Chapter 81: Volume 5 - CH 5

The night of the following day, at the harbor that should have been uninhabited at this time of day, Kyle’s group had finished their preparations for departure under the shining moonlight. Though, all they have to do is board the ship, as the smuggling preparations had been finished at a secret wharf of the Marnico Business Group. Bayone originally was under the control of Klaus, and this departure as well as its preparations only happened where people related to the case could witness it. They’ll go with a route that won’t make them stand out much, so Kyle and his group, together with Klaus, only had to board the ship now. It was quite a large ship, but it could move fine with magic items, easily sailing on the River Chigtes. With this ship, they could make it to the Demon Territory just fine.

“This is a wharf solely used for my business group, with no other people around, so it’s perfectly sheltered. The sailors I kept at a bare minimum, and I have full faith in all of them.”

This is probably how he handled the previous smuggling as well. It was evident Klaus and his sailors were working carefully, but none of them seemed particularly nervous at the idea of heading over to the Demon Territory.

“As the more troublesome individual is gone now, we should be able to safely depart.” Klaus showed a wry smile, clearly talking about Princess Angela, to which Kyle’s group agreed.

This afternoon, they saw her off because she had different plans. If she had stayed any longer than that, it may have delayed their departure.

“You don’t even know how glad I am.” Seran was lounging around as always, seeming mentally exhausted beyond the usual meter, as he showed a relieved expression.

“It’s rare for you to take that attitude towards a cute girl.”

“Hey now, she’s a princess. Can’t be treating her carelessly or I’m done for.” Seran brushed away Lieze’s teasing words with a wave of his hand.

“You were never the type of guy to really bother with that…And she doesn’t seem like the type of princess to really care either.”

Urza valued Angela in high regard, considering she was treated like any other person despite being an elf.

“Well, how do I say this…Our compatibility? It’s not that I don’t like her, but being with her is exhausting…But I also can’t just leave her alone. Ahh, what a pain.” Seran scratched his head, grumbling. “I’m usually not a guy to care this much for others. Well, not like we’ll meet again for a hot minute.” Seran said these words with a relieved expression.

“Still, I know it’s late of me to ask that, but do you really plan on tagging along? I should be fine on my own this time.” Kyle asked Lieze and Urza, seemingly still a bit hesitant to take them with him.

Traveling to unfamiliar territory is one of the most dangerous things you could ever do, even more so if it’s the Demon Territory, so Kyle would have rather left the two back here in safety.

“That really is late, alright. If you’re worried about causing trouble for me or don’t want me to get wrapped up in this mess, then turn back time to before you met me, alright.” Urza raised one of her beautiful eyebrows, as she crossed her arms and looked away.

“Then you need to go back before you were even born, Kyle.”

Since Kyle and Lieze had been together ever since they were born, she would need to redo her entire life. Albeit feeling guilty, Kyle also felt blessed that he could be together with these two. Besides them, however, there was also Minagi, despite usually only acting in the shadows. As their decision was made during the time she wasn’t present, Kyle said that she didn’t have to come along as this was outside of their contract, but her pride seemingly wouldn’t allow her to leave her master alone despite still being hired by him. Naturally, hiding on a narrow boat like that would prove impossible, which is why she appeared in front of everyone like this.

“Going to the Demon Territory and meeting the Demon Lord…I never lived my life in the bright light of humanity, but how did things end up this way.”

“Well, the second you ran into Kyle, you were better off giving up on a lot of things.”

Minagi was looking up at the boat, wondering how things turned out to be this way, when Lieze approached Minagi with a smile that made her question what she was so happy about.

“I’m really looking forward to this trip, Minagi. Never got much time to talk with you, after all. Since we four have one room, we can talk lots…Ah, should I invite Yuriga as well?” Lieze kept on grinning, but Minagi just shook her head.

“We’ll be traveling for eight days straight. I’ll make it as pleasant as possible.” Klaus said with a grin, but Minagi’s expression distorted in despair when hearing that.

“Eight days…I just hope nothing happens.” Kyle prayed to the heavens.

Of course, that prayer was not granted, and barely halfway through the trip, a great problem occurred.

“…Why are you here?”

