Chapter 1

The Kingdom of Restowick had fallen into the greatest crisis it had faced since its founding. Two years of abnormal monster outbreaks had consumed enormous amounts of manpower and money, drastically weakening the nation, and even the aid requested from the neighboring Kingdom of Roway—supposedly an ally—had been refused.

Worse still, monsters had ravaged the fields, leaving the kingdom unable to expect anything resembling a proper harvest for more than a year.

Believing that no other options remained, King James IV decided to summon a Saintess using the summoning magic handed down from ancient times.

《Saintess Summoning》. According to the historical chronicles, roughly three hundred years ago, when the land had been driven into a similar crisis by an abnormal outbreak of monsters, James I, who ruled this region at the time, summoned a Saintess from another world. With her sacred power, stability was restored to the land.

The summoned Saintess, Jeanne, later married Prince Grayson, who had protected her and worked alongside her, and together they were said to have founded the new Kingdom of Restowick upon this land. In other words, it was the kingdom’s very foundation story.

The finest mages in the kingdom were gathered at the castle, with the First Prince, William, placed in charge. Then, with the king himself in attendance, the summoning ritual was finally carried out.

On the floor of a secluded chamber deep within the castle was a special magic circle for the summoning, one that had taken weeks to prepare. The king and his ministers now stood around it, watching. The mages chanted their incantations and poured their magical power into the circle. And then…

“It worked!”

“Oh… what a divine presence…”

“Could she perhaps be a princess from another world?”

“Now our kingdom can be saved!”

“Saintess!”

The figure who appeared within the glowing white Saintess Summoning circle was a young woman with narrow, elegant eyes and long, glossy black hair tied halfway down her back.

Although the style of her clothing was unlike anything they had ever seen, the vivid garments were plainly made from exceptionally fine silk, and that alone suggested that she was of high birth.

“Where… am I?”

After murmuring those words, the girl fell silent within the magic circle. Prince William stepped forward, then knelt before speaking so as not to alarm her.

“Welcome, Saintess. My name is William, Prince of the Kingdom of Restowick. And the man over there is my father, King James IV.

“I realize this must be terribly sudden and confusing, but this is a different world from the one in which you previously lived. Our kingdom is currently facing an extremely grave situation, and so, hoping that a Saintess might save us, we performed the Saintess Summoning ritual. That ritual brought you here from another world.”

“You summoned me from another realm? Not merely another country? Then are you saying that unless I aid you, I cannot return to where I came from?”

The beautiful brows of the girl, whose manner of speech was somewhat archaic, drew together. William interpreted this as anxiety and continued, though a faint trace of remorse appeared in his blue eyes.

“Ah… no. I fear it is most likely impossible for you to return to your previous world at all…”

“I cannot return? And despite that, you would have me aid you?”

The prince could hear not only confusion but a measure of anger in her voice. Believing that reaction to be within expectations, however, he continued speaking.

“Moreover, from the moment you were summoned here, it is likely that in your former world, it became as though you had never existed at all. So even if returning were somehow possible… For that reason, we would like you to regard this world as your home from now on.

“Of course, as the person responsible for this summoning, I will personally see to every aspect of your life here, so please do not worry. I promise that you will want for nothing. Therefore, I beg you, Saintess. Please save this kingdom—save us—”

“I refuse!”

“What?”

Though his expression had been apologetic, the prince had continued reciting the words he had prepared in advance to reassure the summoned Saintess and explain the kingdom’s plight. Only when she rejected him without the slightest hesitation did he finally realize that she was truly furious.

“What selfish nonsense have you been spouting all this while? Why should I be obliged to help you? As far as I am concerned, this is an abduction, and every single one of you is a criminal!! I have neither duty nor reason to aid the likes of you!!”

“But Saintess! You are one sent by the gods to save this kingdom—”

William reached out to seize the arm of the girl as she rose and started to walk away, but—

“Do not touch me, insolent wretch!”

Smack!

The instant she slapped the prince’s hand aside—

ROOOAR! BOOM!!

An overwhelming torrent of magical power swirled through the chamber, sweeping everyone inside off their feet, the prince included. At the center of the vortex stood the girl, her glossy black hair whipping wildly under the force of her magic, the very picture of incandescent rage.

“I am Kana, daughter of Tsuchimikado Yasutomi, head of the Bureau of Onmyō and master of the principal house of Onmyōdō! If you believe I would meekly obey you after being abducted and then told that my very existence had been erased, you are gravely mistaken!!”

