Very much glad to be out in the late afternoon sun again, I began my return to the inn. My mind refused to settle as it wandered again and again back to Ulrich’s enigmatic gift, though I tried my best to keep it from doing so. It was not successful.

Who could blame me? The thought of possessing an object related to one of the Sainted Seven was tantalizing to say the least, especially from Gerhard, whose prowess with a blade was second to none. I dared not hope that what Ulrich intended to give was the Holy Sword itself. Not much was known about that hallowed blade except that it was blessed by Iliana’s kiss.

Even more mysterious was its location after Gerhard’s death. Many thought it was in possession of the Demon King, along with the other six sacred tools. But Gerhard did not die by the Demon King’s hands, which brought doubt to my mind of the stories I learned since birth.

I would not object to having the Holy Sword bestowed upon me. There was no question that I would be worthy to inherit it. The sword would be wielded in the name of Iliana once again. Besides that, I simply needed another sword.

Since my blade was stolen by that thief in the night, my journey since had been an uphill struggle. How easily I could have dispatched both Gertrude and Heide had I possessed my always-reliable Silbermond. How much quicker I could have traveled had I possessed my father’s steed.

Alas, would my journey have been the same? Would I have met Lina? Or Ulrich and Dietrich? Would I have cut Gertrude down without understanding her innocence? As troublesome as it had started, I found that I regretted little of my journey.

My musings were cut short as I heard several voices call out my name. I looked and saw a throng of girls no older than fifteen, from Justice and Pleasance alike, come toward me, faces stricken.

“Tell us, it isn’t so, Prince Anno,” said a girl with ebony curls. She looked to be the oldest of this gaggle. “Tell us you don’t plan on leaving us?”

I felt my patience begin to wear almost immediately. I was not in the mood to deal with sycophants. But I succeeded in keeping my temper in check and gave her a reassuring smile, “Who told you something like that, my dear?”

She seized hold of the hand that was not holding the flute in both of hers and lifted it, holding it just below her chin, “We saw that big servant of yours loading a wagon with supplies. And rumors are spreading that you plan to sneak off into the night.”

My smile melted into a grimace as I averted my eyes, “Sneaking off is not exactly how I would put it.”

“But you are leaving me behind, my prince. Won’t you stay longer?” She was holding my fingers dangerously close to her lips. And bringing them closer. I reacted before I could think and pulled my hand free from her grasp––to be more accurate, I yanked it like she had been about to bite into my flesh with sharp fangs.

The memory of Heide’s attempted manipulation was fresh in my mind. Even as the girl looked up at me as if I had slapped her, I could not shake the feeling that her intentions were not pure.

I tried to save face by giving her a kind smile, “I’m afraid not. My duties take me to lands beyond Cross.”

“Then won’t you take me with you?” said a girl with icy blue hair. “I’m sure I could be of great help to you!”

I highly doubted that. She looked no older than ten. And if I were a betting man, I would hazard to say she spent most of her time daydreaming.

There was chattering from the other girls.

“No, take me!”

“No, me!”

“I’ll follow you to the ends of the world, Prince Anno!”

My smile tightened at their bickering. I imagined I looked quite stricken.

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With noble flair, I raised a hand to silence them, which they did almost immediately. I closed my fingers and pressed a clenched fist to my chest, before I said, “What kind of prince would I be if I were to lead you into danger? I would not forgive myself if any of you were to come to harm. I would die of despair.”

Perhaps that was a tad overdramatic, but I wanted to get my point across. And who better to steal material from than the master manipulator herself. Maybe I should summon a tear? Or maybe a slight quivering of the lips? That might be a bit much. I did not wish to be disingenuous as I meant what I said. I would give my life for my subjects, I just did not want them tagging along. I already had three companions to babysit––one of whom not-so-secretly wished for my death––I did not need anymore, especially these pure-hearted maidens with the same impeccable taste in role models.

It did not seem as though I needed to say any of that, nor did I need to sell my intentions any further as all of the girls blushed at my words.

“You would die for us?” asked the girl with black curls, as she toyed with one of her ringlets.

I gave her a winning smile. “Yes, I would.” Which again, was true. “You are all very important to me. And if you wish to help, you would be better served staying here and doing what I cannot.”

“Which is?” asked a girl with violet eyes, “Name it, Prince Anno, we’ll do anything you ask!”

My eyebrows knitted at that. I did my best not to let it fall into a scowl as I said, “I advise you not to say something like that. Someone may take you up on that. And if they do, they are someone you should never trust. Understand?”

I looked between them sternly, all stared at me with innocent eyes. Slowly, they nodded.

My face relaxed into a smile, “Good. That being said, I need you to do your part in rebuilding both Pleasance and Justice. I must leave and focus on my subjects as a whole, but all of you have the power to look after each other while I am gone. Cross is nothing without its people.”

Spending time amongst the commoners made me realize how essential they were. Sure, they lived in squalor, but that was not by choice. I was not sure where my journey would take me, but if I was lucky enough to return to Cross one day, I would be sure to improve their lives somehow. But I could not think of such things.

“ Now, run along and see where you are needed, I must prepare for my departure. This is goodbye for now.”

I walked past them, leaving them to stare at me in awe. Their chattering began again, the only words of which I could discern was, “––he’s so dashing!” Something with which I could not disagree.

A warmth began to creep into my chest as I turned a corner. I had acted as a prince today, a true prince. And not just that, my people saw me as such. It was one thing to follow my duty with little to no reward, it was another to be acknowledged for doing so. And it was more than craving attention. In a way, their praise gave me strength––a courage to venture out into the unknown on behalf of them.

It made me all the more confident that I would rescue Silva from her dark imprisonment.

As I turned the corner, I could spot the Soldier’s Haven at the next intersection. Though it was mostly blocked by a large covered wagon. I could just barely see Albert and Herman, along with a few other soldiers, holding the supplies I had so carefully gathered over the past few days.

Was the wagon the gift Ulrich had promised?! It was quite a modest thing and not one I expected to belong to Gerhard. It would certainly make hauling an unconscious Lina much easier. Though I hoped that we would not need it for that purpose for very long.

Even if it was very kind of Ulrich to give us something as useful as a wagon, I could not help but feel somewhat disappointed as I knew I would be. Still, best not to look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak.

The people on the same street as I was all had their back to me as their attention was on the wagon. All began to walk toward it with an air of excitement. I supposed I should make my presence known. After all, they were here to see me and my companions off.

However, before I could open my mouth to call attention to myself, I felt someone knock into my shoulder from behind. I was jostled forward but managed to stay on my feet.

“Sorry, didn’t see you,” said a woman’s voice. A most familiar voice.

I turned to look. Someone was walking away from me, and in rather a hurry. A woman dressed in earthen greens and browns. Her straw-colored hair swayed behind her as she walked, forearm resting on two blades tucked into the sash at her hip.

All sensation left my body. Nothing else existed at that moment.

I was a boneless, weightless mass. A pair of eyes to which time did not matter as I only had eyes for the woman, who seemed not to have noticed me.

She stopped at the mouth of an intersection, looked left, and then right revealing her face in profile. But I did not need to see those familiar green eyes to know who I was looking at because I knew her face better than my own.

There before me, within arm’s reach, was Silva.