question—should she take but one step further from there, it would mean directly breaking her vow.
“Why…?” Yuliana gasped, catching her breath, looking at the path ahead of her, so close, yet beyond reach. “Why now? I don’t understand…! What did I do? What does it mean…!?”
The ceaseless rain drumming the skywalk roof gave her no answers.