The Yasha’s Princess (3)

It happened at dawn.

Still unable to shake the habit of waking early that she had acquired during her life in West Suo, Mei awoke slightly before the Aberrations around her.

Getting dressed and stepping onto the veranda overlooking the garden to watch the sunrise had somehow become part of Mei’s daily routine.

“Today it’s lilies of the valley.”

The flowers blooming in the garden varied from day to day. Today, the tree branches were thick with green leaves and bore no blossoms, but lilies of the valley bloomed in a ring around their roots instead.

The sight of them swaying in the breeze beneath the morning sunlight was adorable and soothing to watch.

“Oh, I know. Maybe I’ll put a few in a vase.”

She could never bring herself to break off a tree branch, but taking a few lilies of the valley should not be a problem.

Mei slipped on the sandals resting on the stepping stone and descended from the veranda into the garden. When she stepped across the pure white gravel, it made a strange, delicate rattling sound.

She was almost at the lilies of the valley. Just as Mei gently reached toward them, a shadow suddenly fell across her vision.

“…Huh?”

Wondering whether it was about to rain, Mei looked up and saw a person floating directly overhead. No—it was not a human. A pair of enormous birdlike wings grew from his back.

“You are the Yasha’s Princess?”

Mei’s eyes widened at the hoarse voice, and the figure landed directly behind her.

He was humanoid and not much larger than Mei, but a black beak protruded from his face. He had jet-black feathers reminiscent of a crow and wore clothing resembling that of a mountain ascetic.

“A Karasu Tengu…?”

Mei could not hide her astonishment at seeing before her a being she had only ever encountered in illustrated scrolls. Like oni, Karasu Tengu were said to be powerful Aberrations that rarely appeared in the human world.

“I am Kyo of the Karasu Tengu. I will ask once more. Are you the Yasha’s Princess?”

Mei remembered the words “Yasha King” that Gen had mentioned the other day. If the Yasha Kyo referred to was Ryoga, then the Princess staying with Ryoga could only mean Mei.

“I believe so… Is there something you need from me?”

When she nodded nervously, Kyo gave a deep nod of his own.

“Forgive me, but there is no time. You must come with me.”

“What!? Aah!”

No sooner had he spoken than the Karasu Tengu calling himself Kyo effortlessly scooped Mei into his arms and took flight.

“No! We’re too high!!”

“Stay still! Do you want me to drop you!?”

At Kyo’s shouted warning, Mei gasped and instantly stopped struggling.

“Princess!”

Having heard Mei’s scream, Gen dashed out onto the veranda and bounded after them with all his strength. Somehow, he managed to latch onto Kyo’s leg.

“What are you!? Let go! I only need the Yasha’s Princess.”

“No! Gen will protect the Princess! Do you even understand what you’re doing!?”

Gen sank his tiny fangs into Kyo’s leg, but Kyo remained completely unfazed.

“Enough! I’ll shake you off!”

“Stop! Don’t hurt him!!”

Mei hurriedly stopped Kyo.

“I’ll come quietly. Please, don’t hurt him…”

“Princess…!”

“Hmph. You should have said that from the beginning. That little runt is lucky to be alive. We don’t have time, so we’re going like this.”

“W-Wait…! Waaah!”

The moment Kyo beat his wings, the garden rapidly receded below them and the residence shrank smaller and smaller. Even Gen seemed stunned by the height, falling silent as he clung desperately to Kyo’s leg.

“Where are we going…?”

Kyo gave no answer to Mei’s question.

As she watched the residence finally shrink to the size of a speck, Mei curled in on herself in fear.

After they had flown through the sky for some time, Kyo finally landed atop an enormous tree.

Every branch was thick enough for a person to lie down upon, and neither the top nor bottom of the trunk—nor even its full width—could be seen. When Mei looked below, pure white clouds stretched out like the ground itself, and merely imagining how high they were made her feel sick.

“Princess.”

Gen released Kyo’s leg and leaped into Mei’s arms. The familiar soft warmth against her body eased some of the tension from her rigid frame.

“You! What are you planning to do with the Princess!?”

From within Mei’s arms, Gen glared at Kyo. His fur stood completely on end, and he bared his teeth threateningly, making it obvious how desperately he wanted to protect her.

Kyo looked strangely awkward under Gen’s glare and stepped back several paces.

“I have no intention of doing anything to her.”

“You abducted her, and you still have the nerve to say that!”

“I admit that using such rough methods was wrong. But I have circumstances of my own.”

“Circumstances? What could possibly—!”

“Gen.”

Mei gently stroked Gen’s back as his voice rose. She understood how he felt, but somehow she sensed no malice from Kyo’s expression.

The look on Kyo’s face as Gen scolded him reminded her a little of Io as a child whenever he had been caught misbehaving, and it made her unable to simply condemn him.

“Calm down. Let’s hear what he has to say first.”

“But…”

Gen looked back and forth between Mei and Kyo, clearly unconvinced. Mei was happy that he worried about her, but she truly did not want an unnecessary fight to break out.

“Um, you said your name was Kyo-san, right? What do you need from me?”

“…Just Kyo is fine. Aren’t you angry that I took you away without permission…?”

“I am angry. And you frightened me. But there’s some reason behind this, isn’t there?”

“…”

Kyo’s eyes widened in surprise, then wandered uneasily as though he were the frightened one. His behavior was so unlike someone who had just abducted her by force that Mei could not help giving a wry smile.

“…My father.”

After a long silence, Kyo finally began to speak.

“He has been bedridden for a very long time. Medicine does nothing to help him recover. Everyone around me says he has reached the end of his lifespan and that I should give up. But I can’t…!”

Kyo clenched his fists, his whole body trembling as he spoke in anguish.

“Yasha’s Princess. Please heal my father. I apologize for bringing you here by force. I beg you.”

Kyo dropped heavily to his knees and pressed his forehead against the branch hard enough to make a sound.

Mei had never expected him to bow so deeply, and she could tell that even Gen in her arms was stunned.

“Please raise your head!”

“Please! Save my father…!”

“All right, I understand. Please, get up.”

“You’ll do it!?”

Kyo lifted his face. A little blood seeped from his forehead where he had rubbed it against the branch. He must truly be desperate. The depth of a child’s love for his parent made Mei’s chest ache.

(—His father must mean so much to him.)

To Mei, her parents had always been figures to fear. There had been times when she had longed for their love and desperately wanted their praise. But those feelings had died long ago. Even if it had been her own parents who fell ill, Mei could not imagine herself possessing enough determination to forcibly bring a healer to their side as Kyo had.

“I don’t know whether I’ll be able to help, but please take me to your father.”

Wanting to answer the depth of Kyo’s feelings, Mei straightened her back.