Vol 2 Chapter 28 – The Parade【Exile to the Empire Arc】

Roy went outside, used “Shadow Whip” to get to a roof, and surveyed the area.

(A woman with black hair… a woman with black hair… Is that her! She’s a little far, but at that distance, I should be able to catch her before she reaches the main street.)

Roy, originally trained to be an assassin, could pursue his targets much faster than an ordinary person. He knocked an archer guarding the parade unconscious with a single strike and, just in case, stored the bow in his “Shadow Pocket.”

And then, Roy finally caught up to Sarina.

“?! What, did you come here to laugh?”

Sarina wasn’t looking at him; her gaze was fixed on a single point on the main street. The ground at her feet was wet, as if it had rained.

When Roy looked toward the main street as well, he saw Haruto on horseback with Arcange seated behind him. Haruto was dressed in a costume befitting a hero, adorned with white and gold, while Arcange was clad in a pure white dress that matched her golden hair.

“Sarina, even with Haruto’s protests, the warrant wasn’t withdrawn. The best he could do was get it changed to ‘capture alive.’ He’s in a position now where—”

“I know that! …I already know.”

He didn’t know what building they were on, but it was probably the roof of the Guild Hall. From this rather spacious rooftop, Roy and Sarina watched the parade.

“This is your fault… If you hadn’t interfered…”

“I doubt the result would have changed. Even if you’d managed to defeat me at the Tower of Agni, Haruto would have been forced into the engagement regardless. We’re talking about a king who’d casually break an ancient pact to plot my village’s destruction.”

Haruto had already proceeded out of sight, and Sarina stood motionless, staring at the ground.

“If you go see him now, you’ll only make his position worse. No, not just now… It’s if you stay as you are.”

…

“I’ll probably end up facing Haruto again. If you’re there when it happens, there’s a chance you can save him.”

“That king… if Haruto had refused the engagement, he might have been killed in some nameless forest. So the next time you see him, you save him, Sarina.”

“…Don’t say my name so casually.”

“Got it. Sarina, we’re going back.”

“I told you not to be so casual— Kyaa!”

Roy carried Sarina in his arms, princess-style. Wrapped up tightly in his “Shadow Whip,” of course.

“Hey, we’re getting a lot of attention. Aren’t we supposed to be wanted?”

“You think they’ll catch us with a wanted poster that looks like a kid’s drawing? For the record, I was gentle with Yukino, but I plan on being strict with you. …You can just writhe in shame and die.”

After that, no more words were exchanged between them. Roy dropped Sarina off in front of the inn, and he returned without incident.

“Oh, Roy. And where have you been?”

The moment he entered, Roy was pierced by Sophia’s icy gaze. None of the others would meet his eyes.

“Sarina was whining, ‘I wanna go see the parade!’ so I took her. My bad, Sophia.”

“Don’t treat me like a child! And don’t say my name so casually!”

As Sarina protested Roy’s joke, her face bright red, it was Sophia who began to laugh, shattering the otherwise heartwarming atmosphere.

“Hee hee, hee hee hee hee… I told you to wait, and you went off somewhere. This is the second time, isn’t it? Even a dog can be trained to ‘stay,’ but I suppose you can’t?”

…

“…I’m sorry.”

Sophia took Roy’s hand and stared directly at him.

“As long as you understand. I can guess the circumstances, so I’ll forgive you. Now, we’ll be living in a carriage for a while starting tomorrow, so get ready.”

Everyone dispersed on the spot to make their own preparations. Roy sold all but one of the bows he’d “borrowed” from the regular soldiers and was on the inn’s roof, gazing up at the night sky.

Clack, clack, clack…

Creeaak—

He heard someone approaching, and then the door opened. It was Sophia. Dressed in a white dress, a white hat, and white boots—an outfit you’d never expect from someone with the Paladin job—she looked the very picture of a sheltered noble lady.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean to lecture my husband, but when I saw you getting along with that woman, I got jealous…”

“No, no, we don’t get along… and besides, I have no intention of being your husband…”

“Hee hee. Just you wait. I’ll make you say it one day.”

With that, Sophia sat down next to Roy and looked up at the night sky as well.

“Say, Roy. Normally, you would have killed those girls, wouldn’t you? So why is it that you’re not only letting them live, but trying to save them?”

“Ahh, that. When I’m around Yukino, how do I put it… it’s like she drains all the poison out of me. That sort of fluffy, small-animal vibe she has. It’s not like me, but I realized that making her smile and taking her parents’ words to heart is way better than getting revenge.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Pfft… hee hee.”

“Haha, not that I could ever tell her that.”

Sophia laughed, and then Roy laughed, too. Neither of them suspected that on the other side of the door to the roof, a young girl was crying silently.