Chapter 6

The next morning, Princess Kana was somewhat surprised when William himself entered, pushing a serving cart laden with food. From her perspective, men of high status would never personally attend to a woman’s meals. Considering what had happened the previous day, it was all the more unexpected.

Yet he prepared the meal with practiced hands, and nothing in his manner seemed to reveal what he was truly thinking. Once he had finished, William even pulled out her chair and helped Princess Kana sit, surprising her yet again. Then—

“Saintess-sama, you may continue eating, but would you mind listening to me for a little while?”

After prefacing his remarks by saying that this concerned what he had discussed with the queen and the chancellor the previous evening, he began explaining to Princess Kana how they intended to deal with the king, the royal consort, and the others from that point onward.

The meal that had been prepared was much the same as the previous night’s, the only difference being a handled cup containing something that appeared to be tea. The princess recited a mantra, then listened to William while taking small bites and sips.

“I have no desire to needlessly stir up anxiety among the people either. I shall leave the matter of those three from yesterday in your hands, so deal with them as you see fit.”

As she spoke, she took a sip of the tea. Its color resembled roasted green tea, but both its aroma and flavor were completely different. Still, it was not unpleasant.

(Things are not always what they appear to be.)

With that thought, Princess Kana decided to tell William what she had resolved the previous night. Before that, however, there were several things she needed to confirm.

“I have one question. How many people know that I am here?”

Apparently not having expected such a question, William looked slightly surprised, but he quickly answered.

“First, nearly everyone in this castle knows. Notices of the summoning have also been sent to the lords of each territory, so including them, I believe the number is quite large.”

“That is somewhat troublesome.”

Princess Kana had hoped that, for the sake of what might come later, as few people as possible would know about her, so the answer was not a welcome one. Still, she reminded herself that what had already been done could not be undone.

“Well, it cannot be helped. Now then, to the main matter. Why was I summoned in the first place?”

“To ask you to save our kingdom from its desperate circumstances—”

“I am asking what those desperate circumstances are. And I also wish to know what exactly you expected me to do.”

“…It will take some time to explain. Is that all right?”

After giving that warning, William brought over a chair himself and sat opposite Princess Kana.

“About two years ago, things we call mana pools suddenly began appearing throughout the kingdom. Large numbers of magical beasts then began emerging from them.”

Looking slightly downward, William began explaining, in order, both the nature of this world and what had happened over the past two years.

From his explanation, she learned that this world had always been filled with something called mana, and that every living plant and animal possessed mana within its body to a greater or lesser degree.

Because of that, people possessed magical power and could use magic. On rare occasions, however, animals and plants were also capable of using magical power, and such creatures were collectively called magical beasts. Those magical beasts were born in places known as mana pools, where mana had become abnormally concentrated.

Mana pools themselves, however, were apparently not especially rare. They formed deep in forests, inside caves, in hollows within ravines, and similar places, produced several magical beasts, then naturally disappeared.

Most magical beasts also remained in the places where they were born and rarely ventured into human settlements.

Two years earlier, however, mana pools had simultaneously begun appearing in multiple locations where they ordinarily never should have formed, such as open plains and alongside highways. The magical beasts emerging from them then attacked villagers and travelers in carriages and devastated farmland, turning the situation into a major crisis.

“At first, we believed it was a temporary phenomenon, but it was not. No matter how many magical beasts we killed or how often we used purification magic, another mana pool would appear somewhere else within a few days. Worse, they gradually grew larger. Even among the Royal Court Magicians, only a very small number can use purification magic, and because they had to perform purification so frequently, some eventually began collapsing after exhausting all their magical power…”

Moreover, because the mana pools had continued growing in scale, even every magician capable of purification magic working together could no longer cleanse a single one.

As a result, the number of magical beasts continued to rise, the soldiers sent to exterminate them had become severely exhausted, and casualties only kept increasing.

“We asked our ally, the Kingdom of Roway, for assistance, but they refused us.”

“So, driven into a corner, you summoned me. And what did you expect me to do? Slay these magical beasts? Or perform the purification? Though I cannot imagine that I alone could resolve a situation of this scale.”

“If possible, we hoped you might do both. However, our foremost request would be the purification of the mana pools. If only the source could be eliminated, we could handle the rest ourselves…”

Princess Kana thought that perhaps this was rather like exterminating vermin. She gave a sigh that seemed to say there was no helping it.

