The Journey of Those Who Know the Truth

Alicia, who had rescued the two people from the Duke’s family, had successfully escaped from the World Tree’s forest and was staying in a town.

Fortunately, there were no pursuers like fairies anymore, but because they moved without neglecting caution, they were still some distance from their destination, the kingdom.

“I’m back. …It doesn’t seem like there are any pursuers.”

“Good work.”

A figure wearing a robe with a hood pulled down entered the inn where they were staying.

“Phew… it’s stifling.”

The figure who took off their hood had long platinum blonde hair, blue eyes, and elongated ears.

It was none other than an Elf.

“I’m sorry. I ended up involving you, Lilu.”

“No, it’s fine. My inherited duty ended when I guided you anyway… and…”

Elf Lilu, whom Alicia met at the entrance to the World Tree’s forest.

She was currently traveling with Alicia.

Turning back time a bit, it was when Alicia was attempting to escape with the two people from the Duke’s family.

Elf Lilu had lived alone in this forest for over ten years.

When was it that Elves became unable to visit the World Tree?

Fairies came and told them that the World Tree no longer wished to meet Elves, that it had been disappointed in them.

For Elves who had lived guarding the World Tree for a long time, it was truly a bolt from the blue.

They immediately wanted to see the World Tree to confirm its true intentions, but the gate that always transported Elves to the World Tree’s side rejected them.

At that time, the Elves fell into despair, believing they had been abandoned by the World Tree.

Eventually, the Elves living in the forest, as if escaping from that despair, left the forest and set out on a journey to find a new place to live.

Only Lilu, who had inherited from her mother the task of guiding a guide who would someday come to this forest, remained and lived alone.

But now her mission had ended.

Where were her kind now, and what were they doing?

Should she too leave to find a new life?

Lilu took out the bow she carried on her back and slightly pulled the bowstring.

She had been famous for having the best archery skills among her generation.

Wouldn’t she be able to make a living somehow outside?

That’s what she was thinking when it happened.

Suddenly, a bright light flashed before her eyes, and Alicia, who had gone through the gate earlier, came running out.

“Huh? You’re back sooner than I thought? What about the World Tree…”

“Li-Lilu?! Duck!!”

Alicia collapsed to the ground as if falling over as she came out.

Startled, Lilu bent down to see what had happened to Alicia.

At that moment.

GRAAAAH!!

“…Huh?”

With another flash of light, a magical beast leaped out and brushed right over Lilu’s head.

A magical beast? Why would a magical beast come from the gate leading to the World Tree’s forest?

Lilu couldn’t understand the situation at all.

But the archery skills Lilu had acquired over her long life moved her body automatically.

Lilu, who had immediately distanced herself from the magical beast, nocked an arrow to her bowstring and shot at the beast.

THWACK!!

With a loud sound, the arrow pierced the magical beast’s head, and the beast, which had its head penetrated, died instantly and collapsed.

“Alicia? What’s going on here?”

But Lilu’s mind still couldn’t grasp the situation.

So she wanted to ask Alicia, who was collecting herself, for an explanation of this situation.

“Not yet! More will come!”

“!!”

At Alicia’s shout, Lilu reflexively reached for her quiver again.

And a moment later, magical beasts leaped out of the gate with a flash of light.

“What is this… Huh?”

An Elf who had worked as a guardian of the World Tree.

Lilu, as one of those Elves, noticed beings hiding between the magical beasts.

“…Fairies? Why are fairies…”

As Lilu muttered that, the fairies seemed to notice her and started chattering.

「It’s an Elf!」

「An Elf was still here?」

「What do we do? What should we do?」

The fairies’ chatter, as noisy as ever.

Lilu lowered her bow aimed at the magical beasts with a disgusted expression.

“What are you? Why are you bringing magical beasts out of the World Tree’s forest?”

The World Tree’s forest, even if it had become inaccessible, was a sacred place for Elves.

To bring tainted beings like magical beasts to such a place.

