Chapter 56

Veronica, the Commander of the Knights of the Imperial Family, was certain she had never sweated this much in her entire life.

“……Where did he go?”

“Young Lady, please calm down for a moment.”

“Where. Did. He. Go.”

“……”

The reason was none other than the noble young lady staring at her with a terrifyingly expressionless face.

She was a beautiful woman, Veronica thought.

Her long, flowing twin-tailed red hair was enough to catch the attention of any man.

The red and white dress, perfectly balanced, complemented her hair that drew everyone’s gaze.

……If it weren’t for those hollow red eyes glaring at her, she would have been considered the Empire’s most beautiful woman.

“Do I need to repeat myself? Does my word mean nothing to you?”

“It’s not that…”

“If it’s not that, then speak up. Where the hell did that damn Crown Prince go?”

“……”

That look was not of the Empire’s most beautiful woman but of the scariest grim reaper in the world.

Even her strict mother, who was stricter than anyone, had never given her such a feeling.

This was the first time someone had made her, the Empire’s most outstanding knight, feel this way.

“Young Lady. I think you need to be a bit more composed.”

“……”

“It’s true that your fiancé disappeared along with His Highness the Crown Prince, but we are also preparing to search for His Highness. Please wait patiently.”

She deliberately put on a serious expression for that reason.

If it were any ordinary noble young lady, it would be natural to be intimidated by the changed demeanor of the Commander of the Knights.

But the young lady standing before her was no ordinary young lady.

Feeling a bit guilty, she still maintained a strong front.

“……What am I supposed to do?”

“……”

“I’m not asking for help. Just tell me which way he went. Is that so hard?”

Of course, it seemed to have no effect on the young lady before her.

“……”

At this point, her pride was starting to take a hit.

She could tolerate the young lady addressing the Crown Prince informally or adding “damn” before “Crown Prince,” but being ignored was hard to bear.

Even if she was a noble young lady, Veronica was still the Commander of the Empire’s most prestigious knight order.

Just what kind of noble family was this young lady from to stand so boldly before her?

“……Young Lady, that remark just now…”

To be able to look at her with such disregard…

At that moment, a fragment of memory flashed through Veronica’s mind.

– “Who exactly are you telling me to be careful of…?”

– “Rebecca Valencia, the only daughter of the Valencia Duchy. It would be wise for you to be cautious around her.”

– “……Your Highness, even though I am the Commander of the Imperial Knights…”

– “I’ve given you a fair warning. What you do next is up to you.”

– “……”

It was a memory of the Crown Prince, who was always busy, calling her to give a serious warning.

At the time, she had brushed it off without much thought.

The Crown Prince calling her for nonsense wasn’t a rare occurrence. She thought it was just another thing to ignore.

– “Did you hear the news?”

– “What news?”

– “The only daughter of the Valencia Duchy has awakened her Aura.”

– “……Seriously?”

It wasn’t until she heard the whispers of her fellow knights that she realized.

For a swordsman or knight, Aura was a kind of symbol.

Talent was necessary, of course, but Aura was a realm that couldn’t be reached by talent alone.

Only those who truly put in genuine effort could reach the realm of Aura.

And yet, a young lady from a high noble family.

A girl who hadn’t even had her coming-of-age ceremony yet, had achieved it.

The Crown Prince’s warning echoed in her mind once more.

It was no illusion.

From that moment on.

Veronica began to investigate the person known as “Rebecca Valencia” in her own way.

Not that she spent money or resources on it.

– “Did you hear?”

– “What is it this time?”

– “The young lady from the Valencia Duchy is said to be proficient in magic as well.”

– “……Last time, it was said she awakened her Aura.”

– “Exactly! Isn’t she like a real-life magic swordsman?”

The rumors circulating among the people were enough to tell her how extraordinary Rebecca Valencia of the Valencia Duchy was.

A magic swordsman.

Someone who had mastered both magic and swordsmanship to a high level and could freely utilize both in combat.

