Chapter 93

“Oh, seriously! And I actually trusted Sir Kalsen!”

“Kalsen. Surely Miss Emily knew that. She was just having a light, fun conversation with the Saintess.”

Another guard, Eric, explained on Emily’s behalf.

“As expected, there’s only Sir Eric! Sir Kalsen and Sir Cyril are both equally tactless…”

“Wait, surely I’m better than Sir Cyril, aren’t I?”

“…….”

After a short silence, Kalsen looked at me this time and asked in a cutesy tone.

“R-Right? Saintess~?”

“Do not ask the Saintess personal questio—”

“Sir Cyril, you stay out of this!”

What a mess.

Even the two who usually never spoke to me had become noisy.

I wasn’t sure if I should be glad the atmosphere was friendly.

I didn’t know.

‘Let’s just walk faster.’

As I picked up the pace, the people behind me finally shut their mouths.

“You’ve arrived.”

The Crown Prince greeted me with a bright smile.

“My. You look beautiful today as well.”

He sure talks a big game for someone who hasn’t even seen my face.

“Cut the flattery. Are we leaving now?”

“We will depart as soon as the preparations are complete. My apologies, but would you mind waiting in the carriage for a moment? We cannot allow the Saintess’s noble body to come to any harm.”

How does standing for a second cause “harm”?

Ignoring my grumpy reaction, the Crown Prince opened the carriage door himself and reached out his hand.

“Here, take my hand. I will escort you safely to the Imperial Capital.”

Ding!

These choices are hazardous to my mental health just by reading them.

Feeling goosebumps break out across my back, I took a seat.

Naturally, I picked the third option.

‘The Crown Prince’s affection is already overflowing, and I don’t really need it anyway.’

There was no need to go out of my way to cater to him.

“Hmm. I wonder what part of that displeased you…”

The Crown Prince tilted his head and muttered at my cold attitude.

Then, he also boarded the carriage and took the seat opposite me.

Is the Empire broke? My face involuntarily contorted; I had been expecting one carriage per person.

“I did prepare two carriages, but traveling alone is boring, isn’t it? How about accompanying me until we reach our first destination?”

For a second, I thought I had voiced my inner thoughts out loud.

No matter how much he smiled like a “nice guy,” I just wanted to travel alone in peace.
I should decline.

“Just kidding. More than it being boring, I was told that to safely protect my charge from the magic beasts in the forest ahead, it’s better for the guard and the protected to be in the same carriage.”

…I retract my previous thought. If my life is on the line, I have no choice.

“I’m told it takes less than half a day to cross the forest, so please bear with it for a while.”

“I understand.”

“Ah, and if that veil is uncomfortable, why not take it off? I swear I will never speak a word about the Saintess’s appearance.”

As if I’d feel comfortable taking it off while he’s staring with such expectant eyes.

I have no intention of showing him voluntarily.

I shook my head. Even if revealing my face wouldn’t hinder the quest, there was no need to put myself in an awkward situation.

“That is not something for the Crown Prince to concern himself with.”

When I refused flatly, the Crown Prince scratched his cheek as if embarrassed.

Apparently, he wasn’t discouraged, though.

He didn’t seem to tire as he spoke to me again.

“By the way, it’s quite surprising. Not just the fact that you’re going to the Imperial Capital, but that you aren’t accompanying Hereis.”

“…….”

“Are you two not companions? I thought you would be with Hereis wherever you went.”

He was right.

In fact, I had intended to stay by the protagonist’s side constantly to monitor him and make it easier to raise his affection.

But the place we were heading now was the Imperial Capital.

‘The place where another heroine, Princess Dione, is located.’

There was a high probability that an affection event would occur.

Plus, if something happened between the two of them while I was busy meeting the Emperor, I wouldn’t be able to handle it.

It was an unpleasant thought.

‘It’s much better for him to stay in the Holy State.’

Coincidentally, Edelina had also left.

Her name had been cleared, and her reinstatement had been approved.

The Academy had been conducting substitute classes, but since they were rushed, the quality couldn’t match Edelina’s. She had reportedly received a letter filled with pleas for her to return as soon as possible.

It was painful that I couldn’t do my own lovey-dovey events, let alone those of the other heroines, but this was the right call for now.

‘Let’s go at it aggressively as soon as I return.’

I had already thought of a few ideas. I should be able to execute at least one or two of them somehow.

“I was told he has much to do as the Saintess’s companion. It’s a pity for Sir Hereis.”

“I heard a sudden magic beast subjugation schedule was set. Surely the Holy Knights could have handled that themselves. Did they need a figurehead?”

It wasn’t quite that; it was because I had asked the Pope to keep the protagonist busy so he wouldn’t get into any trouble.

“Something like that.”

“What a shame. I was planning to sit Hereis and the Saintess down and ask all sorts of things!”

So that was your goal…

“You sure find a lot of things shameful.”

“Since I couldn’t bring Lita either, I was thinking of soothing my heart with something like this… Ah, we’re finally starting.”

The carriage began to move slowly but smoothly.

I pulled back the curtain of the small window and looked out; the Great Cathedral was slowly receding into the distance.

---

“So back then, Hereis…”

Knock, knock, knock—

“Pardon the intrusion.”

While the Crown Prince was in the middle of chatting about pleasant childhood memories with the protagonist, a knight outside delivered the news that they would soon be passing through Kotan Forest.

A forest. They kept saying it was dangerous.

