Vol 1 Chapter 28 – The Knight’s Concern and the Reporter’s Fate【Vol 1 – Spoiled Princess Arc】

“Princess Debora, please calm down.”

“Like hell I can calm down!!”

Guh!

Debora slammed her fist into Erik’s stomach, who was trying to calm her.

For a moment, an ecstatic expression flickered across Erik’s face—or was Alfred mistaken?

“(Erik-dono is a good man.)”

Alfred thought anew as he watched Erik and the others.

Miriam, enraged that Erik had been struck, confronted Debora. As the two glared at each other, Erik stepped between them, beaming as he placated them.

It was the first time Alfred had ever seen Debora looking so happy.

He had served the royal family for many years, but neither he nor any of the other knights or nobles had ever been able to bring such a smile to Debora’s face.

The fact that this man, an upstart from some remote village, had made her smile—it wasn’t that Alfred didn’t have some reservations, but…

“(Still, I can only be grateful.)”

Even if she was feared as the “Spoiled Princess,” Debora was still a child.

And it was best for a child to be smiling like that.

Alfred, who had a family of his own, felt this keenly.

Besides, once Debora grew up, she would likely have to make difficult choices and face a harsh future as royalty of the Kingdom of Vilemse.

So, for now… just for now, Alfred wanted her to enjoy herself, to let her true self shine.

To that end, Erik, who had become Debora’s loyal knight, was indispensable.

That much was clear from how attached she was to him.

Alfred wouldn’t deny it, nor would he oppose it.

If Erik were the type of man to curry favor with royalty for some nefarious scheme, Alfred himself would have risked his life to stop him.

But, though their acquaintance had been very brief, Alfred knew from the way Erik had repeatedly shielded Debora with his own body that he was a man of excellent character, worthy of being called the “Altruistic Charity Hero.”

There was also the fact that Debora was fond of him.

She was, perhaps, extremely sensitive to malice.

Alfred even had doubts about the supposed “indiscriminate explosions” that had earned her the “Spoiled Princess” moniker.

Could it be that the ones who got “exploded” were those who approached her intending to use or harm her?

He suspected that rumors had snowballed, giving her a reputation like some indiscriminate explosive murderer.

That was why Alfred had trusted Erik immensely… but.

“(That smile… it drove a wedge into my heart.)”

The battle with Brecht. Purely in terms of combat skill, Brecht had probably been superior.

Even though it was right after the Ogre battle, Erik had fought in place of their incompetent selves, and had repelled Brecht.

But in the process, Erik had been struck by a poison so potent it could have killed him; the agony must have been horrific.

Alfred himself had been poisoned in battle before, and even if it wasn’t that strong, the pain had been enough to make him want to writhe on the ground.

Erik, however, had been different.

He had even smiled, charging Brecht without a shred of fear.

That was exactly what the slain Brecht had said—

“Berserker, huh?”

An unnatural warrior who continued to fight no matter how much pain was inflicted upon him.

Was Erik one of them?

Looking at him now, smiling gently at Debora and Miriam, no one would judge Erik to be a berserker.

Yet, that unnatural smile remained seared into Alfred’s mind, refusing to fade.

If Erik possessed a dangerous duality hidden beneath that gentle expression…

“(It’s alright. Erik-dono wouldn’t stray from the right path….However.)”

A report had to be made.

Alfred wanted to avoid reporting to King Rei, partly out of consideration for Erik.

And so, Alfred decided to report to Orace, whom he believed would make a fair judgment.

◆

“N-No way…”

A man was spying from the shade of a tree on Erik’s boisterous group.

He was, of course, the one who had reported to the mastermind behind Princess Debora’s assassination attempt, the man who had initiated the second phase of the operation after failing to kill them in the “Rookie-Killer Chamber.”

The second operation was a plan to crush them using a large number of bandits.

The Escorting Knights had joined them, but that was within the scope of their plan.

No matter how strong they were, if surrounded by numbers, their movements would be restricted.

Indeed, the man and the mastermind’s prediction had been correct.

The knights of the Kingdom of Vilemse were surrounded by bandits and separated from Princess Debora, their protection target.

Left behind were the “Altruistic Charity Hero,” who likely wasn’t very skilled, and his tag-along woman.

Facing them was Brecht, a former knight of the Kingdom of Vilemse, a man whose skills even the mastermind and the reporter acknowledged.

They were confident that he could easily defeat Erik’s group and kill Debora.

Otherwise, even they wouldn’t have entrusted Princess Debora’s assassination to mere bandits.

They knew Brecht was a greedy man, so once he accomplished the task, they could quickly dispose of him, leaving no messy loose ends.

Better yet, by punishing the perpetrator of Princess Debora’s assassination, the mastermind’s own reputation would rise. It was perfect.

Furthermore, just in case, they had provided Brecht with a potent poison they had gone to great lengths to procure.

It was so virulent that even a scratch could kill a Monster boasting incredible endurance.

