The conversation with the energetic grandpa I met by chance was over, and as I strolled around the city for a while, 2:00 pm, the time I had promised Mitsunaga-kun is close.
In the square where I met with Mitsunaga-kun yesterday, I’m supposed to meet the second princess of the Symphonia Kingdom…… Princess Cattleya. Hmmm, I wonder what kind of person she is?
From what I heard, it sounds like she’s a strong-minded person but……
[Hey, Alice.]
[What is it?]
[What’s Princess Cattleya like?]
[Fumu…… Like this.]
[You’re drawing her!?]
In response to my murmur, Alice appeared, and taking out a paper and pen, she drew what seemed to be Princess Cattleya’s face in a smooth, freehand manner.
The image looked more like Lilia-san than Amalie-san, with Lilia-san hair in a loose vertical roll and the corners of her eyes were slightly slanted upwards.
In short, she’s quite the beauty…… Lilia-san’s family’s facial deviation value really is incredibly high……
(T/N: Facial deviation value is apparently a criterion for the goodness and beauty of a human face.)
[……I see, what about her personality?]
[Please think of Duchess Lilia.]
[Eh? U- Unnn.]
[And add a bit more tsundere in it.]
[Hmmm?]
I didn’t really understand it that clearly, but in short, it seems that she has a personality that is similar to Lilia-san’s.
At the same time I nodded my head in response to her description, the plaza came into view and Alice disappeared again.
When I entered the plaza, I knew right away where Mitsunaga-kun was…… After all, in one corner of the plaza, there was a group of knights in armor that clearly had a different atmosphere compared from the rest……
They were probably, or rather, definitely Princess Cattleya and Mitsunaga-kun’s guards…… That’s an awesome number they have.
When I met with Mitsunaga-kun yesterday, I felt a few emotions similar to alertness with my Sympathy Magic at a slight distance, so those emotions I felt probably were from the knights who were guarding him out of his sight.
As for today though, Princess Cattleya is also meeting up with me, so the number of guards stationed here is probably even greater.
I mean, the trouble is, there are so many knights that are guarding them, so I can’t see Mitsunaga-kun and Princess Cattleya, who should be in the middle of their encirclement…… I guess I’ll just approach and talk to the knights huh.
As I was thinking that, I approached the group of knights…… but when they sensed my approach, I saw a few of the knights turned vigilant.
[……Stop right there, who are you?]
[Ah, errr, my name is Miyama Kaito. I had promised to meet Mitsunaga-kun…… the child who plays the role of Hero……]
[ !? P- Please accept my apologies! We’ve heard about your meeting, please go ahead……]
[Thank you.]
I was anxious that it would turn into that kind of development where they would point their swords at me while shouting something like “You suspicious b*stard!”, but it seems that the conversation properly got through, and the knights immediately led me to the place.
Thereupon, I saw Mitsunaga-kun, and when he saw me, he approached me with a refreshing smile on his face.
[Miyama-san!]
[Mitsunaga-kun, my bad, am I late?]
[No, no, our side just finished a little ahead of our schedule…… I heard that a Supreme God had come to this city right now…… And I don’t know if the senators were tired or not, but they didn’t ask any testing questions in our meeting……]
[………………….]
You really had influence in all sorts of places, Fate-san…… I can’t really imagine it because of how she usually acts, but I guess she’s acting like a proper Supreme God huh?
W- Well, it seems that thanks to that, Mitsunaga-kun ended the meeting early and was waiting for me here.
[……You must be Miyama-sama, right?]
[Eh? Ah, yes.]
When I turned my head towards the voice that called out my name, I saw an imposing woman standing there.
Loosely curled bright blonde hair, blue eyes slanting upwards, looking really sharp…… The woman wearing a red dress that looks easy to move around in, yet elegant at the same time, looked like an epitome of a noble, and I immediately knew that she was Princess Cattleya.
Princess Cattleya walks up to me and gracefully curtsy.
[It’s a pleasure to be your acquaintance, I’m the second princess of the Symphonia Kingdom, bearing the name of Cattleya Lia Symphonia. I have heard about Miyama-sama from my sisters. It’s an honor to meet you like this.]
[I- I’m Miyama Kaito. Please treat me well.]
[Please treat me well too. I have often heard rumors about you……. That you were close with Underworld King-sama and World King-sama, I’m feeling envious of you.]
[N- No, that is……]
I’d like to say a few things to Alice here…… Where the heck is her resemblance with Lilia-san!? The way they talk is definitely similar, but compared to Lilia-san, who doesn’t look like a noble at all, Princess Cattleya absurdly feels like a noble, and I feel like the atmosphere was really tense, you know!?
[Miyama-san, you don’t have to be that nervous. Despite her appearance, Cathy is really kind.]
[Mitsunaga-sama! Haven’t I told you to stop calling me that in public!?]
[I- I’m sorry.]
[Good grief…… Please excuse me. Miyama-sama, we’ve reserved a seat for us, so we can talk over there.]
[Ah, yes.]
Ahh~~ However, I think the feeling I got when she was scolding Mitsunaga-kun earlier was exactly like when Lilia-san was angry.
That look of impatience, rather than rage, on her face is a characteristic of Lilia-san when she’s angry…… Unnn, I felt that way because Lilia-san got angry enough times that I remembered her face while she was mad……
After lightly scolding Mitsunaga-kun, Princess Cattleya pointed at a table at a cafe adjacent to the plaza and suggested that we talk there.
I had no reason to refuse, so I nodded and followed Mitsunaga-kun and Princess Cattleya as they started walking to the cafe.
[Mitsunaga-sama, you need to be a little more aware of your role as the Hero! You are fuly responsible for each of your words and actions. You need to be very careful with the tone of your voice.]
[C- Cath……. Princess Cattleya. We’re in front of Miyama-san now, so can you excuse me for now?]
[I know that. That’s why I’m letting you get away with just this.]
I have some hunch about it, but it seems that Princess Cattleya has a slightly severe personality.
She seems to be scolding Mitsunaga-kun for calling her by her nickname, and with her sharp, slanted eyes focused on him……. It looks kind of scary, but it felt like she was complaining out of goodwill towards Mitsunaga-kun.
Somehow smiling at seeing such a scene, I tried following behind them——- but at that moment, I felt an unspeakable, unpleasant sensation run down my spine.
It was a reflexive action.
Just like how I quickly pulled my hand back when I touched a hot pot, I looked back faster than my mind was even aware of.
The moment I turned around, my gaze caught sight of the tall clock tower at a considerable distance…… I felt a part of that clock tower “glitter” for a moment……
[ ! ? ]
Immediately after, a shimmering sphere passed right by me.
There was no time to say a word in that moment, as only my gaze followed that sphere……. As if time was compressed, I felt like I was looking at it in a slow motion.
The sphere headed in a straight line towards Princess Cattleya, with none of the knights around her being able to react…… Mitsunaga-kun alone moved to lay his body to protect Princess Cattleya——— And a burst of light exploded.
Dear Mom, Dad———- Even if this world was at peace, even if a lot of people in this world were kind…… Malice still exists everywhere. Along with such thoughts——— we were swallowed in an explosion.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai: [ The riajuu finally exploded!? ]
<Shiro’s blessing, Kuro’s necklace, and Alice as his guard>
Serious-senpai: [ ……I can’t see a future other than where he’s safe. ]
By the way, thanks to everyone’s support, I was able to win the first prize in the Morning Star Awards. Thank you so much for your support.