episode_0037

“In the end, nothing much happened after that.”

“If I had encountered several thieves in this short distance, I would have serious doubts about the safety of this area.”

“Well, that’s true!”

After encountering a group of bandits, we were able to reach our destination village without any problems.

In fact, it was a long journey of more than a week, but the actual distance traveled was not that long. Since the amount of luggage carried by the upper group was quite large, the number of people increased, and naturally, all of them had to walk with their luggage, and the wagons could not have gone that fast, so they slowed down a little for the long march.

I glanced at Ayla, who was stretching and loosening her stiff body, and saw dozens of people from the upper ranks carefully moving a huge object. It had been covered with a cloth until a while ago, so I couldn’t see it properly, but what I saw was none other than a statue. Four figures were standing in a rather impressive posture, and it seemed to be of a high standard, so I could understand a little why they had put in so much effort to move it.

“I was wondering what was being moved, and it turned out to be a statue of the ‘Four Warriors’.”

“Does Ayla know what that is?”

“Huh? Oh.. I see. The princess might not know. It’s a fairy tale you can only hear in the countryside.”

I glanced at Matias and it seemed like he knew what it was too.

I think the same goes for Mathias, but Ayla probably thinks I’m a noble, so she’s probably just trying to muddle through.

“So what are the four warriors─”

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─In the beginning, the continent was in a state of great chaos.

He who calls himself the Demon King, who crawled up from the abyss of the underworld, dyed this continent in blood, saying he would rule it.

The power was so great that ordinary humans were dying without warning, and the god took pity on them and sent his apostles down to the continent.

There were four of them, and they each used their strengths to begin filling the continent, which was full of despair, with the grace of the Lord once again.

─Someone helped the people who had fallen into despair and disappointment to stand up again.

─Someone loved those who had lost their husbands and filled the lives that were lost.

─Someone performed a miracle with the power of God.

─Someone cut down those who stood in their way.

Thanks to their efforts, the continent was able to rise again and finally defeat the Demon King.

All the people of the continent blessed the apostles and called them the Four Heroes, and honored them for generations─

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“..That’s roughly the story.”

“It’s not as bad as I thought.”

“It’s a fairy tale, right? These things are all similar.”

Well, if the content is too difficult, wouldn’t it be difficult for both the listener and the speaker?

“It’s a little different from my neighborhood. In my neighborhood, there are scenes where warriors fight each other and curse at each other.”

“That’s probably more fun to listen to. I heard it dozens of times because it was such a simple story, but I memorized it all.”

They curse each other? I was a little curious, so I asked Mathias. Mathias seemed to think about it carefully.

“Probably.. I don’t think they were all on bad terms. To be exact, saying they were on bad terms is a bit of an exaggeration, and oh, in my neighborhood, we call the four heroes the heroes of charm, stamina, brute force, and magic power. There was a scene where the hero of magic teased the hero of charm, calling him an ‘idiot who can’t do anything by himself’. There were quite a few scenes like that between other heroes, so the adults would tell them not to look down on others even if they were good at something, and that even excellent people can have shortcomings.”

“Hey..”

There was a difference between the legend of the Four Heroes that Mathias and Ayla knew, but Mathias’ eyes sparkled so much when he spoke about it that anyone could tell, ‘Oh, this guy really likes that story.’ Could this be the reason Mathias wanted to become a knight? I thought that it must have had a significant influence on his decision, even if it wasn’t the only one.

While we were having that conversation, the owner of the upper floor approached us. He was a man with a moustache and a big belly who looked like he was saying, “I’m a merchant.” It seemed like it would be appropriate to say, “Hehehe, is this the woman tonight?” However, he showed no such expression and bowed very politely, thanked us, and gave us a token to submit to the guild before leaving. By the way, since there was no more luggage to carry, did we need to escort him on the way back? It wasn’t something I was particularly curious about.

The sun was already setting, so I decided to get a room first. It would be good to rest in this town for a few days before heading back.

Yugram and I were able to replace bathing to some extent with magic, but that didn’t mean we didn’t feel uneasy at all. We didn’t stupidly take the thief’s blood on our bodies…

There was no need to say anything more to Mathias and Ayla. Of course, Mathias, who was directly hit by the knife, and Ayla also had a lot of blood stains. Even if you wiped it off right after it splashed, it wouldn’t be easy to erase. We’re used to it so we don’t know, but maybe there was a strong smell here and there?

Ayla watched with pity as Mathias occasionally limped, as if he was not yet fully healed. I tried to hint that I could tell Yugram to treat him if he wanted, but Mathias refused. Mathias seemed to have something of his own, so I did not encourage him any further.

