episode_0415

Northwestern highlands, Mount Mayene.

A man and a woman, dressed in winter gear, were climbing a desolate and dry rocky mountain with no sign of human presence.

-Thump, thump.

“Haaah, hoo, haaah… .”

“… … .”

-Thump, thump.

“Hoooo, hoooo, hoooo… .”

“… Let’s take a break. You seem very tired.”

The tall man who was advancing through the mountain as a vanguard calmly advised the woman following him to take a rest, and the woman, who was already exhausted to the limit, sat down in place without even being able to respond to the man’s words.

-dump.

“Ugh, I’m, I’m sorry… . I, I’m the reason the schedule keeps getting delayed… .”

“… No, I wouldn’t have even thought of coming here in the first place if it weren’t for your suggestion, so don’t worry about it.”

“… I, I’m sorry to say this, but, if Professor Harold would hug me, I might be able to bring the schedule up a little bit… .”

“I’m sorry. I swore not to hug any other woman besides Thanasia. Even though you are the princess, I can’t break my promise that easily.”

“… I was just saying this once… . Uh, just in case I can’t get back before summer vacation is over… .”

She turns her face away with an awkward smile at Harold’s firm rejection.

The blonde hair that symbolized royalty popped out from the hat that she had taken off for a moment to rest, and the face of the 4th Princess of the Argentia Empire was revealed from inside the scarf that she had pulled up to drink water.

Mezlen Emilia Valtoria. She was currently on summer vacation and enjoying a date with her crush.

… although there was a minor problem in that the date was far from the typical date between a man and a woman; it was a difficult hiking date lasting several days, and the other person didn’t think of it as a date at all.

-Gulp, gulp.

“Ugh, huh… .”

Mezlen swallowed just enough water to rinse his parched mouth and throat, then covered his face with his scarf again.

She quietly watched the water jug she had brought to her lips and drank from, thinking about something, then carefully handed the jug to Harold and said.

“Hey, Professor Harold, are you thirsty too…? Joe, how about quenching your thirst a little…? ”

“That’s okay. When I was a soldier in the war, I survived for a week without drinking water.”

“Yeah, it’s not like there’s a war going on right now… . And, it’s also good to replenish water regularly… .”

“Well, that water jug probably won’t be enough for you to drink alone. Didn’t you say you’d have to walk at least two days to get to the next water source?”

“… I, I can survive for two days without drinking a single drop of water.”

“… … .”

Princess Mezlen, who was obviously not going to be able to last even half a day, let alone two days, tried to answer with bravado.

Harold was not unaware of her lies, but he had a gut feeling that if he did not drink, more time would be lost, so he took the water jug from the princess’s hand and brought it to his own mouth.

-Tub.

“Then, I will gladly accept it.”

-Gulp, gulp.

“… … Sob.”

Princess Mezlen lets her imagination run wild as she watches Harold pouring water from the jug he took from her hand.

Harold was not even aware of it, but it was an indirect kiss, but for Mezlen, it was the most racy skinship she had ever experienced, so it was only natural that her pink head would turn into a flower garden.

‘Sir, I never thought I would be giving you my first kiss like this, but Sae, it’s not as bad as I thought… As punishment for taking my precious first kiss, Mr. Harold has no choice but to remarry me, hehe… .’

There were many times when she felt physically tired and wanted to collapse, but Princess Mezlen would endure with mental strength, imagining a bright future with Harold like this.

A journey that lasts for weeks across the northwestern highlands in search of ‘African flowers’.

Mezlen’s plan for this date came about as she was researching Harold’s ex-wife, Thanasia Brycewell Blackwood.

Princess Mezlen, who truly wanted to make Harold her own, began to investigate the person he loved most, his deceased wife.

From information about Thanasia’s origin family, the Viscount Brycewell family, to the illness that led to her death.

Among them, it was Mezlen who discovered that the cure for ‘magical blood sclerosis’, the cause of Thanasia’s death, could be made with ‘Afrian flowers’ from the northwestern highlands, and she thought that maybe this could be used to induce a date with Harold.

‘You said you wanted to visit the northwestern highlands during the summer vacation and asked me to escort you?’

