Chapter 75
“…How can you be so sure? What if my mana gets blocked again and I can’t even call for you?”
It was sheer luck that the intruding sorcerer was clumsy with weapons, and that the potion I concocted had such a dramatic effect.
Just thinking back to last night, when fear gripped me, still makes chills crawl up my spine. If something like that happens again, I’ll…
“…I’ll just run away and hide where no one can find me. Whether it’s the Eastern Continent or anywhere else—it doesn’t matter. Wealth and glory only mean something if you’re alive to enjoy them. Isn’t that right, Your Highness?”
“Yes. Your safety is what matters most.”
“You hear that, Luce? If you don’t want to lose your only friend, you’d better do your job right!”
I said it in an exaggerated tone to hide the heat rising in my eyes. If I didn’t get laughed at, that would be miracle enough. Which is why Luce’s reaction struck me as strange.
He bit down lightly on his lip with those white teeth, as though troubled, and nodded a little hesitantly.
Oh?
“…You’ll really do well, right?”
“If you don’t trust me, who the hell are you planning to trust?”
His cold fingertips brushed the back of my hand with a little tap.
“I told you already. Doing well is my job. You just have to point me in the right direction. And make it somewhere nearby, if you can—I’m too lazy to search far. …Alright?”
Like soothing a sulky child, like teasing with tickles, his fingers trailed lightly down the back of my hand. It was only my hand he touched, but my whole body tingled unbearably.
In the end, I was the one who shook him off first.
“Fine! I get it, you’ll do well! L-let’s go, Your Highness!”
“Mm?”
“You said you’d check the list of new herbs for the greenhouse. Let’s go, quickly!”
“Didn’t I say that could wait until tomorrow?”
“Let’s just go now!”
“Very well… but Linne, are you alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your face is red. Do you have a fever—”
At Helion’s words, I raised my hand to my cheek. The burning heat was tangible even through my skin. I couldn’t believe it. Because of Luce, that bastard? Me?
“Th-this is, um…”
“…It must be the strain. Even if he was a criminal who targeted you, witnessing someone die before your eyes isn’t easy to forget.”
It was true that the way Taran died had been shocking, but I had already half-forgotten. Well, more like I’d been deliberately avoiding the thought. Either way, it was a misunderstanding I was grateful for.
When we arrived at the Administration Office, I handed Helion the herb list I had prepared in advance. He slowly read through it. By the time I gave up on counting his thick lashes, lowered in concentration, he looked up.
“It may take some time, but I’ll have them all gathered within a month.”
“Really? You’ll get all the herbs on this list?”
“Didn’t I promise? Or have I failed to earn your trust?”
“No, that’s not it! It’s just… after narrowing it down and narrowing it down, it feels like I only left the most expensive and difficult ones…”
That “narrowing down” was a lie. Honestly, I just wrote down every herb I wanted, without restraint.
“Don’t worry about it. I was the one who promised to increase the Administration’s budget in the first place.”
“Then if the Finance Director complains, you’ll take my side, right?”
That grumpy man already hated me; who knew what pretext he’d seize next. Just recalling the interview left a bitter taste. But Helion’s voice was reassuring.
“Whose side would I take, if not yours?”
Whew. Now I could relax. With one of the three most powerful people in the palace on my side, who was there to fear?
“But Linne, what’s that over there?”
“Oh, that?”
Helion’s gaze had caught on something as he looked around the office, curiosity showing on his face. I introduced it proudly.
“That’s the thing that saved my life. I’m making more of it in advance, in case something like that happens again.”
It was the allergen potion I had splashed on Taran.
“If I ever can’t call for Luce, like last time, this is the only thing I can rely on.”
I muttered bitterly as I looked at the bubbling liquid. Helion turned his eyes back to me.
“Linne, that’s something I can help you with.”
“…Help me with what?”
“A way to defend yourself. I can teach you at least one method.”
“You, Your Highness?”
He nodded gravely. What on earth was he going to teach me?
“…What exactly can you teach me?”
I was desperate.
This wasn’t the time to be picky—I needed to absorb any survival skill I could, whatever it was.
Maybe my clasped hands looked pitiful, because Helion spoke quickly.
“An ambush.”
“An… ambush?”
Of all the words to hear from him, that was the last I expected. Wasn’t “ambush” kind of cowardly, underhanded?
I’d assumed it would be something simple, like self-defense. His answer tilted my head in confusion.
“Um… Has Your Highness ever had to ambush someone?”
“I just learned it in case. The worst situations strike when you least expect them.”
In other words, he was always prepared for the worst. That’s what it meant to be Crown Prince, I supposed.
“There’s no need to look at me like that.”