The lodging we arrived at after walking slowly felt quite proper for a remote village. The exterior was clean, and each room seemed quite large when observed from the outside. Was there more people than expected? No matter where I looked, it was a lodging aimed at tourists and merchants as the main consumers. I went to the receptionist to reserve a room.

“Three rooms would be enough, right?”

“Huh? Not two?”

“Huh? Is it okay for Ayla to share a room with Mathias?”

“Huh!?”

When Mathias let out a high-pitched scream, I hit him with a hammer.

“Wait, wait… What are you saying, princess? Oh, the healer is using the room alone? So it’s the healer, Mathias, me and the princess? ”

“Yes? No? Ayla and Mathias each have a room, and I share a room with Yugram.”

When I said that, Ayla’s expression became a little strange, and she glared at Yugram with wary eyes. I could guess what she was thinking, but…

“Aila. Yugram is my doctor. I can’t be far from the person who is responsible for my life.”

“Princess. They’re right next door anyway, so how can they be that far apart? Of course, you can split them into two rooms for men and women.”

For a moment, the receptionist looked at our group in confusion, asking, “Two men?” but I ignored her for the time being.

“Aila. It’s been almost 10 years since Yugram and I got married. And anyway, we’re living in a dormitory─huh”

Just before I could say that it didn’t matter since we were all going to be living together in the dorm anyway, Yugram’s large hand covered my mouth.

Yugram’s eyes, with their menacing smiles, signaled me to come near, and I could only nod slightly.

“Miss. Do as your friend says.”

“..yes”

Why is Yugram angry?

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“Euuu─ Haa.. I can finally live a little now.”

“I agree.”

Ayla and I enjoyed a long-awaited bath, soaking in the bathtub in the bathroom attached to our room.

Yes. It’s a bathroom. Even though it’s the most expensive room, each room in this remote village has a bathroom and bathtub. It was obviously strange, but I thought it was normal here, so I let it go. If you think about it, students who are poor have access to a public bathroom at the academy, so this accommodation had much better facilities than the cheap academy dorms. I paid extra when I enrolled, so this story is irrelevant.

As I looked at Ayla’s dazzling white armpits as she stretched while leaning against the bathtub, I couldn’t help but feel lust seething and drooling─nothing really happened. Ayla had grown quickly for her age, and she was quite a pretty girl, but compared to the maids who had taken care of my baths in the palace, she was lacking in a few areas.

Before I had yet to truly accept that I was a woman, I remember feeling embarrassed when I saw the maids wearing clothes that were ‘barely covering up’ and inevitably getting soaked here and there… It was like taking a bath with a friend.

“Princess. Aren’t you being too careless? Even if he’s your doctor, how can you share a room with a grown man?”

Ayla stared at me with an accusing look in her eyes and said. For some reason, I felt like I was really being scolded by my older sister, so I mumbled and said.

“As I said before.. Yugram and I have known each other for almost 10 years.. He is a highly skilled healer and doctor.. and he is probably 20 years older than me..”

I don’t know how old he is because I never asked him, but he must have been an adult when I was a total kid, so I guess the difference wouldn’t be that big?

After hearing what I said, Ayla let out a deep sigh and spoke as if trying to persuade me.

“Princess. No matter how old you are or how many years you’ve known each other, a man is still a man. Even though the princess is still young and doesn’t know, you have to be careful.”

..I’m being treated like a total kid.

In addition, I was a little annoyed by Aila’s constant talk of Yugram having dark intentions. Perhaps sensing this, Aila smiled slightly sinisterly.

“─Princess. Do you like the healer?”

“Yes!?”

What are you talking about all of a sudden!?

“Wh, what are you talking about? I just don’t like the fact that Aila doesn’t trust Yugram, who I trust with my life, and I’m upset that she treats me like a child who doesn’t know anything. I’m not upset that I can’t share a room with Yugram. Why do you think I like Yugram from there? It’s a huge mistake. ”

“Aha, that’s what it was? I’m~”

I lowered my gaze, not having the confidence to properly look at Ayla, who was smiling brightly.

Yes. Although Yugram is handsome and an academic elite who can’t even be compared to the average academy professors, and he’s an incredible swordsman, so he’s in great shape, and he probably has a lot of money, and he’s on good terms with my family because he’s royalty, and he’s incredibly trustworthy, and he’s kind to me, and he’s single, but that’s about it.

‘To begin with, there’s a huge age gap between Yugram and me, right?’

There’s no way I would like a man who’s almost as old as my father.