‘… Yes, Professor Harold… .’

‘Well, even if you are the princess, I don’t think I can grant that request. Although I am a professor at the academy as a hobby, I am also the head of the Blackwood family, so it’s not like I have nothing to do during summer vacation.’

‘… Is that so… .’

‘I think I can help you find someone else to escort you. Why do you wish to visit the northwestern highlands?’

‘Ah, I want to collect African flowers… . I want to collect as many as possible and study whether proper cultivation is possible… .’

‘… African flower? Are you referring to the flower used to make a cure for ‘magic blood sclerosis’?’

‘Yes, yes… Professor Harold’s… Ah, no, that, I just happened to become interested in a disease called ‘Magic Blood Sclerosis’, and I wanted to research a cure… .’

‘… … .’

‘Well, I’ll look after the escort separately, so you don’t have to get it for me… Then, I’ll take my leave now… ‘

‘…I will go.’

‘……yes?’

‘If your goal is to create a cure for ‘magic blood sclerosis’, I will act as your escort.’

‘Really?!’

The date between Harold and Princess Mezlen in Gosan was established through these conversations.

Princess Mezlen, who can find the items she needs even in the highlands by using her unique magic, ‘Treasure Hunt’, can continue her explorations in the desolate highlands, looking for Afrian flowers and water sources, as long as she has a sufficiently trustworthy escort.

Harold also took on the role of her bodyguard, recalling the past when he had to send his wife away because he didn’t have time to create a cure for her magical sclerosis, so in any case, this date in the high mountains was a date that was arranged because their goals were aligned.

“Ah, I found it again… !”

“… You’re really good at finding things. Is this the royal family’s unique magic?”

“Hwa, it’s not that I’m great because I’m royal, it’s that I, I’m great… .”

“Okay, I see. So where do we go next?”

“Hey, from here, it’s a day north… oh, no, I guess I’ll have to turn around a bit and walk for two days… .”

“Why is there such a big difference? Are you starting to run out of energy?”

“Ah, no… . If you walk straight north from here, there is a cliff about 20 meters high, and if you want to avoid it and go back, it will take another day or so… .”

“… … .”

For a man who had once been called a war hero, climbing down a cliff of about 20 meters was not a difficult task for Harold.

… carrying a woman smaller than you down is also the same.

“… When you get to the cliff, I’ll carry you down and let you go, so just go north.”

“… Yes, yes?! Ah, no, no, hug me… ?!”

“I just don’t want to waste too much time. If I could get at least one more African flower, wouldn’t that help with the flower farming you’re talking about?”

“Yes, yes… ! Of course, Professor Harold… ! T, Then let’s go north like this… !”

“… … .”

Princess Mezlen, who started to walk briskly with an awkward reaction as soon as he said that he would hug her.

Even though Harold was insensitive to other people’s emotions, he couldn’t help but notice her emotions. After all, he had recently become quite interested in reading other people’s emotions after watching his son and the maid’s love affair.

Of course, Harold had no intention of accepting Mezlen’s heart, even for the sake of his dead wife, but he did not refuse the favor she had for him. In order to mass-produce a cure for the disease that took his wife’s life, he desperately needed Princess Mezlen’s help.

Even though he knew that what he was doing was foolish, just chasing the shadow of his already dead wife, and even though he knew that if his dead wife could talk to him, she would urge him not to do such a foolish thing, Harold could not give up.

In order to fill the void that has once formed in my heart, I had to fill it with something that was as similar to what was there originally as possible, so that it would be less painful.

‘By the way, I wonder if Ethan is getting along well with Lilith during the vacation.’

By now, the letter he sent from the Academy should have arrived.

Harold had been vaguely aware that Lilith was giving some kind of reward for Ethan’s victory in their duel, so he felt a little sorry towards his son for having to leave on such an unexpected schedule.

‘I’m worried that they might become more relaxed because I’m not there. They’re in their prime, so it might be hard for them to control their desires…’

Contrary to Harold’s worries, the two were surprisingly still in control.

… but the backlash from that suppressed desire has already erupted once in a slightly different direction.