“I shall make one thing clear from the beginning. I have no intention of doing anything without compensation. I will demand a reward appropriate to whatever work I perform. If you still accept those terms, then I am willing to cooperate with you.”

“You truly will?!”

The instant he heard those words, William raised his head in astonishment, and the princess added another warning for emphasis.

“However, I shall do only what lies within my abilities, and I have no intention of doing everything alone.”

“Of course! If Saintess-sama is willing to lend us her aid, we will serve as your shields or anything else you require! If you have any requests whatsoever, please say the word!”

(Did this fool perhaps forget that he said something much the same yesterday and nearly had his head cut off for it?)

Princess Kana frowned slightly at William’s words, but she did not say that aloud. Instead, she asked what she needed to know.

“And what exactly do these magical beasts look like?”

“Ah, there are many different kinds, so it would be difficult to describe them all at once… I will bring you an illustrated bestiary later. I believe it will be easier to understand if you look through that.”

Princess Kana decided that she would understand what sort of book he meant once she saw it.

“Then bring me this bestiary, along with a map of this kingdom. I would prefer one as accurate as possible. Also, if you can, have the soldiers begin preparing for an expedition against the magical beasts. If things go quickly, I intend to depart as early as tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow?! Understood. I will inform them.”

“And tell whoever is responsible for the extermination force to come here.”

After William acknowledged everything, hurriedly cleared away the dishes, and left the room, Princess Kana began thinking about how she might purify these so-called mana pools.

There were two methods of purification available to her: mantras and Shinto prayers. She did not yet know which would be more appropriate.

She had already confirmed that mantras worked here, but she still did not know whether Shinto prayers would have any effect in this world.

Still, there was no use worrying without testing it, so she decided to try the ≪Prayer to the Gods≫ for the time being.

She washed her hands in the water filling a ceramic basin placed in one corner of the room, dried them with the soft cloth provided, then began with two bows and two claps.

“Purify me, cleanse me; by the will of the gods, protect me and bless me with good fortune.”

At once, a gentle, refreshing breeze blew through the room, and she could tell that the atmosphere around her had changed. After giving one final bow, Princess Kana was pondering how effective this might be against mana when a large man carrying a map came to her room.

He possessed a build in no way inferior to Beaton’s. Although his forehead was partly concealed beneath red bangs streaked with white, a large scar was visible there, making it immediately obvious that he too was a seasoned warrior.

“My name is Burley, commander of the extermination force. Saintess-sama, it is my great—”

“There is no need for stiff formalities. First, spread out the map.”

Though ordered to do so, the man kept casting doubtful glances at the princess as he spread the map across the table.

“That look on your face says, ‘Can a woman even read a map?’ Are the women of this world truly so incompetent?”

“N-No, of course not…”

“Never mind. For now, I wish to know our present location and the directions of the various regions. Where are we on this map?”

“We are currently in the royal capital, Wilsol, so we are here. The top of the map indicates north, and this line marks the national border—the boundary of the kingdom.”

The map had been drawn on what appeared to be animal hide. From what she could discern, the Kingdom of Restowick, where she presently was, had mountains and forests surrounding it from the west through the northeast, while a large river flowed along the eastern side, fed by tributaries descending from the northeast. The national borders had been drawn largely along those natural features.

The royal capital, where they currently were, lay almost exactly in the center of the kingdom.

Beyond the mountainous borders to the north and west lay the Gatehelm Empire, which was marked as a hostile nation. Beyond the eastern and southern borders was the Kingdom of Roway, which she had been told was their ally.

(Hmm. From the perspective of Feng Shui, this is not such a poor location.)

“Then where have these magical beasts been appearing?”

“Every region has suffered damage, but this area, this one, and this one currently have the highest number of casualties and incidents. Mana pools appear particularly frequently around here, and the area has apparently already become completely deserted.”

As he spoke, he pointed out several locations.

“Hmm. It would seem this world has both a Demon Gate and a Rear Demon Gate as well. Most of the incidents are concentrated around them… Hm? Has Clutchfield not suffered much?”

That location lay directly in the Demon Gate direction, so she had expected it to be among the most heavily affected areas. Moreover, it stood where rivers converged, cutting off two directions with waterways, while mountains and forests seemed to block the remaining routes. If disaster struck there, she felt there would be nowhere to flee. However—

“According to reports from the area, although they are currently suffering damage, their territorial forces should be able to hold out for some time yet. Dawkins, on the other hand, has requested immediate reinforcements because a new mana pool appeared and the damage is spreading. We have already dispatched extermination forces to both locations several times.”

