66.Resolve

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris

When I stepped out of the gate, I saw that this place had also changed completely compared to when I first arrived in this town.

Just outside the gate, many layers of spiked fence had been set up, and a stone throw’s away from the walls, a long, stretched pitfall was dug parallel to them as if it were a trench.

A small boy… Hayato-kun was standing nearby, looking out of place amidst such a scenery.

“Hayato, how are things going over there?”

“Oh, it’s Nii-chan and friends… Princess too. It’s nice to see you in good health again.”

Hayato-kun turned around at the sound of Nii-sama’s voice and noticed my presence.

According to Reiji-san, it was him who put his life on the line to help Aini-san and I escape when we were kidnapped.

“It was all thanks to you, wasn’t it, Hayato-kun?”

“I don’t think so… In the end, Reiji-niichan hard carried everything…”

“Please don’t be so harsh on yourself. If you weren’t there at that time, I would never be able to see everyone again like this… I can never thank you enough.”

I smiled and thanked him from the bottom of my heart.

“Come on, it’s not that big of a deal…”

He looked incredibly embarrassed and turned away. Awww.

…If I had a little brother, would he have been like this too?

“Aaaargh! You guys are here to check on the defenses, right?! Just take a look at this!”

Perhaps unable to bear the praise and affection he received, Hayato-kun suddenly shouted and forcefully changed the topic.

Oops, we almost forgot the original reason why we came here.

Aside from Hayato-kun, working at the site were not only soldiers and mercenaries, but also volunteers coming from the townsfolks, mainly muscular who seemed to be miners.

The bottom of the trench-like pitfall, which was dug reasonably deep, was covered with numerous stakes, clearly intended to kill.

Hayato-kun was writing something on a paper talisman in his hand and throwing it into the pit.

“Hayato-kun, what’s it?”

“You mean this? It’s a talisman that explodes on contact. From what Nii-chan and the others told me about those weird enemies, it would probably be less effective than I want to, but I hope it can somehow stall them for a while.”

“…Yeah, I hope so.”

I recalled the movements of the monsters in the previous raid. They just endlessly moved forward with no sense of free will in them.

It’s questionable that a pitfall like this could stop them, but it could slow them down for us to deal with some of them at a time, and if the pitfall managed to reduce their number, it would be all the better.

“Is that a skill of yours? I haven’t seen anything like that before.”

Nii-sama was looking at Hayato’s drawing with great interest. I was a little curious myself, too.

“…That’s a skill of my unique class, Ninja Master. Beside enhancing the combat capabilities of my secondary class Assassin, my unique class also lets me make all kinds of talismans for attacking and sabotaging the enemies… Sorry for hiding it from you guys.”

“We did hide things from you too, so it’s even.”

Even now, I was still hiding my true form to him. Not just him, but everyone in this town, who was helping me.

There were circumstances that compelled us to do so… but with the battle that’s about to take place, there’s no reason to keep it hidden forever.

“Good, everyone’s here. I see that you’re recovering so well, Iris-chan.”

A calm and gentle voice interrupted my train of thought.

“Ah, Aini-san. Thank you for your prescription.”

“That’s my duty as a healer. I hope the stronger dosage I gave you wasn’t too difficult to consume.”

“It’s… rough, to be honest. But I’m all better now after taking it, so I’m really grateful for that.”

I chuckled as I recalled the taste of that medicine, which I could still vividly recall.

However, I was able to recover before an important occasion like this, so my endurance through suffering was not in vain.

“Miss Aini. If you’re leaving the clinic to see us instead of treating the wounded, I trust that you have something important to say?”

“Yes, Ashley-sama. Ahem…”

After a single cough, Aini-san’s face turned serious. Tension filled the air.

“I was informed that the main force lead by the Count himself is scheduled to arrive about three days later in the afternoon.”

“The Count is coming here in person?”

“Yes, it seems that he has taken our report very seriously and is coming with a reasonable force.”

That’s extremely good news for us. If that person is trusted by the king to defend a crucial territory like the border, he and his forces should be dependable allies in this battle.

…And perhaps he’s willing to go the extra mile because we’re here. After all, he’s the son of Ashley-san, who was once my guardian and currently standing beside us at this very moment.

“…So our objective is to hold out and defend the town until help arrives.”

We didn’t have to defeat all enemies by ourselves. If everything goes as planned, we can hold our losses as low as possible and endure as long as possible until relief arrives in three days’ time.

“Yes. It would be for the best if help arrives before the enemy assault… But Gantz-san expects the enemies to make their moves first.”

“So an engagement with only the currently available force is inevitable, isn’t it?”

If that’s the case, then I wouldn’t be able to keep my abilities hidden.

It was something I have to do sooner or later, but it came sooner than expected, I thought to myself.