However, despite such grand introductions, most magic swordsmen had almost no real combat power.

Mastering one field to a high level was already no easy feat, let alone two.

It was nearly impossible.

And among those who called themselves magic swordsmen, not a single one could wield Aura.

But the Princess of Valencia was different.

According to the rumors, she was a genius among geniuses who had already awakened her Aura.

If it were true that the Princess of Valencia had also mastered magic to a high level, then a true magic swordsman might have finally appeared in this era.

It was only after such rumors spread.

That Veronica stopped listening to the rumors about the Princess of Valencia.

After all, all that would come from hearing more was awe and a sense of inferiority.

And if the Princess, whose personality might not match her abilities, heard that Veronica was trying to gather information about her.

That would be the most terrifying thing in the world.

So, for the sake of her own survival, she stopped trying to gather information about the only daughter of the Valencia Duchy.

But now.

“……”

Why did she feel a sense of familiarity with the noble young lady standing before her?

Veronica’s instincts, quietly observing the situation in her mind, were screaming.

“Young Lady, may I ask the name of your fiancé who disappeared along with His Highness the Crown Prince?”

If she wanted to live, at least live the rest of her life as a human being, she shouldn’t provoke this mysterious noble young lady.

“……Albert Zernias.”

After a moment of hesitation, the mysterious young lady, presumed to be Rebecca Valencia, answered with a suspicious look.

“……”

That name was one Veronica knew well.

It was a name that occasionally came up when the Crown Prince carelessly mentioned the fiancé of the Princess of Valencia.

And then.

“His Highness the Crown Prince headed in that direction at the start of the hunting competition.”

“……”

“Our knight order will also do our best to find His Highness… no, the Princess’s fiancé.”

Veronica was someone who valued her survival instinct above all else.

***

“Haste.”

As the light incantation ended, Rebecca’s steps became lighter.

Though the long hem of her dress was a bit cumbersome while running.

The weight of the dress itself was almost negligible due to the lightweight magic applied, so she could focus on running despite the inconvenience.

In fact, it was already quite late.

A considerable amount of time had passed since the hunting competition began.

If her fiancé hadn’t stopped moving, he could have already reached the deepest part of the forest.

That fact made her steps even faster with the Haste magic.

It wasn’t the wild animals in the forest that she was afraid of.

According to what she had heard, the annoyingly skilled Crown Prince was also with her fiancé.

And her fiancé wasn’t someone who would be harmed by the wild animals he had hunted.

What she feared wasn’t the animals, but the people.

The news that the Crown Prince, the Empire’s sole heir, was participating in this hunting competition was known to everyone in the Empire.

It wouldn’t be strange if anti-Emperor nobles had sent assassins to kill the Crown Prince.

Moreover, her fiancé had already been attacked by assassins once.

Even if those assassins were targeting the Saintess who was in the garden at the time, not her and Albert.

That didn’t erase the fact that they had been attacked by assassins.

At that time, Rebecca had stayed by her fiancé’s side as he fell from a poisoned arrow.

The feeling she had then was helplessness.

The helplessness of being unable to do anything for her fiancé, who had taken the poisoned arrow for her, consumed her.

Fortunately, thanks to the Saintess, Estelle, who happened to be at the Imperial Palace, her fiancé was able to recover without any aftereffects.

But the helplessness she felt had deeply engraved itself in Rebecca’s heart.

Of course, she still couldn’t understand why she felt this way.

After all, the person in question was just someone who always annoyed her.

Someone who was forced into an engagement with her by their parents.

Why, for what reason, did her heart ache so much at the thought of Albert falling?

Was it the memory of Albert taking the poisoned arrow for her that haunted her?

She couldn’t understand it.

But at least one thing was certain.

“……If you get hurt with the handkerchief I gave you, I won’t let it slide.”

Her heart, more honest with herself than anyone, didn’t want to see her fiancé get hurt.

“Haste.”

As the effect of the Haste magic was about to wear off, she cast it on herself once more.

And Rebecca ran towards the heart of the forest.

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