Ossan Saikyō Chapter 12 Part 06
“You are the〈Saul's Guidance〉, then? Yes, I have heard the rumors.”
The one nodding beside me was Lord Hershville, a handsome young man with bluish-silver hair flowing down his back.
He was a knight with the incredible titles of a former A-Rank Adventurer and 3rd-ranked Knight of the Royal Guard of the Kingdom, and apparently he was serving as the Captain of the Princess' escort on her incognito outing.
The spear in his hand was clearly a fine weapon made entirely of mithril, and it harmonized beautifully with his bearing.
He was a young man who gave off an unmistakable air of someone extraordinary, but when I actually spoke with him, both his mannerisms and his tone were unexpectedly gentle.
Incidentally, I was currently serving as a replacement for one of the wheels of the carriage carrying the Princess.
It was a repeat of what I had done when I helped Gashi the beastman in the past, but the tension was on an entirely different level when it came to a Royal carriage.
Apparently, Royal carriages were specially made to withstand being rammed by monsters, making them quite heavy. They were also being pulled not by horses, but by two six-legged, cow-shaped monsters.
“You are the『Hero』who slew a Twilight Kin one-on-one, after all. Naturally, anyone in the Royal Capital who keeps their ears open would know about you.
…
Still, I never imagined I would meet the rumored Soushi-dono here, much less that I would have you do something like this for us.”
Lord Hershville furrowed his brows and smiled wryly.
Apparently, we were technically being treated as guests summoned by the King. Considering that, having me act as a replacement wheel would look rather bad, and in the worst case, they or the Princess herself might even be reprimanded by the King.
However, since the Princess needed to return urgently this time, it was being treated as an exceptional circumstance.
“If a rumor spreads that the aforementioned『Hero』lent his assistance out of consideration for Her Highness’s wishes, it would benefit me as well, so you may think of it that way.”
“Hahaha. Those who seek profit do not usually speak of their own profit. Even I can tell that you are not that sort of person, Soushi-dono. Rather, I suspect you would prefer to avoid such a rumor spreading, wouldn’t you?”
“You've got me there. To be honest, I would like to give up the title of『Hero』as well.”
“Hehe, unfortunately, the defeat of a Twilight Kin is an exceedingly rare occurrence in this Kingdom, so that is something you cannot avoid. That aside…”
Lord Hershville then turned his eyes toward the rear of the carriage.
There were Rani, Sphenia, and Mariane following behind the Royal entourage. Freynil, meanwhile, was inside the carriage with the Princess.
“…It seems that, like Lady Freynil, the〈Saul's Guidance〉has quite a number of exceptionally talented party members.”
“Yes, well, we are a party that came together more or less by circumstance, but for some reason, our members are rather lopsided. They really are exceptionally talented girls, though, so I am grateful to have them.”
“I only met you a short while ago, Soushi-dono, but I think I can understand why they have gathered around you.”
Lord Hershville narrowed his eyes as he said that, but it seemed a little too much praise to be mere flattery. Perhaps he was trying to flatter me in order to sound me out.
Judging by the length of his name and the way he carried himself, he certainly had the air of someone who had once been a noble, so he was probably quite skilled in the art of political maneuvering as well.
In any case, while we were talking about such trivial matters, the curtain inside the carriage suddenly opened, and the Princess from earlier, Princess Margalotte, showed her face through the window.
Up close, she was an undeniably beautiful girl who bore a vague resemblance to Freynil. However, there was something rather cold in the eyes she directed at me. Or rather, considerably cold…
“Her Highness seems interested in you as well, Soushi-sama.”
Lord Hershville said it with amusement, but somehow I had the feeling that her interest in me was not a particularly positive one.
“I am not a particularly interesting person aside from being somewhat strong, but perhaps she is concerned about me being together with Freynil.”
“Ahh, I see. Her Highness apparently thought of Lady Freynil as something of a younger sister. Naturally, she would be curious about the sort of person she is with.”
Well, it was true that, as far as appearances went, I was just an ordinary middle-aged man who happened to be somewhat muscular.
(E/N: Somewhat muscular?! You are capable of tearing apart a monster and you call that somewhat muscular?! 😂)
From a Princess’s perspective, perhaps it was difficult to accept that a former Ducal daughter who was like a younger sister to her was traveling with someone like me. If she were with the young knight beside me, who was chuckling knowingly, perhaps the Princess would have found it more acceptable…
(E/N: Bzzt, wrong!)
Thinking about it that way, I could not help but feel that even in this world, middle-aged men had it rough.
After walking for a while, we came upon a slightly elevated hill. Once we crossed over it, the scenery changed completely.
Spread out before us was a magnificent fortified city. Even from the hill, I could not see its far end. It was a gigantic city on a level that astonished even me, a modern Japanese man.
The dark-gray, formidable-looking walls must have been around 15 meters high, and the flanking towers standing here and there gave them an imposing appearance.
Beyond them, the city streets consisted of buildings arranged in orderly rows, unified by white walls and orange roofs. They reminded me of the old European streets I had visited while traveling in my previous life.
Most of the buildings were 3 or 4-storey tall, and since their architectural styles were also unified, the city had such a strong sense of cohesion that it almost looked like a work of art.
