Chapter 26
“Bringing her back is possible, but… Master, what exactly is going on right now?”
“Rosalie has been kidnapped. So you and I are going to find her.”
“What?! Which bastards dared lay a hand on sweet Rosalie!”
“That’s why you need to hurry and bring your friends. We have to find where they’re hiding.”
“Got it! Perry will bring as many as possible!”
Perry, wearing an uncharacteristically grim expression, quickly disappeared into the spirit realm.
Raphaella paused briefly to think through her plan, then immediately began issuing orders to the people around her.
“You there, steward. There’s a weapons storage here, right? Go pick out one that’s heavy. As heavy and sturdy as possible.”
“Pardon?”
“You have five minutes.”
“W-Wait, just a moment. What kind of weapon exactly—”
“Run.”
Startled by Raphaella’s blunt command, the steward hesitated for a second before bolting out of the room.
“Captain of the knights, gather personnel who can move quickly in the mountains. Mark will take the lead.”
“Excuse me? Ah—yes. Understood.”
“What are you waiting for? You’ve got five minutes too. Run.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The knight captain and Mark also rushed out of the conference room in a flurry.
Then Raphaella lifted a finger casually toward William and Count Sester, who were staring at her in a daze.
“Which one should I take?”
Count Sester would be perfect for pretending to negotiate with the kidnappers. Use him as bait, rescue Rosalie in the meantime—it would make things easier.
However, there was one major problem.
“…The count won’t work.”
In the end, Raphaella’s gaze shifted to William.
He looked unwell, weighed down by guilt. Bringing him along, he could wield a sword to some extent, but she doubted whether someone so stiff could convincingly act as bait or pull off any kind of deception.
Still, because of the count’s build, there was no real choice. Raphaella asked William,
“Duke, you don’t have a fear of heights, do you?”
“I do not.”
“That’s a relief. Then you’re flying with me first.”
“…Pardon?”
“No, seriously. Why does everyone say ‘Pardon?’ every time I speak? Did I suddenly start talking in a foreign language?”
“Did you just say we’re flying?”
“We have to go find the child.”
“Aren’t we going with the knights? I thought that was why you told them to gather troops.”
Raphaella let out a frustrated sigh before answering.
“How long do you think it’ll take to comb through those mountains with knights clanking around in armor? We fly ahead, pull Rosalie out first, and then let the knights come clean up the mess.”
“Y-Your Highness! Then please take me with you!”
Count Sester, who had been slumped on the floor in shock, urgently dropped to his knees before Raphaella.
“I must be the one to save her! They’re targeting me as well—I’ll be more useful!”
“Yeah, I actually considered that. But no.”
“W-Why not?! She’s my daughter! I have to—!”
Raphaella replied awkwardly,
“Ahem… This might not be something I should say in this body, but you’re not exactly suited for flying. You’re too slow. At least I’m small.”
Count Sester looked as if his world had collapsed. Hugging his round body with both arms, he sank into despair.
Raphaella patted his shoulder lightly in consolation.
“Come with the knight order. The duke and I will take good care of Rosalie.”
At that moment, the steward staggered in, struggling under the weight of a massive bow. Raphaella frowned slightly and spoke with clear dissatisfaction.
“This is what you brought?”
“It’s the heaviest and sturdiest weapon in our armory.”
“Tch. I was expecting a club or a hammer.”
“You specifically said something heavy—”
“Yeah, well. It looks sturdy enough. Swinging it to hit something isn’t that different whether it’s a bow or a club.”
“S-Swing it? The bow?”
Ignoring the steward’s confusion, Raphaella turned to William.
“Take it.”
“Your Highness, do you practice archery?”
“No.”
“Then why—?”
“It’s not for me. Someone else will use it.”
As William was about to ask more, Perry suddenly popped into view.
“Master! We’re ready!”
Only then did Raphaella smile brightly as usual and step closer to William, one step at a time.
“Duke. Stay still.”