“A secret trip.”

Seran’s face was filled with terror, as he asked the individual who definitely shouldn’t be here—Princess Angela. Kyle and his group, as well as others like Klaus and sailors were currently gathering on the deck, but the person in the center of it all was as calm and relaxed as always. Even her appearance had changed from her luxurious dress, turned into a leather armor using wyvern materials, with a rapier at her waist, her long hair tied together which overall allowed for easier moving. Even so, she couldn’t hide her innate beauty and impression as a princess.

“…How did you even sneak on here?”

As they looked around the ship before departing and making sure nobody was on there, her being there should have been impossible, and yet Angela answered it like it meant nothing.

“After you departed, I snuck in from the river. I used a magic item imbued with [Water Breathing] to get through the water and snuck on the boat through the shadows. Then I used my mantle imbued with [Invisibility] to stay hidden here.”

The names of the spells were pretty self-explanatory, but the actual levels of them were pretty high, reaching from advanced-grade to high-grade magic. As a result, the items imbued with them had a considerable price. It was quite the forceful way of sneaking on the boat, so it probably was clear she’d be found out immediately.

“However…there were no signs of that whatsoever.” Klaus seemed unable to accept this, making an expression like he was biting on an insect.

So far, and even this time, he kept close attention that nobody would find out any secret travels to and from the Demon Territory. Especially considering a servant of the Empire, Angela, was looking for any kind of dirt on them, he made sure to leave only after confirming she had left Bayone.

“Of course. I decided on this myself, and it basically happened on a whim. I didn’t tell anybody, so I’m sure they must be going crazy while looking for me.”

If what Angela said is true, then it would make sense why Klaus couldn’t pick up on any irregularity beforehand.

“Why would you do something so reckless…” Kyle couldn’t believe what he had just heard.

This most definitely wasn’t something the important princess of the Empire would do.

“Yes, it truly was reckless…However, it clearly had its value. We knew that the Marnico Business Group was conducting weird actions in the shadows, so we wished to grasp their weakness, but this is…” Angela looked at Klaus, who was frozen stiff with a meek smile, and then at Yuriga behind him. “Travelling to the Demon Territory…not to mention working together with a demon…let alone a weakness, this is information enough to completely strangle your whole business. I didn’t quite expect that.”

“How troublesome…If you were to spread news about this, I would be over, no doubt.” Klaus scratched his head in the face of Angela’s grin. “That being said…it’s not like this situation is that much of an advantage for you, no?” The tone of Klaus’ voice changed a bit.

It’s almost like he made up his mind about something. As they were on top of a ship, Klaus had all his sailors at this command, whereas Angela was all alone. As they were quite a ways away from Bayone, they could forcefully silence her. However, as Klaus was dealing with an imperial princess, the risks were too high. It might just trigger an all-out war. On top of that, the unstable variable Kyle was present. How would he, a [Dragon Slayer] act now? Who will he side with? If he were to abandon Klaus, everything would be over.

“…However, I don’t mind keeping it a secret for now.”

Right as Klaus was pondering about how to proceed, Angela spoke up with a confident but also charming smile.

“Oh…? However, I’m assuming it won’t be for free, right? What’s your condition? Turning Bayone into a vassal state?”

“No, I want you to become my personal supporter.”

Klaus narrowed his eyes at that request.

“Personal…Then what exactly do you wish for, Angela-sama?”

“It’s not as if I want to overthrow my older brothers…I simply want to gain more influence in discussions and negotiations.”

Although she was the princess of the empire, with how young she was, she most likely didn’t hold much influence or verbal voice at all. However, things would be different if she had the Marnico Business Group on her side.

“Am I right to assume that this will also benefit me?”

If Angela may be able to rise in the family, Klaus would gain from that as well.

“Naturally. Of course, I wouldn’t mind adding the vassalage of Bayone as a condition? That would benefit me a lot, as I am actually seeking to achieve results for the future.”

Pushed into a corner, Klaus’ answer was decided almost instantly.

“I understand. I will go with that, then.”

“Great, let’s create a mutually beneficial relationship.” Angela offered Klaus her hand, which he accepted.