BANG! CRASH! THUD! SMASH!

The magical power, saturated with terrifying fury, grew even more violent and devastated the chamber. Worse still, two white foxes had appeared at some point and now stood protectively beside her, threatening everyone around them.

(Are those… sacred beasts?)

The prince and everyone else present could not conceal their astonishment at the sudden appearance of the two foxes, but amid the violent storm inside the chamber, no one could so much as speak, much less breathe properly.

Even the mages, the only people who might have been of any use, appeared to have exhausted themselves during the summoning ritual and remained collapsed in the corners of the room, unable to move.

“Suō! Kaō!”

“At your command, Princess!”

The instant the two white foxes answered the girl who had introduced herself as Kana, yet another surge of magical power joined the force surrounding her. In the next moment—

BOOM! CRASH!! RUMBLE, RUMBLE…

One section of the wall shattered, and chunks of rubble tumbled noisily both inside and outside the chamber.

(Princess?! So the Saintess really was a princess. No—that is not important right now. The fox spoke! There can be no mistake; they are sacred beasts. And there are two of them, both possessing tremendous magical power… At this rate, not only everyone in this room, but the entire castle itself might be crushed beneath their magic!)

Realizing that the magical power pouring from the Saintess and her companions might reduce the entire castle to rubble, William desperately searched for words and forced them out.

“S-Saintess—no, Princess Kana! If there is anything you desire, anything at all, we will grant it! So please, first calm your anger! I beg you!”

“…Oh? Anything at all, you say?…”

The swirling magical force wavered slightly, and sensing that the pressure had weakened, the prince hurried to continue.

“Y-yes! Whatever you ask, we will grant it. So please…”

“Then atone with your life.”

“What?”

At the same moment the prince cried out in shock, something like ribbons wrapped around his body again and again before dragging him before the girl. The vortex of magic that had filled the chamber, however, seemed to have subsided for the moment.

“Did you not hear me? I said you shall atone with your life. If I recall correctly, you claimed to be the one responsible for this affair. Then answer me this: do you have any siblings?”

“O-one younger brother…”

“Then I shall forgive you in exchange for the heads of you and your brother. I am most generous.”

“Why two? Would one not be…?”

The prince, who finally seemed to understand the peril he was in, shakily voiced the question. Princess Kana raised her fingers one at a time as she explained.

“In my country, it is said that a person dies twice. The first is the death of the body. The second is when one is forgotten—the death from memory. Thus, two lives. Surely my reasoning is sound? Since you have caused my very existence to be erased, it seems even my father and mother have forgotten me!”

“But they are princes of this kingdom…”

The one who interrupted was the king, who was crouching as though hiding behind the overturned throne.

“Oh? Judging by what I was told earlier, it sounded very much as though you intended to make me accomplish what you yourselves were incapable of doing. Am I mistaken? Are you saying that my life is worth less than theirs?”

Along with Princess Kana’s irritated words, the pressure of the magic that had settled down began to rise once more.

“N-no, but we had intended for the Saintess to someday become the wife of our First Prince…”

“What? Why should I wed the ringleader of a band of criminals? There are limits even to insolence!”

CRACK!

The throne lying before her was crushed beneath the pressure of her anger.

The king had just been told that the marriage to a prince, which they had prepared as a reward for the Saintess, was instead an insult. Retreating while using the man beside him as a shield, he desperately tried to think of some way out of the situation, but fear left his mind barely functioning.

“Th-then perhaps we could imprison them for now and administer poison at a later date…”

“Do not speak such foolishness! Criminals are to be beheaded. I shall accept nothing else. More importantly, bring that man’s brother here at once!”

“Y-yes, immediately. You there, guard!”

Realizing there was no longer any opportunity to provide a substitute for the already-bound First Prince, the king resolved to at least save the Second Prince somehow. As he ordered a nearby guard to bring the Second Prince, he quietly whispered another instruction.

Princess Kana, however, saw the exchange perfectly clearly.

(What a petty little scheme… Find out what he is plotting!)

Flick!

The princess quickly breathed upon a paper bird-shaped shiki and flicked it from her finger.

The shiki immediately transformed into a tiny bird and followed after the guard. As the guard left the room, Princess Kana noticed a hand slowly being raised within her field of vision.

“Forgive my presumption, but may I speak?”

The man who had until then been used as a shield by the king, even while crouching protectively over him, slowly stood and addressed Princess Kana.