And for fairies, the World Tree’s messengers, to do so.

Depending on their answer, Lilu was prepared to release her arrow without mercy.

「What should we do in this situation?」

「I don’t know! I don’t know!」

「Kill them! Kill them!!」

Lilu narrowed her eyes sharply at the fairies’ chattering.

“Is that your answer.”

As Lilu released her bowstring, the arrow flew like a bullet.

「KYAA!!」

The fairy that was hit by the arrow screamed and disappeared into a burst of light.

「What! What!」

「We’re hidden! How!!」

「What to do! What to do!!」

The fairies’ panicked voices.

Lilu clicked her tongue at those voices.

“Well, fairies have short lifespans, so I guess none of you would know.”

Lilu pulled the bowstring again and released another arrow.

「KYAAAA!!」

“Elves can see fairies.”

A massacre began as Alicia crushed magical beasts and Lilu shot and killed fairies.

This is how Lilu came to accompany Alicia.

“…After hearing the truth from you, I also felt I needed to do something.”

The truth about the World Tree that Lilu heard from Alicia after the battle, while escaping the forest.

After hearing that story, tears had unwittingly formed in Lilu’s eyes.

The World Tree had not abandoned the Elves.

The days of living lifelessly, thinking only of the mission she had been entrusted with after being abandoned by the World Tree.

And yet, the despair of being abandoned by the World Tree that had occupied a corner of her heart.

It felt like that was untied and disappeared.

“…It was shocking to learn that Bellia had done such a thing.”

“Are you acquainted with Saint Bellia, Lilu?”

“Yes… when I was young, I met her once along with other party members.”

The demi-human warrior Leos.

The witch Cheini.

The fighter Olivia.

The knight Kallidos.

The saint Bellia.

They were the great people who completely annihilated the Demon King over 400 years ago.

Alicia, who was momentarily about to ask the Elf in front of her ‘How old are you?’, suppressed that desire internally.

“But… honestly, I thought more pursuers would come after that, but it’s surprising…?”

“Hmm… I thought so too and raised my vigilance network… or maybe it’s a strategy to make us lower our guard?”

In reality, these two had no way of knowing that the fairies, frightened once by Alicia’s formidable presence and then again when several of them were hunted by Lilu, were whining about not wanting to pursue them, while Saint Bellia was desperately trying to persuade them.

“Everyone.”

Andrew, who had gone to see his mother, returned.

“Lord Andrew, has the Duchess not awakened yet?”

“No. The physician says she has become very weak, so it will take some time.”

Andrew Ignis answered with a dark expression to Alicia’s question.

Andrew’s mother, Duchess Rachel Ignis, had not regained consciousness since being rescued.

Fortunately, her life was not in danger, but she was in a state where she couldn’t regain consciousness, possibly due to shock from being imprisoned for a long time.

“Hmm… we should look for a carriage that can transport a patient.”

“Have you decided on a destination?”

Alicia answered Lilu’s question.

“Yes. Since the Duchess can’t regain consciousness, it would be difficult to go all the way to the royal capital as is.”

Alicia took out a folded paper from her pocket, unfolded it, and read.

“As it happens, Princess Aine is staying in Brimton… so let’s head to Brimton.”

At those words, Andrew’s expression brightened slightly.

Brimton, a city in Ignis territory.

It was Andrew Ignis’s hometown.

Luca Altran, rescued from the crazed Ignis mansion.

After several days of various interrogations and healing her weakened body, Luca was able to move around healthily again.

To such a Luca, Princess Aine, who was temporarily in charge of Brimton in place of the missing Duke Ignis family, provided compensation and gave her a choice.

Would she return to her hometown, or would she remain here?

She wanted to leave this hellish place and return to her hometown.

But even if she returned, she couldn’t try anything new with this compensation in her desperately poor hometown.

And if she stayed, there was almost nothing she could do in a place with hardly any people.

At most, she could care for patients again or assist the knight order?