At first glance, it looked like a peaceful scene, but Kyle, standing in the middle of it all, was utterly lost.

“Now then, since we got things under control, I’m a bit tired. Would you mind preparing a room for me?” Angela spoke like it was obvious.

“Huh? Don’t tell me, you plan on tagging along just like that?”

Kyle had assumed she’d return to Bayone, which is why he was rather confused about those words. Seran behind him even more so.

“Of course. Not to mention, if I went home like this, you would be worried, no?”

“That’s…”

Of course, being seen working together with a demon would hurt Klaus a lot, but the same could be said about Kyle. If the rumor about him meeting the Demon Lord were to spread, he would lose all of this work becoming a hero up to this point.

“Why not make me your accomplice instead? Knowing about the demons will benefit me, the Empire, and all of humanfolk in the future, no?”

“However…it’ll be dangerous. In the Demon Territory, law and common sense of humanfolk do not apply. I am worried if we could even protect you…”

If something were to happen to Princess Angela, it would turn the entire Galgan Empire against them.

“You needn’t worry about that. I am more than skilled enough to protect myself, and I am prepared to fight. If the need were to arise, I will hold a sword on my own.” Angela’s eyes were shimmering with unwavering determination.

Even Seran, who had sparred with her before, couldn’t disregard her strength. Being told this much, Kyle couldn’t object anymore, so Angela would be going with them.

“…However, I can’t afford to give you any special treatment, so you will have to do with a general room and eating together with all of us, so please understand that.”

“Yes, this will be a beneficial experience. Please don’t treat me like a princess while we’re on this ship.” Angela seemed oddly happy about that, flashing a bright smile.

“If you’d like a room, then you can take mine. I can sleep wherever.” Minagi was already exhausted from staying with Lieze after one night, so she immediately offered that.

“If possible, I’d like to stay with Seran-sama…”

“No no no, I’m with Kyle, alright!”

“Ah, then Yuriga might as well come to our room…”

“Don’t wrap me up in this mess!”

“Well, you rarely see a demon share a room with a human…”

After a lot of back and forth, Klaus went ahead and offered Angela the best room on this ship so that she’d finally quiet down.

Still…something doesn’t add up.

Kyle was still dubious about Angela’s actions. He knew that she was ready to act when the chance arose, but sneaking onto this ship was a bit too much despite that. Going this far in such a short time, she must have another reason driving her.

“Either there’s some other motive of hers…or she’s not telling the whole truth.”

“I see…so it’d be best if we keep tabs on her.”

Shildonia and Kyle were whispering to each other.

“…I’m leaving it to you.” Kyle tapped Seran on the shoulder.

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“You can do it.” Shildonia couldn’t reach Seran’s shoulder, so she instead tapped him on the waist.

“Why me?!” Seran screamed, but he ended up with the duty of watching over Angela despite that.

Other than the incident with Princess Angela, their trip was going relatively smoothly. That day, around noon, a giant water snake called River Dragon attacked them, but before Kyle and his group even got any chance to take care of it, Yuriga already leaped at it. As the River Dragon was wrapping its large body around the boat in order to pull it into the water, Yuriga swung her claw to cut off its head in one fell swoop.

The River Dragon convulsed, and sunk back into the water, drenching it blood-red in the process. Confirming that the deed was done, Yuriga nonchalantly went back to the boat as if nothing happened. Watching this fight happen, Urza and Lieze uttered their honest impressions.

“She’s gotten a lot stronger…”

“Yeah…It feels like she’s gone up an entire level after losing to us.”

Compared to half a year ago when they fought in the mining city Callan, she had gotten faster and stronger, and her movement had a lot more technique in it. She most likely took a lesson from her weakness, pointed out by Lieze and Urza, namely her lack of experience, and practiced a lot in training and real combat.

“What do you think would happen if we fought her again?”

Lieze showed a complicated expression at Urza’s question, and shook her head.

“I don’t know…It’s true that she has gotten stronger, but the same goes for us, so I don’t think she’ll overwhelm us…” Lieze put her index finger on her forehead, thinking about it, only to quit thinking right away. “I don’t think we’ll have to fight her again. We’ve gotten close enough that she stepped out to fight before us…”

“Don’t misunderstand. It would be bad for the Demon Lord-sama’s plans if something happened to you before meeting them, so don’t get the wrong idea about my actions.”

