The following day, His Majesty the King presided over an Imperial Command Ceremony at the Royal Palace for the Second Prince.
Before the King stood a line consisting of the Second Prince and the soldiers assigned to his unit. Because my silver hair made me stand out in a negative way, I kept my distance and mingled with the spectators instead.
"Second Prince Diluecca. You must ensure this expedition is a success."
"F-Father... I... I swear here and now that I will see the mission through to... to success..."
The Second Prince responded to the King’s command with a formal, stiff posture. However, he didn't look the part at all. He was hunched over, and his voice faltered, likely due to nerves.
"Good luck, Diluecca."
"Ah... Brother."
The First Prince, who had been standing beside the King, stepped toward him. He was handsome and possessed a dignified air. The gazes of the citizens were fixed entirely on him; it seemed as if no one was even looking at the Second Prince. As I suspected, the younger royal had no popularity whatsoever.
On the other hand, the individual standing on the other side of the Second Prince commanded overwhelming attention from the crowd.
"Sage Nyau, might we ask for your assistance in supporting the Second Prince during this expedition?"
"As you command, Your Majesty. I, Nyau, shall utilize every shred of wisdom I possess to be of service to His Highness."
The moment she spoke, a roar of "Whoooooa!" erupted from the masses. It was the loudest cheer of the day. It was staggering to realize that most of the people gathered here were only interested in Sage Nyau. Apparently, it had been decades since she last appeared on the public stage, making this a rare event. They had flocked here just to catch a glimpse of the Living Legend.
Nyau herself likely found the attention bothersome, but seeing her receive such adoration made me feel a surge of pride, almost as if it were happening to me.
Once the Imperial Command Ritual concluded, the procession led by the Second Prince marched through the Royal Capital, seen off by the cheering citizens until they reached the city outskirts.
Once we were a sufficient distance from the capital, I joined up with the escort unit. With sixty members, the group was large enough that they weren't hard to find.
"Yahoo, Kiskacchi. I see you made it."
A voice called out as someone pulled up alongside me. It was Sage Nyau's apprentice, the mage Ryune.
"You're on a horse?" I asked, looking up at her.
"Ahaha! Ryune is Sage Nyau's top apprentice, you know. Special treatment is only natural."
She had a point. I was stuck traveling on foot while she sat comfortably in a saddle.
"Shouldn't you be closer to Nyau?" I asked. We were near the rear of the column, quite a distance from Nyau at the front.
"Oh, don't worry about that. Master ordered me to stay close to Kiskacchi, after all."
"Wait, really?"
"Yep. She told me to keep an eye on you to make sure you don't do anything 'strange'."
"Does Nyau really think of me as a dangerous person?" I felt a small pang of shock at the thought.
"Hmm, I wonder..." Ryune tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Actually, the fact that Master is even wary of you is a surprise to me. I mean, despite how she looks, she’s still a Sage. Most humans aren't even worth her time, let alone her caution."
"I suppose that’s true..."
"But there’s more. She also told me that if your prophecy turns out to be true, I’m to cooperate with you. So, I don't think she only harbors bad feelings toward you."
Is that so...? It occurred to me that Ryune’s help in getting me into the unit yesterday might have been orchestrated by Nyau as well.
"So, Kiskacchi, don't be so gloomy. You like Master, don't you?"
"Hold on, where did that come from?"
"Eh? Am I wrong?"
"I mean... well..."
How was I supposed to answer that? If forced to choose between like and hate, I certainly liked her. Yet I felt I shouldn't admit it so easily. The woman I loved belonged to a different timeline; in this one, we hadn't made any progress. In fact, she likely despised me. Saying anything out of turn would only cause her trouble.
"Wait... does Kiskacchi already have a lover or something?" Ryune asked, peering at my troubled expression.
I was about to say I didn't, but then I hesitated. Technically, I didn't have one in this timeline, but I had them in others. Wait... would this technically count as infidelity? I hadn't had the mental leeway to consider it until now, but the thought was paralyzing.
"Why the long silence? Could it be you're plotting some kind of adultery?" Ryune’s eyes narrowed into suspicious slits.
"I-I wouldn't do something like that..."
"I should hope not. If Kiskacchi turned out to be an enemy of women who approved of cheating, I’d have to hold a blood festival right here and now."
As she spoke, she pointed her staff menacingly toward my groin.
"Hie...!" I desperately shook my head in denial, and she finally lowered the weapon. Even so, I was starting to feel like a bit of a scumbag.
"So, in the end, do you like Master or not?"
"It’s not as simple as 'liking' her..." I decided it was best to stick to a vague denial.
"Ehh, how boring." The bloodlust vanished, replaced by a look of genuine disappointment. "Come on, Kiskacchi, I'm asking you to take Master off our hands."
"Huh?"
"Look, as her apprentice, I want Master to be happy. I want her to get married eventually, but the problem is that there’s no one for her."
"Really? I’d think she’d have plenty of suitors." Nyau was beautiful, after all. I couldn't imagine men just ignoring her.
"Think about it. Even if she looks young, she's a Living Legend over a hundred years old. Who on earth could ever hope to stand on equal ground with her? Even if someone managed to get engaged to her, they’d eventually back out because they were too intimidated. And she’s cut ties with her fellow elves, too."
Ryune had a point. Even the King treated Nyau with extreme deference. If even a monarch felt that way, there probably wasn't a soul in this world who could interact with her as a peer.
"But!" Ryune pointed a finger at me. "Ryune has finally found an exception. You, Kiskacchi!"
"Me?"
"Seeing you and Master talk so casually to each other was a huge shock to me."
"You talk to her informally too, Ryune."
"Well, that’s because I'm her apprentice," she said with a smug grin. Though, if she were a proper apprentice, she probably should have been more respectful.
"I hear you, but since Nyau clearly dislikes me, it's never going to happen."
"Hmm, I'm not so sure about that."
Ryune was optimistic, but I knew the truth. I had betrayed Nyau a hundred years ago. To move forward, I had to clear up that misunderstanding, but I lacked the memories of the True Hero to even begin to explain myself.
"Well, putting that aside, we have a more immediate crisis to deal with."
Exactly. I had come here to stop the Demon Beelphegor.
We continued our long march for several hours. I kept pace at the rear, occasionally chatting with Ryune as we followed the column. By early afternoon, a village appeared on the horizon.
Liot Village.
It was a bit smaller than my home village of Kataloff. It was an ordinary, peaceful place, surrounded by vast fields and a simple wooden fence.
It was here, while staying overnight, that everyone would be slaughtered by the Demon Beelphegor.
"We finally made it! I'm absolutely exhausted!" Ryune raised her arms and stretched atop her horse.
"You were riding the whole time," I pointed out. I was the one who had actually spent my Vitality walking.
"Why are you so mean? If you keep that up, you'll never be popular with the girls."
I was about to retort when a soldier approached from the front of the line.
"Lady Ryune, Sage Nyau is calling for you."
"Got it." She nodded, then looked back at me. "Want to come along, Kiskacchi?"
It seemed I was about to get another chance to speak with Nyau.