Needless to say what it would do to a human.

That was precisely why they had been certain of the assassination’s success, but…

“N-No… How could this…”

The reporter could only mutter the same words in a daze.

The assassination plan had failed spectacularly.

The bandits they’d sent were annihilated, and their leader, Brecht, had also been beheaded by the Hero and killed.

“Th-Those useless bastards…!! In the end, they couldn’t even kill Princess Debora, let alone anyone else…!!”

The man’s face twisted with hatred.

Even if Brecht and his men had failed the assassination, if they had at least taken down more than half of the Escorting Knights and Erik, he himself could have carried out Debora’s assassination.

But every single one of them was alive and well.

If a man like him, lacking Brecht’s military experience, were to charge in there, he’d clearly be captured in an instant.

As a result, despite the assassination target being right before his eyes, he could only stand by and watch helplessly.

“I have to report…”

He gloomily took out a crystal ball.

He knew what the middle-aged noble would say without even having to ask.

“‘Ah, it’s you! Well? Did you dispose of the Princess’s corpse properly?'”

The middle-aged noble visible in the crystal was grinning, his repulsive face contorted with pleasure.

As expected, he didn’t doubt for a moment that the assassination had succeeded.

He was already talking about corpse disposal, assuming success.

If the reporter were to tell such a man that the operation had failed…

While anticipating the kind of reaction he’d get, the man reluctantly reported the results.

Upon receiving the report, the middle-aged noble’s initially smiling face gradually contorted with rage…

“‘D-Don’t screw with me!!'”

As expected, he exploded.

“‘Th-This operation absolutely could not have been allowed to fail! What the hell happened, you bastard?!'”

“‘M-My apologies. B-But, that Hero fellow was tougher than we imagined…'”

“‘I don’t want to hear your excuses!!'”

(You’re the one who asked ‘what happened’…) the man thought, but he merely bowed his head, as defiance could get him killed.

“‘Wh-What are we going to do…!? D-Don’t tell me there are survivors among the bandits?!'”

“‘W-Well, about that…'”

The reporter glanced towards Erik’s group.

There, several bandits had been captured alive.

“‘A-A few of them are…'”

The middle-aged noble in the crystal went wide-eyed.

If they had all been wiped out, they might have avoided the worst-case scenario.

But with some bandits alive, information that he had hired them would undoubtedly get out.

It was a given, as bandits possessed not a shred of loyalty that would make them protect their employer even at the cost of their own lives.

Well, the middle-aged noble had planned to dispose of them even if they had succeeded, so it was tit for tat.

“‘Wh-What have you done, you bastard…?! If word of this reaches the King’s ears… my lands will be confiscated, my noble title stripped… No, that overprotective King wouldn’t let it end there. I’ll be executed…'”

The noble muttered, imagining the worst possible future.

His face was deathly pale, and sweat rapidly beaded on his skin.

Being overweight, he became a greasy mess.

“‘U-Um… What should I do now…?'”

“‘Silence!!'”

The reporter tried to ask for new instructions, but the noble on the other side of the crystal shrieked, spittle flying.

He glared at the reporter with bloodshot eyes.

“‘What should you do now? That’s obvious! Take responsibility for the failed operation and assassinate Princess Debora yourself!!'”

“‘Th-That’s insane…!!'”

Hearing such an outrageous order, the reporter was aghast.

But the noble, who had no composure left, wasn’t saying this as a joke at all.

“‘This is the only way left! Either way, if you dare show your shameless face back in my domain alive, I’ll kill you…!!'”

“‘N-No…'”

The reporter wore a look of utter dismay.

However, this wasn’t enough to warrant feelings of pity for him.

For he himself had been taught by the middle-aged noble to commit—and had committed—such atrocities as scapegoating subordinates and oppressing the populace.

“‘Got it?! You’ve produced nothing but incompetent results so far! The least you can do is repay your debt to me in the end!!'”

With those final words from the middle-aged noble, the communication was cut, and the crystal’s light vanished.

All that remained was the stunned reporter.

“Ghh… Dammit…!!”

Tears even welled in the man’s eyes as his body trembled.

He no longer even knew what to do.

Although he had some combat experience, he couldn’t imagine being able to charge those who were now on high alert after the attack, kill Debora, and then escape successfully.

But if he didn’t attempt the assassination, what was he supposed to do?

All his assets were back in the territory controlled by the middle-aged noble.

Even if he fled from here, where could he possibly go?

He had no choice.

There was nothing for it but to strike down Debora and earn the middle-aged noble’s approval.

“Damn it…!! I don’t care what happens anymore…!!”

The man steeled his resolve and drew his Sword.

Fortunately, he was skilled at concealing his presence.

If he approached stealthily, he might be able to kill Debora with an arrow or a thrown rock before being noticed.

With that thought, he looked towards Debora and…

“Eh…?”

He felt as though his gaze had met Debora’s large, round eyes.