We handed Fracton and his men over in the nearest town—Balse. Having given up all hope, they offered no resistance and didn't utter a single word.
Right now, we had secured an inn and were sitting down to a slightly early dinner.
"Uuu... Master's cooking tastes so much better, it does..."
I stroked Faf's head as she dejectedly picked at her food.
"Don't be a picky eater. Be grateful to whoever prepared it, and make sure you clean your plate. And chew properly, too."
I admonished her in a gentle tone.
"Yes, it does!"
Faf raised her fork energetically toward the ceiling and began scarfing down her meal. Despite her complaints, she was a glutton at heart; as long as there was food in front of her, she was basically happy.
"You two really are like an affectionate pair of siblings, aren't you?"
Rose rested both elbows on the table, offering an innocent observation as she watched us.
Rather than siblings, I personally thought we were more like father and daughter. After all, Faf originally knew nothing about human society, so I had to raise and educate her from scratch.
By the way, Rose had received quite the thorough tongue-lashing from Arnold after that whole incident, yet the very next day, she was in an unsettlingly cheerful mood. On the other hand, Rose's escort knights looked so utterly devastated you would think the world was ending.
Afterward, regarding the fact that we would be traveling together for the time being, I laid down several conditions for Rose and her entourage.
One: No prying into our affairs whatsoever.
Two: No giving us orders or interfering with us in any way.
Three: My position as Rose's Royal Guard is strictly as a stand-in—a temporary measure until a suitable replacement is found.
Ever since, Rose had strictly adhered to at least the first two rules against prying and interference.
"More importantly, are you sure you should leave her be? She's completely sulking over there."
The knight named Anna must have taken Rose's rebuke quite hard, as she had been eating her meals all by herself away from the rest of the group ever since. You'd think she wouldn't care so much about something as dubious as a god's blessing. What an exhausting girl.
"Please do not worry. My bond with Anna is hardly fragile enough to break over something like this. Besides, she and I have had similar spats since we were children. Though, it seems this one might drag on for a bit longer than usual."
I see. That would explain why Arnold and the other knights weren't paying it much mind either.
"Fair enough. So? What was it you wanted to discuss?"
Unless specifically requested, I had no desire to share a meal with Rose at the cost of drawing the ire of her other knights. Eating with Faf and the delightful companions from the Subjugation Compendium was far more enjoyable anyway.
In that regard, Fen and Nine-Tails might have lost their tempers at the knights' hostility toward me, so I had the two of them staying inside the Compendium for now. Asta also seemed to intensely dislike the kingdom's knights; when I invited him to eat with us, he flatly refused to join the table.
Ah, by "Asta," I mean Astaroth. His name is rather long, so just like with Fafnir, I took the liberty of shortening it.
"You have become my Royal Guard. That is correct, yes?"
With a face beaming with delight, she asked as if to make absolutely sure.
"I told you, it's merely a temporary measure until a suitable person is found."
"Yes, I understand. You are my Royal Guard until we select the suitable person."
Nodding repeatedly with that same satisfied smile, she agreed. Does she really understand? Watching her behavior filled me with endless doubt, but well, what I needed to do remained unchanged. I would track down a suitable candidate and have that person protect Rose as her Royal Guard. Once that was done, I would be honorably relieved of my duties.
"And?"
When I urged her to get to the point, Rose cleared her throat with a small cough, her expression turning serious.
"Now that you have become my Royal Guard, there is something I must tell you."
"What is it? I don't care for beating around the bush. Say it straight. Keep it simple and clear, of course."
"Yes, yes," Rose replied, shrugging her shoulders. Hasn't this girl been getting awfully casual with me lately?
"It is still within the realm of rumors, but there is a possibility that the Throne Succession War will soon begin."
The Throne Succession War, huh. Taking it at face value, that probably meant the Amelia Kingdom's government would assign certain trials to the princes and princesses, pitting them against one another to compete for the next throne.
Hmm, the background circumstances were becoming considerably clearer.
"Is that also the reason why you were almost sold off to the Empire this time?"
"Yes. I suspect the faction backing my younger brother, Gilbert, took action out of fear that I might appoint Lena as my Royal Guard."
"So they were afraid the Rosemary faction would expand its influence in the Throne War with a Gift Holder of the Sword Saint on your side."
"No, while the Sword Saint Gift is certainly a factor, Lena herself was likely the primary reason. After all, Lena is currently tremendously popular among the kingdom's key figures and high-ranking nobles."
Lena is hugely popular with the kingdom's nobility, huh. That was far too disconnected from the memories of the past Kai Heinemann. After all, she had been the very definition of a commoner, even more so than the old me.