The man had dark brown hair streaked with white. Though middle-aged, he was tall and powerfully built, with a physique that unmistakably belonged to a warrior.

“What is it? Speak.”

“If it would be acceptable, I would offer my own head in the prince’s place, if doing so might calm your anger, Lady Kana…”

“And you are?”

“My name is Beaton. I serve as commander of this kingdom’s knights.”

“The leader of its warriors, then. Are you claiming that your head carries equal value to this man’s?”

“No, but…”

“Then you would have me settle for an inferior substitute?”

“That was not my intention…”

“Then hold your tongue!”

CRACK!

The throne that had already been crushed was now pulverized into fragments.

“…My apologies.”

The man withdrew with a bitter expression, his hands clenched so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms—something Princess Kana could clearly see.

(If there exists a man willing to offer his own life out of loyalty, perhaps these people are not entirely wicked.)

Even so, Princess Kana could not yield on this matter. Even if she eventually ended up cooperating with them, she could not possibly let her anger rest until they had paid an appropriate price for abducting her here without permission.

After a while, a young man with copper-red hair and splendid clothing was dragged into the room by the guard from earlier. Princess Kana did not miss, however, the plainly dressed man wearing his head covering low over his face who slipped quietly into the room behind them as though trying to remain hidden.

The shiki left the guard and returned to her, whispering the full account of what had happened into her ear. Princess Kana listened, then let out a long, irritated breath.

“How much further do you intend to insult me? Suō! Kaō!”

“At once!”

In the next instant, the fox called Kaō leapt through the air and pinned the plainly dressed man down in a corner of the chamber.

“Hey! What are you doing?! Let go of me!!”

At the same time, the king was bound in the same manner as William and dragged down before Princess Kana. The man Kaō had seized in his jaws and brought over found himself similarly restrained before he even realized what had happened.

“I have nothing to do with this! The Second Prince is right there!”

“What is the meaning of this?! Why have you bound me as well?!”

“Silence! I have no mercy to spare for a man who comes grinning to watch his brother and a substitute die in his place! Nor for one who attempts to deceive me!”

As she coldly delivered those words and increased the pressure of her magic, the two newly captured men were left unable to say anything at all…

A Short While Earlier

“Prince Alton, there’s trouble!”

With loud, hurried footsteps, a guard burst into the Second Prince Alton’s room.

“What is it? Must you make such a racket? Did my brother get rejected by the Saintess or something?”

The prince, who had been lounging back against a sofa, asked without even bothering to sit up properly. Apart from his copper-red hair, his face closely resembled that of his older brother William, but perhaps because of his attitude, he somehow gave off a slovenly impression.

“No, it is far worse than that. He angered the Saintess, and… well… she has demanded the heads of both Prince William and Prince Alton…”

“What?! What kind of blunder does someone have to make for that to happen? And why does she want my head too, not just my brother’s? More importantly, what are the knights doing against one woman? Pathetic!!”

“For now, I have orders from the king. A substitute will be arranged immediately, so Prince Alton is to remain quietly in his room and wait.”

At that moment, a young man whose hair was a very similar shade to the prince’s was brought in by two mages.

“Please, help me! I don’t want to die yet!”

“Mages, silence him at once. You—give me a hand. We need to change his clothes quickly.”

They stripped the substitute of his clothing and forcibly dressed him in the prince’s garments. The guard was just about to drag him away when—

“Hey, wait. I’m coming with you.”

Prince Alton spoke while holding the castle servant’s uniform the young man had been wearing moments earlier.

“But the king ordered you to…”

“Oh, come on. There’s no way I’m missing a spectacle this entertaining, is there? Don’t worry. Once my brother is dead, I’ll find a way to ingratiate myself with the Saintess. Still, my brother really is pathetic. He’s always going around acting so superior, and then this happens. Well, sooner or later, I’ll make sure the Saintess learns what a real man is.”

With that, he hurriedly put on the servant’s uniform, pulled the cap low over his head, and followed behind the guard.

(I don’t know what he said to make the Saintess angry, but this works perfectly for me. Once he’s gone, I’ll be the next king.)

That was what he had been thinking only moments ago. Yet now he lay sprawled on the floor alongside his brother and father, wrapped over and over in something resembling thin cords. Worse still, not a single person was attempting to help them.

(Damn it, how did this happen? I should have stayed in my room drinking wine and waited for the good news…)