Ch.310310. Why Am I So Strong…?

“…The weather is quite hot.”

On a walk with Princess Joanna Lumiere.

Behind us, a small elite group of hastily assembled Imperial Knights maintained their distance while escorting the princess.

Sigh…

Emperor Callian suddenly asked me to accompany Princess Joanna on a walk.

Apparently, after the succession war, the princess feared leaving the imperial palace due to trauma.

Naturally, I asked what difference my company would make.

But the answer I received was:

“Joanna said she could go for a walk if you accompanied her.”

“…Pardon?”

“Didn’t you save our Joanna back then?”

“Y-yes?”

“She says your company gives her a sense of security.”

Security my ass…

This was Emperor Callian’s cunning scheme.

No doubt he was trying to somehow entangle me with his sister, Princess Joanna, to keep me in the Western Continent.

But.

I couldn’t confront him with mere suspicions.

So I reluctantly ended up walking with Princess Joanna.

I narrowed my eyes slightly as I looked at the blazing sunlight.

“Indeed. The weather is truly hot.”

“Lord Selden Alphonse, you don’t seem to sweat much?”

Beads of sweat had formed on the princess’s face.

As she wiped her forehead with a light gesture, her smooth, translucent skin reflected the sunlight, sparkling like a jewel.

‘She’s certainly beautiful.’

This is pure torture.

I should hurry and marry either the Etherian Princess or Princess Siren. How long must I continue stabbing my thighs in lonely frustration every night?

For me, this was nothing short of torment.

I shook my head from side to side, barely maintaining my composure.

“Due to my lean build, I don’t sweat much.”

“I see. By the way… I’d like to apologize to you, Lord Selden Alphonse.”

“Apologize?”

“Although it was unavoidable, I did deceive you.”

“I understand completely. There’s no need for an apology.”

Princess Joanna lifted the hem of her dress with her fingers and sighed.

“If I had known we’d be climbing such a steep mountain, I would have changed into more comfortable clothes.”

“Shall we go back down if it’s difficult for you?”

“N-no, it’s fine. It’s been a while since I’ve been outside, so I’d like to enjoy the fresh air a bit longer.”

By the way.

The weather really is hot.

It’s completely opposite to the Northern Continent I visited a few days ago because of Robert.

If Olivia were here, she’d probably strip down to her underwear in this heat.

Being more vulnerable to heat than cold myself, I wiped away sweat with the back of my hand and spoke.

“By the way, this mountain seems to be free of magical beasts.”

“Aren’t there more mountains without magical beasts than with them?”

“Ah… it’s just that the energy of this mountain doesn’t seem particularly good.”

“Can you read geomancy as well?”

“Not exactly, consider it a kind of intuition.”

“I see… Since you say the energy isn’t good, shall we rest for a moment in that shade over there?”

“Yes, certainly.”

Sitting on a rock in the cool shade of a tree, I looked at the Imperial Knights following behind us.

They were cooling off at some distance from where we were.

They all seemed to be having a rather difficult time.

“Do you remember what you said to me, Lord Selden Alphonse?”

“…Pardon?”

“Back then, when we briefly rested while traveling from the Western Empire to Lake Estate.”

“Ah… I was disrespectful, not knowing you were the princess.”

“I-I’m not asking for an apology. Looking back now, everything you said seems to be correct.”

“…”

As I kept my mouth firmly shut, Princess Joanna continued with a faint smile.

“You confronted me about there being no zombies in the Eastern Continent, even though researching magical beasts isn’t illegal there.”

“Rather than confronting… I was merely stating a fact. There are indeed no zombies in the Eastern Continent.”

“And you criticized that the imperial family couldn’t investigate the zombie incidents thoroughly because they were preoccupied with watching for rebellion from my second brother, Prince Leonis, who was still alive.”

“R-rather than criticism, it was just me lamenting out of concern.”

Worried that the Imperial Knights might have overheard our conversation, I glanced sideways cautiously, which made Princess Joanna smile broadly.

“Lord Selden Alphonse, you’re really interesting.”

“…Pardon?”

“You’re being so formal with me even though you don’t need to be so cautious.”

“How could I not be mindful around you, Your Highness?”

“I heard about you from my brother. He said the subordinates you lead might even surpass our Imperial Knights?”

Hiding my surprised expression, I laughed heartily instead.

“Haha!! His Imperial Majesty Emperor Callian seems to have quite a sense of humor.”

“My brother may tend to speak in strong tones, but he doesn’t make idle comments.”

“…Even so, they’re not quite at that level yet.”

