The Princess’s Mob Friend

I must have been hauled off to some room and dumped onto a bed.

Cold hands, chilled by the winter air, dabbed at my nose to tend to my "injuries." I took that sensation as my cue to stage a groggy awakening.

"Ugh... where... where am I...?"

I opened my eyes and let my gaze wander aimlessly.

I was in a room within the Detention Center. The layout was identical to Zack’s, though this one was clean and lacked any signs of entertainment. It held only the barest of essentials.

Clara was sitting by my bedside. Meanwhile, a man from her entourage stood guard by the door, boring holes into me with his eyes.

"Thank goodness, you’re awake. You shouldn't try to move your head just yet."

"You’re... uh..."

"Come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself. You probably already know, but I am Clara Oriana."

"I-I’m Cid Kagenou. Um, it looks like you treated my wounds... thank you so much..."

I made sure to let my voice tremble slightly, really leaning into the "terrified by royalty" vibe.

"Don't worry about it. This was all caused by our conflict in the first place."

"But—"

The man glaring at me from the door clicked his tongue.

"Lady Clara, that’s enough. We should kick this suspicious brat out immediately."

"Guin... he took a blow to the head. He shouldn't be moving yet."

"It could be an act to get close to you. Besides, we have a 'Great Cause' to attend to. We don't have time to coddle some nobody. Am I wrong?"

The man called Guin looked down his nose at me with an insulting sneer.

"Even if we have a great cause, that is no excuse to abandon an injured person right in front of our eyes."

"But—"

"Stand down, Guin. He’s just an ordinary boy who knows nothing. I don't see a hint of malice in him. Wouldn't you agree?"

Clara turned a questioning gaze toward me.

"Y-yes. I just happened to be at the scene of that Owl's attack by accident, and then everyone started suspecting me..."

"If we can't even save one boy standing right in front of us, how can we hope to save a whole country?"

Clara gently took my hand in hers.

"—Understood. I'll keep watch outside."

With that, Guin turned and left the room.

Just before the door clicked shut, he shot me one last glare. If I wasn't mistaken, that look was directed not just at me, but at Clara as well. Oho, suspicious.

Once the door was closed, Clara let out a long sigh.

"I’m sorry. He’s not a bad person, he’s just..."

"No, it’s fine."

"Everyone is desperate and anxious. Even me... Truthfully, I was never supposed to be in a position like this..."

Clara lowered her head, looking away.

"Um..."

"Don't mind me. This has nothing to do with you. By the way, you aren't from this country, are you?"

"Y-yes. I'm a student at the Midgar Kingdom Academy for Spellswords..."

"—Wait, really? The Academy for Spellswords? Tell me, do you know anything about my sister?"

Clara leaned in close, peering into my face.

"Um, if you mean Senior Rose, I know her. We’ve even talked before."

"I see. So you know... that my sister stabbed our father?"

"...Yes. I was watching from the stands in the Arena."

"So it’s true... My sister really did stab Father...?"

"Yes. That was definitely Senior Rose."

"I see..."

Clara’s shoulders slumped, and she looked down at the floor again.

"Father had been acting strange for a long time, and I know my sister was looking into it. But how did it come to this? Everyone says she's a traitor who tore the country apart. I didn't want to believe it..."

I hesitated for a moment, wondering what the right "mob" response should be, and let out a small sigh.

In the end, I decided to just say what I actually felt.

"It looked to me like she had a reason. I don't know why she had to do it, and I don't know if the truth would even satisfy you, but she looked like someone who had made up her mind. She looked prepared."

"Prepared... So that’s how it looked to you. Hehe, thank you. Thanks for trying to comfort me. You see, I’ve always loved my sister—she could do anything. I always admired her. That’s why, even now, I still want to believe in her..."

Clara shook her head as if to clear the air and gave me a small smile.

"You certainly were watching her closely, weren't you?"

"Ah, well, the truth is, I actually fought Senior Rose once in the Bushin Festival Selection Tournament."

"No way! Really? Well, how did it go?"

"I lost without being able to do a single thing."

"I believe it. You do look pretty weak, after all."

Clara gave a mischievous little giggle.

"Can I call you Cid? You can just call me Clara."

"Uh... well..."

"Don't worry about formalities. Right now, I'm just another prisoner anyway."

"Ah, well... okay. But only when there’s no one else around, I guess."

"Good point. Guin would never hear the end of it. Now, tell me more. I want to hear everything about my sister’s life at the academy."

And so, I ended up spending a significant amount of time regaling her with stories about Senior Rose.

I’d strayed a bit from my intended "mob" position, but it was fine; I could still pivot. From now on, my official role would be "Senior Rose’s Mob Friend"—a background character who just happened to chat with Clara because of that connection. Everything was still on track.