“…And how exactly am I looking at you?”
“The same way I look at you.”
With a wry smile, he reached out and pressed down my furrowed brow.
“So, what’s your answer?”
“Now isn’t the time to fuss about hot or cold. I’ll learn anything, Master.”
I bowed low, and his quiet laughter followed.
Then Helion reached into his robes, pulled something out, and opened his palm.
When I mimicked him and opened my hand, something cold was placed there. A tiny dagger, its blade barely the length of my index finger.
“You carry around something so dangerous?”
“I’ve lived in dangerous places long enough that it’s a habit. Are you afraid?”
“No, not afraid, but…”
The blade was chilling, but the ornate sheath and handle were beautiful. At a glance, it could be mistaken for a decorative piece.
“…It’s kind of pretty.”
“If you like it, keep it.”
“Huh? Are you sure? It looks expensive…”
“It’s fine. Its appearance makes it a fitting gift for you.”
It would be rude to reject a gift given in earnest. I accepted it gladly.
“Wow, thank you so much!”
I was admiring my new dagger when Helion dropped a thunderbolt.
“Now, stab me with it.”
Clatter.
I dropped the dagger on the spot. Or rather, my hands went weak and it slipped away.
“…Sorry, what was that?”
“I told you to stab me with that dagger.”
Unfortunately, my ears had heard correctly. In broad daylight, he was seriously asking me to attempt regicide.
“Y-Your Highness… You’re not unwell, are you? In the head, or the heart…?”
“I’m perfectly fine.”
“Then… did I offend you somehow? You know I can be dense! Please, forgive me just this once!”
“That’s not it. You’ve never offended me. Why would you think that?”
“Because you’re trying to make me into an executioner! In broad daylight! In the palace! Ordering me to stab you, just like that!”
“Linne, forgive me…”
He placed a hand on my shoulder, looking at me with pity.
“…But I’m not so weak that I’d die from your attack.”
“That’s not the kind of thing you say to someone holding a weapon!”
“What matters isn’t the weapon, but the one wielding it. If you’re that uneasy, you can stab me with the sheath on.”
Even sheathed, stabbing would hurt. But fine, whatever. If he wanted me to stab, I’d stab. At least a sheathed dagger wouldn’t kill him, right?
I picked it back up, gripping it tightly. My sweaty palms made me readjust my hold several times.
“…Let’s just hope no one walks in and gets the wrong idea.”
The moment Helion’s lips moved, I charged like a bull. Ten paces was more than enough to build momentum.
But as I neared, my overstrained legs tangled.
“Ugh…!”
My body pitched forward, the floor rushing up.
I’m going to crash…!
I shut my eyes tight—but then, a familiar fragrance wrapped around me. Like sunlight distilled into scent.
“I told you already.”
My body was lifted lightly. I opened my eyes to see Helion’s smiling face, sculpted like art.
“I’m on your side.”
“…Hhic.”
Wait. Wasn’t I the one under attack here?
Out of nowhere, my body betrayed me with a hiccup.
I covered my mouth, shoulders trembling. Helion set me gently down and retrieved the dagger from the floor.
“Linne, do you know what your mistake was just now?”
“Hhic. I know it was a mess right from the start.”
“There are five mistakes.”
“Five?! That many?!”
Surely it wasn’t that bad!
My eyes widened as he patiently folded his fingers and explained.
“First, your grip is wrong. You’re not strong, so brace the pommel with your palm when thrusting. Otherwise, the blade will slip and cut your own hand.”
He guided my hand into the correct grip.
“When you thrust, put your weight on your left foot and drive your arm forward. Even if you both fall, the blade needs to go in deep.”
So—stab with the intent to kill in one strike.
“Because you’re small, don’t aim for the chest. Go for the abdomen. Even one strike there will restrict your opponent’s movement.”
“You mean to disable, not to kill?”
“Exactly. And tilt the blade sideways when you thrust, to make the wound more severe.”
“Ugh… Alright.”
“And do you know your biggest mistake?”
The biggest mistake? Obviously—
“…Falling over?”
He shook his head. If not that, then what?
Scratching my cheek, I looked at him. He asked softly, like coaxing a child:
“What did I say we were practicing just now?”
“An ambush?”
“Right. Who runs from ten paces away for an ambush? You’d be spotted instantly. The point is to wait until the enemy is close, then slip right into their guard.”
So, to sum up his instructions:
Wait until the target is near. Grip the dagger properly with both hands. Aim for the abdomen. Put all weight on the left foot. Twist slightly to tilt the blade.
“Haha… Honestly, dying sounds easier.”
How could anyone remember all those steps, let alone execute them in a crisis?
The chance of success felt close to zero.