Burley pointed to a location slightly east of the Demon Gate direction.

(Hmm… That is strange. Well, no matter. I need only investigate.)

“Then what is the scale of this map? Also, I wish to check the cardinal directions myself, so I would appreciate a compass if you have one. I shall need a ruler as well. Ah, and later will suffice, but bring me one sheet of paper the same size as this map.”

She rattled off her requests in rapid succession, but everything except the paper was produced immediately, making it clear they had prepared those items in advance. Princess Kana promptly placed the ruler along a line connecting the royal capital to Dawkins and began asking questions.

“If troops were dispatched from our current location, how long would it take them to reach here?”

“Even traveling with cavalry alone, approximately three days. If infantry accompany them, more than ten days.”

“I told William this earlier as well, but I wish to depart tomorrow morning if possible, so prepare cavalry for the journey. Approximately how many can you muster?”

“At present, roughly three hundred riders…”

To the commander, that number was absurdly small considering the scale of the extermination required. All the more so when the summoned Saintess herself would be accompanying them. Yet at present, that was truly the most they could spare. Even after hearing such a disappointing number, however, Princess Kana accepted it without the slightest disturbance.

“Very well. Make the preparations with that number. However, twenty of them will not require horses. Those men will travel separately with me.”

“You intend to separate from the main force with only twenty soldiers? Where exactly are you planning to go, especially without horses…?”

“You will understand that later, so there is no need to worry.”

(Still, if I am to do this, I need something to write with. Preferably…)

The instant she thought that, two portable writing sets suddenly appeared beside Princess Kana’s hands. One appeared to contain black ink and the other red ink, exactly as she had just wished, but she had no idea whatsoever where they had come from.

Puzzled, she looked toward Suō and Kaō, but both tilted their heads in confusion, so she concluded that neither of them had been responsible.

(Well, never mind.)

Deciding to consider the finer details later, she held the ruler against the map while rapidly preparing large numbers of bird-shaped Shiki, writing the required directions and distances on each one. Once finished, she shuffled them with a rustling sound, spread them like a fan, then blew across the entire bundle and issued a command.

“Quickly, quickly, by imperial command—seek the land, survey, and gather!”

The instant they left Princess Kana’s hand, they surged out through the window she had opened beforehand. Like living birds, they circled several times before each turned toward its assigned destination and flew away.

“They shall return around sunset. Come back here at that time.”

As the extermination commander leaned out over the windowsill watching them go, the princess’s amused voice rang out behind him.

Royal Capital Wilsol—Somewhere

(This must mean God has acknowledged me! That I am the one truly worthy of becoming king! After all, the Saintess sent by God herself eliminated two obstacles for me! It still irritates me somewhat to think that, if the queen had not interfered, all three of them could have been disposed of, but someone already half-dead like that can be dealt with easily enough.)

Inside a room furnished with lavish decorations, the man was already raising a solitary toast despite it still being daytime, a glass of strong liquor in his hand.

(To begin with, I was furious when that dull-witted fool took the throne merely because he was the king’s son. Anyone could see he was completely unfit for it, yet his insolent little clique of retainers and the queen surrounded him so thoroughly that I could not even oppose his succession. Worse still, because the fool had two sons, my own place in the line of succession only kept falling.)

Apparently recalling his anger from those days, he drained the contents of his glass in one gulp and slammed it down with a heavy thud. The burning heat of the liquor passing down his throat washed away the unpleasant memories of the past. Letting out a long breath, he poured himself another drink and smirked.

(But now there is only one half-dead prince above me. If I can successfully remove him and the queen, then I will be king. To accomplish that, I must find some way to tame that insolent, violent-tempered Saintess. Well, she is ultimately nothing more than a little girl with unusually powerful magic. She must have any number of weaknesses. Possessions? Money? Or perhaps men? Whatever it may be, I can take my time and consider it carefully… Still…)

As though suddenly remembering something, the man took a small written note from the pocket of his coat. It contained a demand that those arrested for theft the previous night be released.

He clenched it tightly in his fist, then opened his hand. With a soft flare, the note caught fire and turned to ash in moments. A single wave of his hand caused even the ashes to vanish.

(Even considering the confusion, sending underlings into the royal palace to steal was a sign that that one has grown rather too greedy. I treated them generously because they had some usefulness, but it seems they have become far too full of themselves. Perhaps it is about time I cut them loose. For now, I suppose I should make sure the ones in the dungeon are silenced as soon as possible…)