Volume 2 Chapter 19 – Alefgard – The Demon-Breaking Princess | Estange

On a crescent moon night, I slipped from the window to the balcony and gazed at the sky. The stars sparkled in the dark blue night, almost like magic.

Suddenly, I thought I heard a faint ringing sound—riiing.

I lowered my gaze to the Tsukiyohana, the moonlit flower given to me by Kyosuke-sama.

“Princess, your body will get cold.”

“…Yes.”

“It is a crucial time.”

“Indeed…”

The Tsukiyohana was an ever-blooming flower—a rare blossom made of highly transparent crystals said to bloom only within labyrinths.

The first time, it was from my former fiancé. He had once mentioned gifting it to me someday.

The second time, it was from Kyosuke-sama. He told me he found a flower that reminded him of me and gave it to me.

It was a royal symbol of a marriage proposal.

As I looked at that flower, I placed my hand on my abdomen and thought.

“Kyosuke-sama…”

◆

It was a few days after my engagement had been annulled when I learned that the royal family of the neighboring country, Middledesert, was being manipulated by the Demon Lord’s forces.

The information was brought to me by Kyosuke-sama, who had visited our kingdom of Rinahine on other business.

Could it be that my former fiancé, Louid, who had broken off our engagement, was also being controlled by the Demon Lord’s forces? We had been close since childhood. We had sworn our future to each other. I couldn’t believe that his heart had changed so easily.

Kyosuke-sama and the Shrine Maidens were deeply concerned about my circumstances.

Upon receiving Kyosuke-sama’s information, we immediately sent our knights. Soon after, war broke out, and a stalemate ensued.

I was terribly worried about Louid, so I asked my father to once again request an investigation from Kyosuke-sama. With a reassuring smile, as if to ease my concerns, he agreed.

The hero who cleaves through demons and annihilates them—a hero of humanity. And the Shrine Maidens who serve as his companions. Their deeds were chronicled in the Tales of the Hero.

When Louid and I were children, we used to watch the Tales of the Hero and pretend to be the characters. Our favorite story was always the romance between the Hero and the Shrine Maidens.

The current Hero, Kyosuke-sama, was quite different from the Hero in those tales. His gentle face looked somewhat unreliable and a little tired. It even seemed like our kingdom’s knights might be stronger, and I foolishly worried about it.

But—

It was overwhelming. In the blink of an eye, he seized the key stronghold where our knights had struggled and turned the tide of battle in just a few days. Every time I heard the reports at the castle, my heart leaped, thinking, “Ah, just like in the tales.”

And so, he reached Middledesert Castle, defeated the enemy leader, and liberated the castle.

However, the reports I had longed to hear were filled with truths I didn’t want to know. The king, queen, and even my former fiancé, Louid, had all already perished.

Later, Kyosuke-sama handed me a journal with a sorrowful expression, saying, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t in time.”

It was Louid’s diary.

In Louid’s diary, he wrote about how those around him were acting strangely, and how his own memory lapses were growing longer each day. From the dates, it seemed that by the time he annulled our engagement, his consciousness was already faint. His state was vague and confused, but even so, at the end of the diary, he used what little strength he had left to write his final words.

All he wrote was, “Be happy.”

I fell into a deep depression and grew weaker day by day. Even when Kyosuke-sama and the Shrine Maidens visited me repeatedly, I remained listless.

Kyosuke-sama and the others were based in Rinahine, advancing in the conquest of a mid-sized labyrinth. Originally, they were supposed to stay in Middledesert for this task. It was likely due to the recent incidents that this change was necessary.

One day, Kyosuke-sama gave me a rare flower he had found deep within the labyrinth. Yes, it was the very same Tsukiyohana, the symbol of a royal marriage proposal that Louid had promised me when we were young.

The memories of those days came flooding back, and I recalled the final words of his diary. Louid was no longer here. I must fulfill the wish he left behind.

Yes, I cannot remain in mourning forever. Our land, ravaged by the forces of the Demon Lord, and our wounded people still need me. Though all I can do is offer them courage, it is my duty as royalty, and their happiness is my happiness. Moreover, I must also help the people of Middledesert, now part of our kingdom. By my side are Kyosuke-sama and the Shrine Maidens, heroes from the Tales of the Hero that I so admired in my childhood.

I stood up.

Kyosuke-sama gave me an encouraging smile and said, “I’ll be cheering you on.”

However, I could tell that Kyosuke-sama still harbored guilt over Louid. The occasional pained expressions he showed pierced my heart.

Secretly, Lady Artlily, the Lily Princess, showed me Kyosuke-sama’s journal. She said it was a draft meant for reporting to the Church, but I could sense from its contents how much pain he was in. He deeply lamented the loss of the future that Louid and I were meant to have. Knowing the unseen burdens of Kyosuke-sama, the savior of all, worried not only me but the Shrine Maidens as well.

Over time, my admiration for Kyosuke-sama grew, and so did my desire to support him.

The time for Kyosuke-sama to leave Rinahine was drawing near.

I made two requests to my father. I had recovered from my weakened state and had rarely asked for anything in the past, so he silently listened and granted them.

The first was that I did not want to engage in diplomatic marriages. I fully understood the duty that came with being born into royalty. However, I explained that only Kyosuke-sama could fill the void left by Louid’s absence.

The second was permission to use our royal family’s secret treasure, the Necklace of Banishment. This treasure was the reason the invasion targeted Middledesert instead of our kingdom. Its effect was to nullify all forms of status ailments.

From what I heard, Kyosuke-sama was proficient in anti-conception spells and was intent on leaving no attachments behind when he returned to his homeland. It seemed he didn’t intend to stay, just like in the tales of the Hero. Perhaps he wished to spare women the sadness of losing a partner, leaving no lingering regrets.

And so, I—

◆

“My, you’ve grown quite a bit.”

“Yes. It’s my own body, yet it’s such a strange thing.”

“For a woman, this is the greatest joy of all. Please take good care of yourself. By the way, earlier you seemed to be deep in thought. Is something troubling you?”

“Yes… I was just wondering if the necklace I lent to the Shrine Maidens was of use to them.”