‘Then why do we have to go through this forest specifically?’

Wouldn’t it be better to take a detour even if it took more time?

Especially since the passengers weren’t just anyone, but the Crown Prince and the Saintess.

Did my unease show?

The Crown Prince smiled gently and spoke.

“Do not worry too much. Kotan Forest is said to be dangerous, but there are no magic beasts there that our knights cannot handle.”

I see. I suppose they’ve judged it to be a manageable level.

“Above all, passing through here cuts straight through to the capital, making it incomparably faster. And besides, we have the Saintess with us, so what could possibly go wrong? Hahaha!”

…I agree that it’s worth the risk to trust my abilities.

Mainly because it’s the truth.

‘I didn’t think I’d have to use these again.’

Just in case, I opened the settings for the first time in a while and toggled on every anti-monster function.

I set the monster locations to be visible, lowered their aggression, set the detection range to maximum, and activated the protective shield. I restricted the shield to just my immediate surroundings—a choice made because if it were too large, the knights outside the carriage wouldn’t be able to sense the monsters’ presence at all.

With this level of preparation, it would be strange if anything actually happened.

I swallowed a sigh and was finally adjusting to the increasingly rough ride when…

“It’s getting darker.”

The sun had been blazing when we entered, but in less than an hour, darkness had already descended.

“The sun couldn’t have set yet. It must be because the fog is so thick.”

No kidding.

The atmosphere was straight out of a horror movie.

The Crown Prince pulled back the curtain again and continued.

“I brought a highly skilled guide, so we should be fi… ne-AAAGH!”

Neeeeeigh!

Accompanying the desperate cry of a horse, the carriage tilted forward with a dull thud.

‘Gah, dammit!’

Unable to react to the sudden impact, my body was thrown toward the Crown Prince sitting opposite me.
Fortunately, I managed to brace myself against the carriage wall, avoiding the disaster of colliding with him—though our faces came dangerously close.

“Are you alright?”

“Uh, yeah…”

“Forgive me for saying this, but that was quite a powerful stance.”

“…….”

I hurriedly pulled my hands away and backed away from him.

“Phew, what on earth is going on? I have a bad feeling about this.”

The Crown Prince said, running a hand through his hair.

I agreed. The fact that this much chaos had erupted and no one had come looking for us was a clear sign of something abnormal.

Furthermore, while there had been a brief commotion outside when the carriage screeched to a halt, it was now eerily silent…

‘I don’t remember any specific incidents or accidents occurring during this period.’

The game revolves around the protagonist, but if something had happened to the Crown Prince, it would have at least been mentioned in passing in the story.

However, the Crown Prince staying in the Holy State at this time, or him returning to the capital with me… none of this was in the original plot.

‘…….’

There aren’t even any monsters nearby…

I pulled the curtain slightly and peeked through a tiny gap, but to no avail.

The fog was so thick I couldn’t see an inch in front of me.

“Do you see anything…?”

The Crown Prince asked in a small, trembling voice.

I glanced back; he was standing there, pale as a sheet with an anxious look in his eyes.
I was certain my own face didn’t look much different.

I shook my head.

“S-Should we go out then…?”

That line officially made this feel like the beginning of a real horror movie!

Usually, if you go out in a situation where you clearly shouldn’t, you’re guaranteed to be the first victim.

I understood his frustration at not being able to grasp the situation, but for now, it seemed better to wait a little longer.

“No. That’s a bit…”

Creeeeak!

‘Listen to me and keep it closed!’

He had faithfully followed the cliché of a terrified character acting rashly and putting themselves in danger without properly assessing the situation!

“Hey! Is anyone out there… G-Gah!”

Whatever he saw, the Crown Prince stepped out of the carriage and then scrambled back inside just seconds later.

The door slammed shut violently, and he spoke in a shaking voice.

“B-Bodies… there are bodies at my feet…”

‘I’m going to lose it.’

Bodies.

Judging by his reaction, it wasn’t just one or two.

If so, was the reason for the silence outside because they had been wiped out?

I wondered if he was hallucinating out of anxiety, but the bloodstains smeared all over his brown leather boots couldn’t be a hallucination.

‘There were so many guards; how does this make sense?’

Normally, it wouldn’t. But in this heavy fog?

‘This is an ambush. And a human one at that.’

But why haven’t they touched this carriage yet?

And surely all those knights couldn’t be dead? In that short amount of time?

‘Wait, then what about Emily?’

And the guards I brought?

‘…….’

I opened the Affection window and scanned the list.

‘It’s gone.’

Emily’s name, which was always near the top and caught my eye every time, was nowhere to be found!

‘That means she’s dead.’

There was only one case where someone registered in the Affection list disappeared.
When that person died.

‘It was the same with Sera.’

“Saintess, I think we should leave the carriage first.”

“…….”

“Saintess?”

Ding!

Is this telling me to run away or be a terrible person?

…Well, since I was forced to choose, it made deciding easier.

[ 4 ]

Looking at the situation, fortunately, the Crown Prince seemed to have finally regained his senses from his state of panic.

[ 3 ]

If I tried to use him as a shield, I might provoke his resentment and get counterattacked; traveling together seemed better than running away alone.

So…

[ 2 ]

‘Let’s go together.’

I steeled my heart after a deep breath.

And then.

[ 1 ]

I grabbed the Crown Prince by the collar and…

“Run and don’t look back!”

I kicked the door open.