“There’s no need to worry. Protecting Your Highness is our sacred duty, and we shall not falter no matter the opponents.”

“I really appreciate that, Ashley-sama, but…”

I don’t consider myself a princess. I don’t think I’m even worthy of being a princess.

But once I accept their help as “Her Highness Irisria”, it would be the point of no return… The thought of permanently affixing my existence in this kingdom, in this world as “Irisria” scared me.

Perhaps sensing my trembling from such fear, the old knight’s rugged hand was gently placed on my shoulder.

“…His Majesty had asked me to pass on a message to you. ‘As long as you don’t do anything that will harm the people, you can do as you please for the time being… However, whichever path you choose, just make sure you come back to show your safe face one of these days.’”

“So His Majesty is already aware of me…”

I didn’t know this country’s information network could be this extensive… but I was still given free reign despite the king having a firm grip on my whereabouts.

“If you ask me, I think that His Majesty deeply sympathizes with your circumstances, for he once used to just do what was ordered of him like a puppet.”

…I was reminded of a dream I had some time ago.

Memories of days spent in a void, with no sense of reality accompanying everything. At the end of it all, I threw myself into the void without hesitation, saying that this is not my world. But there were people in this world who cared about me.

My memory is hazy, and it’s unclear why I had such a memory, but I’m sure that it was a real event…

I don’t really know why, but I can feel it.

In that dream, the man who was my protector who looked at me with sad eyes… he must have been the current king.

Back to the present, the very same person was still waiting for the little girl, who had yet to realize her place in the world, who couldn’t even decide what to do with herself, to give him an answer.

I steeled my resolve.

I don’t consider myself a princess, and I’m still scared of being put into power, but…

“…Could you gather everyone available? I have something important to announce.”

“Iris… Are you sure about that?”

Nii-sama looked at me with concern.

It’s natural to be scared.

But when we first arrived in this town, if I had acted sooner, perhaps I could have done something to reduce the damage. None of the soldiers would have been killed.

I understand that I couldn’t have done any better at the time. Thinking about what-ifs didn’t change the fact that it happened.

But this time… if I let myself be shackled by hesitation, I wouldn’t be able to save the people I could save within my grasp. It would be a far more terrifying possibility than anything else.

That’s why I nodded, to shake off my hesitation.

“Yes. We can’t afford to cause unnecessary confusion in this emergency situation by keeping things under wraps… I think we should trust everyone and tell them everything.”

“…Understood. If that’s your decision, I won’t get in your way. Please excuse me, Ashley-dono, but we have something important to discuss, and I need you to gather all the soldiers.”

“As you wish.”

Ashley-san gave instructions to the knights escorting us, who then scattered to gather the people we needed.

“…Reiji-san. Ni… Ayame.”

“Hmm?”

“What’s the matter?”

“When push comes to shove… Will you two kidnap me, and run away together?”

My facial muscles were trembling with nervousness, but I somehow managed to force a smile and cracked a joke to the two of them, even though I was overwhelmed with a feeling akin to a prayer inside.

“Why did you even ask, idiot.”

“I’ll go with you anywhere.”

Their answers were instant and matter-of-factly.

As I felt two light, painless pokes on my forehead, I felt the tension in my face relaxing, and a smile leaked out, this time genuine…

The large meeting room, with a large table set up in the center, was crowded with the assembled guards.

Facing them were myself, Nii-sama, Reiji-san and Ashley-san, who, by virtue of his position, had the highest power among us.

Then, on behalf of us, Nii-sama explained the situation to all the guards.

“This disturbance is caused by a ‘Wound of the World’ that occurred in the vicinity of this town. The strange goblins during the previous raids, as well as the enemies that’s about to attack this town, are the result of its influence.”

The last time we had a meeting like this, we missed the chance to talk about it due to a sudden monster attack… or maybe we thought about the impact on our morale and didn’t talk about it…

I felt the air in the meeting room freeze over upon this reveal.

“D-D-Does that mean… this town must be abandoned, mustn’t it?!”

One of the guards shrieked in horror.

Even if we defeat the monsters, new threats would appear again someday.

Or the “Wound” could just absorb the nearby organisms and transform them into enemies of this world… humans were no exception.

Therefore, when a “Wound” occurred, they had no choice but to seal off the area and flee.

That’s how the sphere of life in this world got more and more narrow over time.

That’s the threat we’re facing.

Because those who could have dealt with it have long perished.

But now…

“…That won’t be necessary.”

Shaking our heads, Nii-sama and I removed the hoods we were wearing. The faces that had been hidden were now exposed to everyone’s eyes, and they let out a collective gasp.

Their piercing gazes made me tremble.

I wanted to run away.

But running away is not an option!

“No way… Her Highness Irisria…?”