However, if Lena truly held that much favor among high-ranking nobles, then the string of facts that hadn't made sense before suddenly fell into place.
"I see. So Lena was in danger either way."
"Most likely."
Just as expected, Rose nodded in confirmation.
Rose had called Lena her close friend. Going by the memories of the past Kai Heinemann, I didn't believe Rose had been lying at that time. I had found it strange that she would so casually try to make Lena her Royal Guard, but in truth, it had been to protect Lena all along.
As long as she was viewed as a threat by that fool Gilbert, Lena would be targeted for elimination as long as Rose remained in the kingdom. It seemed to be common knowledge that Rose and Lena were extremely close, so there was no mistaking it. In that case, making Lena her Royal Guard would actually make it harder for them to act overtly, reducing the risk of assassinations and the like, which made logical sense.
And if Rose declared me as her Royal Guard here, Lena would be removed from the crosshairs as long as I remained by Rose's side. That had to be it.
Of course, the method Rose had chosen this time was the absolute lowest of the low, so I had no intention of praising it.
"Can we trace this back to the mastermind behind Fracton?"
Biting her lower lip in frustration, Rose shook her head.
"Fracton was merely the perpetrator on the ground. When it comes to the Throne War, it is highly probable that he was kept completely in the dark regarding any critical matters. The hope of pursuing this all the way to Gil and his circle is slim."
Just as anticipated, she gave a negative response.
"Figures."
After all, they had managed to negotiate with the Empire and actually succeeded in selling off Rose, an actual princess. The fact that Rose was saved this time was pure luck—nothing more than an impossible coincidence. In other words, they were cunning when it came to wicked schemes, and they certainly weren't stupid. They wouldn't have left behind any evidence that could be traced back to them.
"Either way, we can't make a move until this Throne War of yours begins, right?"
"That is correct. Right now, we must focus all our efforts on expanding our influence in preparation for the Throne War."
"Understood."
By "maintaining and expanding influence," Rose likely meant mild methods such as petitioning nobles and wealthy merchants for their cooperation. If so, there would be no need for me to step in. I'm sure she was well aware of that as well.
"Well, let's head back soon."
Hoisting the full and dozing Faf onto my back, I began walking toward our room.
"Kai."
Stopped by her call, I looked back over my shoulder.
"Hm? What is it?"
I asked.
Rose stood up from her seat and bowed deeply. And then—
"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for accepting the role of Royal Guard."
She uttered words one would never expect to hear from royalty.
Heading to the room, I laid Faf down on her bed and stroked her small head, after which she quickly fell into a deep sleep.
After that, I made my way to a small, deserted courtyard behind the inn.
I wanted to be alone for a bit to think.
I was not so young that I couldn't understand myself. Regardless of the reason, had I truly found it disagreeable, I should have adamantly refused the Royal Guard position. Especially in an utterly tedious situation like this upcoming Throne War. No matter how inexperienced and reckless Rose was, I didn't think my heart would be moved enough by something of that caliber to lend her my strength. Yet I had accepted becoming Rose's Royal Guard, even if conditionally. Thinking about it again, it was bizarre in the extreme.
The same went for Lena's situation. If Lena was in danger, all I had to do was take her and her family under my protection and seek asylum in another country. In this world, the disparity between the strong and the weak was vast. With my current strength, I could easily pull that off.
Yet, the reason I felt no inclination to do so was...
"Am I, to some degree, attached to that girl?"
This, too, was likely an emotion belonging to the past Kai Heinemann. Though altered, I had inherited his memories in full. Emotions are pure, intense impulses born from an abundance of memories and experiences.
Perhaps lending a hand to Rose was a future the past Kai Heinemann had desired, a task handed down to the current me.
Well, either way, I was Kai Heinemann. That did not change.
"Whatever. It's not like I have anything particular to do anyway. I'll just pick out a new Royal Guard for Rose. Until then, I might as well play along with this ridiculous farce."
Uttering those words as if to reaffirm them, I was able to convince myself quite easily.
I am a selfish person. As long as I could satisfy myself, anything else mattered little.
"Master!"
Suddenly, a slight weight settled atop my head. Cupping it with both hands, I found a black wolf pup looking down at me with round, innocent eyes, wagging its tail furiously.
"Hmm, Fen. Were you bored?"
Just as I gently stroked his head—
"Husband!"
A silver-haired beastman woman suddenly manifested before my eyes and threw her arms around me, while slimes began clinging all over my body.
"Sorry for not paying attention to you all, either."
That was right. Even if I had regained the memories of the past, not a single thing about me had changed. I would live however I pleased in this world alongside them. And if anything ever dared to stand in the way of my purpose, I would utterly crush it to pieces. That was all there was to it.