At that moment, a man with crimson hair who appeared to be close to Princess Aine whispered something to her.

After hearing those words, Princess Aine made Luca a proposal.

“The personal maid of Lady Riel, who is currently studying in the royal capital, has quit her job. Would you take her place?”

“What?! Lady Riel’s personal maid?!”

Lady Riel Ignis.

Luca had only seen her once from a distance when she first started working.

The dried-up eyes without emotion and the hardened expression she saw then came to Luca’s mind.

“Of course, with your skills, personal service might be too much for you…”

While saying that, Princess Aine recalled the face of a maid who was with Riel alongside her mistress.

Phyllis Barnoa.

A talent whose household skills and other abilities could truly be called first-class.

Once, seeing her skills, Aine had been tempted to scout her, but…

‘I’ve already pledged my loyalty to the Count family.’

She had been flatly rejected with those words.

She had ended up laughing at the sight of someone outright rejecting a proposal from herself, a princess.

With someone like her there, wouldn’t she educate a somewhat inexperienced person on her own?

With that thought, Princess Aine stared at Luca.

“Well… deficiencies can be filled.”

“Then… please let me do it!! I beg you!!”

The dark face of Lady Riel that she had seen at that time.

That had somewhat concerned Luca.

…She also had some selfish desire to go to the royal capital.

So, a few days later, Luca boarded a train bound for the royal capital.

“Ah! It’s here! That must be the train!”

I was now standing on the platform of the royal capital’s central station with Riel and Phyllis.

Riel had asked me to accompany her because her new personal maid was coming.

And Phyllis had requested to come along, wanting to see what kind of person would be serving Riel, so I agreed.

And just then, a large train arrived at the station with a loud noise.

I’m sure it had an engine powered by magical energy. That train.

However, the engine was very large, and since there were difficulties in miniaturization, there were no cars.

No, miniaturization itself was possible, but the power obtained was extremely small.

It could only achieve a speed so slow that riding a carriage would be faster.

“Kyo, I think that’s her.”

I, who had been fantasizing about cars being invented and going for drives, came to my senses at Riel’s words and looked in the direction she was pointing.

Blonde… or rather, a honey color with a slightly yellow tinge?

A girl with that hair tied into two braids was wearing a maid’s uniform, carrying luggage, and busily looking around.

She seemed slightly younger than Riel, and the way she looked around curiously suggested this was her first time in the royal capital.

I understand.

I felt the same way when I first came to the royal capital as a child to attend a party at the royal palace.

“Over here~!!”

Perhaps hearing Riel’s call, the girl stopped looking around and turned towards us.

The girl, with wide eyes, hurriedly ran over and deeply bowed her head.

“I’m… I’m sorry!! It’s my first time in the royal capital…!!”

“Yeah. Yeah. It happens. I was the same.”

I wonder if everyone is like this when they first come to the royal capital.

“I’m… I’m Luca Altran! From today, I will be serving Lady Riel!”

“Yes. I look forward to working with you.”

Riel extended her hand to Luca with a bright smile.

Luca looked at that hand with a dazed expression before hesitantly accepting the handshake.

Her movements were a bit sluggish, which made me wonder if she would be all right.

“…She’s an inexperienced child.”

Phyllis’s voice came from behind.

“Do you think so too, Phyllis?”

“Yes. She seems to have shallow experience.”

Phyllis’s voice contained a hint of dissatisfaction.

A moment later, Phyllis spoke.

“It can’t be helped. I’ll take charge of her education.”

“You, Phyllis? Will that be okay?”

“Yes. I will personally teach everything from cooking to guarding.”

Well, considering Phyllis’s abilities, she should be good at teaching too.

…Wait. Guarding?

Surely she doesn’t intend to attempt the Wentos family’s style of servant education on that delicate child?

“…Phyllis, please go easy on her.”

“Don’t worry. I will turn her into an excellent maid who can do the work of more than one person.”

…Phyllis, you did understand what I meant, right?