Someone muttered a single word, and a commotion erupted.

“Then Sir Knight here is her brother…?”

“I saw the portraits, they look the same…”

“But weren’t they missing for a long time…?”

“Princess, you’re a Highborn right? Where did your wings go…?”

I was at a loss for words in the endless buzz. But Nii-sama and Reiji-san, who were standing on both sides of me, lightly pushed my shoulders.

Yes, I have to do this for everyone’s sake. That’s why I must stand my ground here.

I closed my eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and said what had to be said.

“…Over the past years, we had lived in different forms, as different people, in a different world. That’s the reason we went missing.”

When I finished, there were even more murmurs from those around me. Most of them were quizzical, as if to say, “What are you suddenly talking about?”

“…We know we’re probably sounding crazy to you now, but it’s the truth. However, as long as we cannot find a way to cross over to the other side again, we have no choice but to ask you to believe us. But what we want to talk to you about concerns the safety of this town and everyone living in it.”

I looked to Ashley-san, who was standing off to the side, and he gave a small nod, so I continued.

“We’ve received words from the capital. Three days from now, reinforcements will arrive. If we can hold out until then, we’ll be victorious.”

At these words, an air of relief began to flow, but the atmosphere soon turned somber again.

“But what about the ‘Wound’? If the source of problem is still there, then someday…”

“…We have a countermeasure for that. Didn’t one of you ask about what happened to my wings? Well, the truth is…”

With those words, I closed my eyes and focused on my back. Immediately, the surroundings became deathly quiet.

When I slowly opened my eyes… the room was filled with dancing feathers of light.

Everyone in the room was frozen in place, their expressions contorting as if looking at something unthinkable.

“Her Highness… Those wings of yours…!”

“…Your eyes don’t deceive you. After undergoing a strange process, I’ve become a Lightwing race… I’m sincerely sorry for keeping it secret from everyone until now.”

“I would like everyone to keep this matter as confidential as possible. Her Highness is currently under my protection. Therefore, if anything or anyone attempts to wrong her, the Shadow Regiment and I shall thoroughly deal with it.”

Perhaps it’s because of Ashley-san’s declaration, but I couldn’t sense any evil thoughts coming from the people present, which is a huge relief.

The thing I’d always been scared of… that someone knowing my true identity might do something bad to me, were unfounded in this occasion.

“We’ll deal with the ‘Wound of the World’ ourselves after this is all over. So, all we ask of you is to do your best to defend this town… we need your help in order to get to the ‘Wound’.”

“Please… lend us our strength.”

Nii-sama and I bowed our heads.

A few seconds passed in complete silence, long enough to feel like minutes.

“Your Highness Saulques, Your Highness Irisria, please raise your heads.”

Suddenly, I heard a voice.

I looked up and saw the officer I had talked to several times.

“Protecting this town has always been our mission, which we would have failed without your immense aid. And now we need your strength more than ever, so it’s us who should be bowing for help.”

The officer then did just that. So did everyone around him, especially those who had originally been the town’s guards.

If the place had not been crowded with people, someone might have prostrated themselves, it seemed.

“…I understand. Let’s do our best together.”

“But promise me one thing. Do not die at all costs… As long as you’re alive, I’ll be able to save you… So please, stay safe.”

I folded my hands and squeezed out a few words as if in prayer. I know how difficult it is for everyone in this place to survive… and I don’t want to see any more lives lost.

My prayer had dramatic effects beyond my imagination.

“You heard the girl, men! The Saint, no, the Princess has requested us to defend this town with no casualties! Let’s show those monsters what we’re made of!”

“”“Yes, sir!!”””

The soldiers’ battle cry rose all at once.

Startled by the noise, I raised my face and looked at the sudden outburst of enthusiasm with bewilderment.

I feared that as “Irisria”, my words and actions would decide the course of others’ lives.

I was nothing but a regular person in my old world. There’s no way I could be prepared to be responsible for so many lives.

Even now, I still wanted to run away.

But there were things I could do for them. At least I was able to give them hope.

I could already see no trace of sadness in their high-spirited mood.

“Good grief… Why are all men like this.”

“Come on, man. It’s so hard to refuse when such a cute princess is counting on you and concerned about your safety, isn’t it?”

Behind me, the two of them had already begun to crack jokes.

“Still… we have a lot of responsibility on our plate, don’t you think?”

“Yes… but I’m ready to face it.”

“We’re ready to face it. Let’s get through this together, everyone.”

Now all we had to do was take responsibility for showing them hope.

Amidst the deafening volume, Nii-sama, Reiji-san and I looked at each other and laughed out loud.

Three days had passed since then.

On the morning of the day that reinforcements were scheduled to arrive… Gantz-san, who was monitoring the enemy’s movements, informed us that the attack had begun.