Seeing Lieze oddly happy, Yuriga made sure to press the point two times.

“You don’t need to be so flustered.”

“Why are you so positive, not listening to me…” Yuriga sighed at Lieze’s nonchalant comment, but Urza smiled at the two.

At night, Angela and Seran stood on the dock of the ship. Angela wished to enjoy a bit of the nightly breeze, and Seran agreed to follow her.

“Even as we approach the demon territory, the night sky never changes. Well, obviously, you could say.” Angela’s hair shook in the breeze as she looked up at the starry sky she was used to even at her hometown.

She seemed to be in a good mood.

“I have to say, a demon truly is strong.” She remembered Yuriga’s fighting style she had witnessed during the day, and dropped a comment full of admiration. “I’ve witnessed a strength that is fundamentally different to that of someone from the humanfolk. This surely will not be an easy fight. Rely on our numbers, or come up with a strategy is most likely the way we have to fight.”

As the Empire was planning to fight the demons at some point in the future, witnessing that scene was important information according to Angela.

“Well, there’s no reason why we would have to fight them head-on.” Seran agreed, as he was ready to use whatever method if it brought him victory.

“Still, exceptions exist. The people who could best these demons in a one-on-one fight are who we call heroes…Just like Seran-sama.” Angela looked at Seran with a hopeful gaze.

“No no no, you think of me too highly. I’m not the hero here, it’s Kyle.” Seran desperately attempted to push all of Angela’s expectations onto Kyle, but she shook her head.

“No, to me personally, Seran-sama is the hero. I have faith in my eyes.”

Angela’s smile full of trust and determination once again made Seran dubious why she had taken such a liking to him.

“…So you also think I went too far?” Angela might have interpreted Seran’s silence some way, as she looked at him with a somewhat worried gaze.

“Yes, I do believe so…But, did you have a special reason for it?” Seran asked about something he was curious about this entire time.

Even he doesn’t see Angela as such a dimwit who would act without thinking.

“I was panicking, I guess. I needed results to gain influence…Ever since you had arrived at the Empire half a year ago, a lot has changed. My father’s condition has not improved.”

Because of the current Emperor Benedix’ age, he is forced to be distanced from his duties, and as this fact was widely-known, things have started to heat up a lot. However, as the oldest brother Eldorand would be crowned the next Emperor, the Empire surely would be fine. Predicting this to happen eventually, Eldorand has been working hard inside the Empire to get the people on his side.

“Dear brother Eldorand is always kind to me, but he still prioritizes the country in the very end…Thanks to Seran-sama, my engagement was called off, but now there has been another talk for my engagement outside the country.”

“Ahhh, so you don’t want to get married?”

“I am but a petty official of the royal family, you could say, so I am aware of the role I have to play…However, I still want to proceed with my own intentions. If I were to achieve something great here, I would have better chances at doing so…Well, just think of it as a shallow woman lamenting.”

After revealing some of her genuine feelings, Angela turned her back towards Seran, leaning against the railing at the dock, and watched the surface of the water.

“Also…there’s one more reason. It’s to protect myself…”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?”

Protecting herself yet going to the Demon Territory evidently contradicted itself.

“…Over the past month, someone has attempted to take my life two times.”

“People are after your life?!”

“The first time was poison, and the second time was a direct attack…Luckily, we were able to see through those two attempts before it was too late, but judging from the plot itself, it was skilled work…or somebody closeby was acting as a guide.”

As the princess of the Galgan Empire, she naturally would be heavily protected, but two close attempts on her life like this were an irregularity of course.

“In regards to this visit, dear brother Eldorand judged that me being away from the Empire would be safer for me, which is why I am here…However, I may be a bit too perplexed, but it felt like an assassin was present amongst my guard.”

“That’s why you snuck on the boat like that?”

“Yes. Hiding without anybody knowing was another option after all. I knew I would be troubling you in the process, but I decided to rely on your group. Although I would have never expected to sneak on a ship heading for the Demon Territory.” Angela showed a smile at the end. “However, I’m certain that, as long as I am with Seran-sama and the others, I will be safe.”