Seeing the mischievous gleam in Raphaella’s eyes as she approached, William pressed a hand to his forehead, struck by a dizzying sense of déjà vu.
The Limpim Mountain Range, known as the backbone of the Henten Empire.
A massive range cutting vertically across the hourglass-shaped empire, it was also a treasure trove of resources. Those resources played a major role in Henten’s rise to imperial power. Thanks to the fertile geology, most farmlands around the mountains enjoyed abundant harvests.
However, the long and rugged terrain grew increasingly steep, bordering on sheer cliffs, making travel difficult. Frequent falls and attacks by wild beasts left many injured, making settlement equally hard. As a result, civilian populations gradually vanished.
Now, throughout that treacherous Limpim range, strange winds of unknown origin were blowing in branching currents.
High in the sky above, Perry shouted loudly,
“Hang in there, everyone! We’re looking for a pink-haired little girl!”
Raphaella, Perry, and William hovered above the southern part of the mountains, bordering the Sester territory, looking down below.
“Ahem. Your Highness… would it be possible for me to wait on the ground?”
Cradled in her arms, William spoke with a flushed face, but Raphaella merely scoffed.
“You can’t even fly, yet you talk too much. Stay still.”
Before setting out, Raphaella had sprinkled William with the last of her precious spirit powder. While he did manage to turn transparent, he couldn’t fly at all. He simply floated awkwardly, flailing like someone swimming in midair without making any forward progress.
Humans needed practice and time to adapt to things they did for the first time—a simple truth Raphaella had forgotten.
She tried holding William’s hand to guide him, but the mountain winds were no joke.
If William hadn’t been flapping around like a scrap of cloth caught in a typhoon, things might not have turned out this way.
As it was, Raphaella was carrying him in her arms like a princess.
“Then at least change the way you’re holding me.”
“What’s wrong with this? It’s efficient.”
“This is… a bit much. I’d rather you carry me on your back.”
Raphaella clicked her tongue irritably.
“Tch. Be quiet before I drop you.”
“……”
Finally cowed, William gave up. Feeling awkward, he fidgeted with the object in his arms instead. The enormous bow the steward had brought was large enough to crush an orc’s head in one swing—assuming you could fire it at all. Given its size and weight, even drawing the string looked difficult.
William wondered what on earth the princess intended to use it for, but he had no time to ask.
“Ah! Master, I found them!”
Perry flapped his wings excitedly and shouted.
Before long, colorful, translucent spirits poured up from the mountains, gathering around Perry. They circled him, whispering softly.
With a dignified nod, Perry pointed to a spot closer than expected.
“There! Deep in the second valley. Bad guys live there. Rosalie is locked in an underground pit.”
“Well done. Tell your friends they did great. When this is over, I’ll treat them to all the sweets they want. They can go back now.”
“Um, but…”
“What is it?”
“The prison they locked Rosalie in seems strange. My friends couldn’t even get close.”
Raphaella’s eyes narrowed, and a crooked smile formed on her lips.
“A prison even spirits can’t approach? I thought they were small fry, but it looks like they’ve got some serious backing.”
“What do we do now? The plan was for you and the duke to draw their attention while I rescued Rosalie.”
“Change of plans.”
Still neatly cradled in her arms, William asked solemnly,
“What do you intend to do?”
“Duke, what do you think is the most troublesome tactic for crafty little rats like that?”
“…Your Highness. Don’t tell me.”
As one corner of Raphaella’s mouth lifted into a grin, Perry shuddered and muttered,
“Oh no. When Master smiles like that, it’s bad news.”
Without answering, Raphaella shifted her position midair.
Then she shot toward the valley Perry had indicated. Landing atop a high tree branch, she set William down and surveyed the area below.
There stood sturdy-looking wooden barricades and dozens of huts.
Smoke rising from chimneys made it look like an ordinary village at first glance. But the appearances of those patrolling the barricades with axes and swords clearly screamed “criminal” to anyone who saw them.
As Raphaella settled into the tree, briefly calculating routes and movements—
The patrolling men approached the tree where she was hiding.