“Ah… So Lord Selden Alphonse thinks his subordinates’ skills are still lacking?”

“I suppose so. I keep getting greedy. The stronger my subordinates are, the more comfortably I can sleep with my legs stretched out.”

Princess Joanna Lumiere wiped the sweat from her neck with her palm and spoke.

“By the way, how did you build a relationship with Emperor Malius? My brother was very curious about your connection.”

“…A lot happened.”

“Is it difficult to talk about?”

“I just visited the imperial palace and nearly died a few times before we became close. Come to think of it, the Western Empire is similar.”

“How so?”

“You were almost killed after being falsely accused, weren’t you?”

At this, Princess Joanna Lumiere startled.

“M-my brother would never have killed you.”

“Are you sure?”

“…What?”

“In that situation, no one could predict what would happen. Honestly, did you ever imagine we would meet that day?”

“W-well, that’s true.”

I smiled good-naturedly at the dejected Princess Joanna.

“Still, I don’t resent Emperor Callian. Thanks to him, I maintain a good relationship with Lord Cabla, and through that, I’m building connections with others as well.”

“Ah… Since when have you known Lord Cabla?”

“I met him for the first time that day. I was quite startled when the Imperial Knights suddenly burst in during our first meeting.”

“…I see.”

As I was about to get up to resume our walk in the somewhat awkward atmosphere, Princess Joanna continued.

“Do you… know why my brother asked you to accompany me on this walk?”

“I suppose His Imperial Majesty wanted to create an opportunity for us to talk, since we haven’t had a chance to speak since I learned you were the princess.”

Just as the atmosphere was beginning to lighten, a familiar yet unpleasant energy began to envelop me.

Unmistakable killing intent.

I heard this mountain had been thoroughly searched by the imperial family, so why am I sensing killing intent?

Rustle. Rustle.

A rustling sound came from the distance, and the Imperial Knights, finally noticing, were running from afar to protect Princess Joanna.

I quickly stood in front of the princess and drew my Raiden Sword.

Shing.

“L-Lord Selden Alphonse, what’s happening?”

“I’m not sure, but I have a bad feeling.”

The air grew heavy.

In the silence where even the rustling of leaves and chirping of birds seemed to have ceased, my senses were heightened to the extreme.

“Y-Your Highness!”

The Imperial Knights, arriving quickly, drew their swords and entered a defensive stance.

At that moment, hidden figures began to gradually reveal themselves.

“Who goes there! Identify yourselves!!”

While the Imperial Knights dispersed their attention, I tried to find an escape route with Princess Joanna, but I already felt surrounded.

The men who appeared had eyes filled with killing intent and hatred, their swords and spears gleaming.

Twenty Imperial Knights, and roughly a hundred rebels.

An overwhelming difference in numbers.

They were closing in on us from all directions.

“…We have arrived. Imperial Knights, all of you, sheathe your swords.”

The leaves around us rustled slightly as one of the rebels stepped forward.

He wore a deep navy uniform.

On his shoulders were the same intricate gold embroideries as Emperor Callian’s.

And immediately, whispers from the Imperial Knights reached my ears.

-P-Prince Leonis…

-We definitely searched this mountain thoroughly, where did he come from!?

-We must protect the princess at all costs, even if it means our deaths!

Prince Leonis smiled subtly at the voices of the Imperial Knights.

“Do you dare ignore my command?”

His expression was one of assured victory.

Well, the Imperial Knights came as a small elite force, so he had reason to be confident given the numerical advantage.

Should I use the hourglass to turn back time and escape?

‘Tsk…’

Not only is the number of uses limited, making me reluctant to use it, but even if I did, we’d likely be surrounded by rebels again.

Despite the mountain having been thoroughly searched, Prince Leonis appeared suddenly with so many men?

I suspect there must be a spy among the Imperial Knights.

Otherwise, it’s inexplicable how they appeared as if anticipating our arrival.

I opened my palm.

Since absorbing the ancient magic book, I hadn’t had a chance to use magic, having come straight to the Western Continent.

This was also an opportunity to check how much my efficiency had improved.

“Fireball!”

At that moment, a fierce flame erupted from my fingertips like an explosion, instantly flying toward the rebels.

And it created a much larger blaze than I had anticipated.

Though brief, it turned the sky as red as sunset.

-Arghhhh-!

-Aagh-!

With screams, about thirty rebels instantly turned to ash and vanished.

The Imperial Knights slowly turned their heads toward me with terrified expressions.

But the most surprised person was, of course, me.

“Why am I… so powerful…?”