Angela’s reckless actions turned out to be a means of protecting herself.

But that still doesn’t mean it’s not reckless…this time around, she was just lucky.

“……I apologize for bothering you like this, but I had no other choice this time…So please, save me…”

As if to shake Seran’s determination, Angela turned around as her worried expression was illuminated by the bright moonlighther tears looked like stars, and she jumped into his arms. Embraced by a crying princess, being relied on, it sounded like the perfect beginning of a heroic tale, but Seran simply felt like he was caught in a spider’s web.

Not good, it feels like I’m being pulled down into a swamp…and even so…

At the same time as Seran felt like his escape route had been sealed off, Seran couldn’t ignore the princess in peril in his arms, let alone push her away.

“Well…if I can be of help, then…”

His head was screaming with alarm signals, but he still answered like that with a smile.

“Really?!”

As if she had waited for those words, Angela’s head shot up instantly. Her face showed a bright smile, her tears from before dried up.

“I’m glad, I was worried that I would just be in the way, but now I can rely on you!”

Angela was in a great mood, whereas Seran’s head was filled with words such as abyss and swamp.

“Then, would you please accept this?” Angela took out a magic item that looked like a necklace. “This magic item has been imbued with [Telepathy]. It is the exact replica of the one I am wearing, and it allows us to shortly convey our thoughts to the other person, albeit only once a day.”

“No no, I can’t accept that…”

“Please see it as a token of my trust.”

Seran tried to politely decline, but Angela practically forced it onto him as she put it around his neck.

Damn it, it feels like I’m falling deeper and deeper…

“It fits you wonderfully.” Angela smiled happily, but Seran could only return a vague expression.

As Kyle was listening to the two’s conversation from the shadows, he completely ignored Seran’s dilemma and instead started thinking about the Empire and the information he had just received.

It’s expected that the Emperor will pass away, but now Princess Angela is in danger? What is this about?

“So you were listening, huh.” Kyle looked up at the mast, speaking out into the darkness.

“Yes…though I’m surprised you caught on to my presence.”

It looked like nobody was there. And yet, you could hear Minagi’s voice, her pride hurt after being discovered. This was a special skill called [Shrouded Invisibility] used by shinobi to conceal themselves, which allowed them to be completely invisible to the average person’s eyes even inside a crowd during broad daylight. This worked even better during the darkness of night, so being spotted this quickly must have hurt Miangi.

“Call it something like intuition…More importantly, do you have any idea who might be after the Princess’ life?”

As Minagi had previously been hired to assassinate someone from the royal family, she had experience looking to the rows, and in the future Kyle came from, she also was the one who assassinated Eldorand. However, through the death of Zilgus’ King Remonas, this contract fell flat, and she gave up on that.

“I was hired by King Remonas, but there’s too many individuals or organizations with possible motives like that, it’s impossible to say for certain.” Minagi shrugged her shoulders. “But, attempting it twice like that shows that they must be experienced or have help from the inside. That princess doesn’t seem too clever or sharp, so when she feels this much danger, she must have some kind of reason.”

“Something going on inside the Empire? But…”

Kyle started thinking once more. Since Eldorand’s assassination was stopped, he assumed that it would not tread down the same path, but that was most likely naive thinking. If possible, Kyle wished for Maizar to become the future Emperor, but considering the preparations for the war against the demons, he wanted the Galgan Empire to have its full strength once the time came, otherwise it would be too busy with internal affairs to deal with the outside threat.

“Just as the princess said, the situation changed quite a bit compared to half a year ago…Things are getting out of control, possibly.”

“…Guess we’ll have to head there again.”

Kyle was unsure if there was even anything they could do, but it was better than not doing anything.

“By the way, why are you even here, Minagi?”

Since Kyle was curious about Princess Angela’s motive, he secretly followed them, but he was surprised to find Minagi doing the same.

“…If I stayed in that room any longer, Lieze would not let me rest at all.”

It appeared as if staying in the same room with Lieze was something Minagi wanted to avoid.

“Well, she’s got no bad intentions, so put up with it.” Kyle cruelly ignored Minagi’s complaint.

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