And the crowning feature was the Royal Castle standing majestically near the center of the city. A gleaming white palace, more reminiscent of the sort of fantasy I had seen in games than even Western architecture, towered above everything else.
That said, when I looked at it calmly, its overall scale was nowhere near comparable to the cities of my original world. Even so, there was no doubt that this city was far more overwhelming to look at.
“This is a magnificent view. Now that I see the Royal Capital, I feel that none of the cities we have seen so far can compare to it.”
“Indeed. No matter how many times I see this view from this hill, it still overwhelms me. From a defensive standpoint, being able to look down upon the city from above is actually problematic, though.”
There was a somewhat sardonic smile on Lord Hershville’s lips as he answered me.
Come to think of it, he had a point. Being able to see the entire city at a glance from this position could certainly be a problem.
“Of course, there are reasons for it. And there is no denying that this location was well suited for building a city.”
Looking around, I saw that a large river flowed a short distance away, while vast stretches of farmland seemed to spread out on the other side.
A large city needed sufficient production capacity to fill its stomach, so in that sense as well, this must have been an ideal location for constructing the Royal Capital.
As we descended the hill, the city walls drew much closer. The highway leading to the main gate of the Royal Capital was already at least 20 meters wide, and there were also many people coming and going.
Naturally, even though this was an incognito outing, it was obvious that this was a Royal party. Travelers, adventurers, and merchants all bowed their heads slightly and made way for us.
Honestly, as an ordinary commoner, I found the whole thing rather uncomfortable in itself.
Before long, we reached the main gate. As one would expect, the soldiers were lined up in neat formation to welcome us.
Beyond the gate, another Royal carriage was waiting. It was presumably a replacement for the damaged carriage, but perhaps its smaller size meant it was intended for use within the city.
Either way, my job as a replacement wheel seemed to end here.
The carriage carrying the Princess passed through the gate and stopped at a carriage stop beside it.
Someone who appeared to be an attendant brought over a stand, slid it underneath the carriage, and secured it so that it would not tilt.
Now that I was no longer needed, I stepped away from the carriage, and Lord Hershville came over and gave me a slight bow.
“Soushi-dono, thank you very much. We will be changing carriages from here, so everything will be fine. From here, please show your summons to the attendant over there before entering the Royal Capital.
…
Once the preparations for the audience are complete, word should be sent to your inn, so until then, I recommend looking around the Royal Capital.”
“Thank you. I will do that.”
As I headed toward Rani and the others, Princess Margalotte and Freynil stepped down from the carriage. Looking at them like this, they really did look exactly like sisters.
“Freynil, you really won't come with me after all?”
“I am sorry, Big Sister Margalotte. I am now Freynil the adventurer.”
“Why did Freynil have to become Awakened? Calling it fate seems almost too cruel.”
“Please don't worry, Big Sister Margalotte. Ever since I met Soushi-sama, I have come to feel that the life I lead now is the way I am meant to live. If this is fate, then I am actually grateful for it.”
“No, Freynil…”
The Princess looked as though she might burst into tears, but then she suddenly straightened her posture and, for some reason, marched straight toward me.
Lord Hershville seemed to hurriedly try to stop her, but the Princess paid him no heed and came right up to me, glaring up at me with her willow-shaped brows raised angrily.
I was caught off guard and could not react for a moment, but I quickly dropped to one knee and bowed my head.
“You are Lord Soushi, correct? What exactly do you intend to do with Freynil?”
There was an accusatory tone in the Princess's voice from above my head. Lord Hershville was saying something along the lines of, “Your Highness, you mustn't do this out here in public”, but he seemed to be quite the long-suffering man himself.
“Y-Yes. Freynil is an extremely valuable member of my party. Therefore, I hope that we can continue adventuring together, with her remaining an important companion to me.”
“That is not what I wish to ask. Do you perhaps intend to make Freynil your wife?”
“Huh…? Uh…”
Come to think of it, Viscount Varius had suspected the same thing. I suppose there was some reason for people to think that way, but Freynil murmuring beside me, “Soushi-sama's wife…”, was only going to make the suspicion worse, which worried me.
“…No, I have no such intention. We are also quite far apart in age, and our original social statuses are far too different.”
“Is that truly so? You certainly seem to have won Freynil over quite thoroughly, however.”
(E/N: Silence child! 😂)
Ah, so that was the source of her suspicion. Freynil had probably told the Princess about me in her usual manner. In that case, I could hardly blame her for being suspicious. Anyone could see that Freynil had become dependent on me.
“As for that, considering the circumstances Freynil was placed in, there are aspects of it that could not be helped… I swear to you, I have no ulterior motives.”
“Men often say such things. However, it does appear to be true that you helped Freynil. Please do not forget the words you have spoken today.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I could hear Rani quietly giggling behind me. When I was summoned by the Royal Family, I had expected there would be some trouble concerning Freynil, but I never imagined that I would receive a warning directly from a Princess.
Knowing how things usually went, there was no way this troublesome event would end here.
Apparently, the Royal Capital was not a place that would be kind to my stomach.
—————————————
E/N:
Let this forbidden flower of love and devotion bloom, Princess! 🤣
Stay tuned!
—————————————
————————————————————
————————————————————
Comments