Chapter 16: Stagnation

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Translator: Soafp

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Being in the knight order's training grounds, where armored warriors line up shoulder to shoulder, makes me keenly aware that I am an outsider.

Even so, the request to “train them” came from the prince, the de facto ruler of this country, and I couldn't very well refuse it outright.

Even knowing that it was just a pretext.

“Next, please.”

At Nonoa's call, a single knight stepped forward.

“I humbly ask for your instruction.”

They exchanged bows, lowered their heads, and raised their training swords.

Moments later, the outcome was the same as with the knight she had just faced.

The instant her opponent tried to swing, Nonoa took the initiative and crushed the movement.

“Guh!”

The knight's wrist was struck, and unable to withstand the shock, he dropped his sword.

Since the blow landed on an area protected by gauntlets, there was likely no injury.

“I… I concede.”

Still probably numb, the knight somehow picked up the fallen sword and withdrew.

After seeing him off, Nonoa called out again.

“Next—”

“Nonoa-sama, it's about time.”

The one who answered was not a knight.

It was the prince's secretary, who also served as Nonoa's attendant.

Beside her stood the knight commander of the order, someone Nonoa had grown familiar with over the past year.

“Thank you very much for today.”

After receiving the commander's thanks, Nonoa passed along a few words of advice for the knights she had sparred with, then headed into the castle with her attendant.

“As expected of you, Nonoa-sama. To fend off the fiercest knights of the order today without letting them land a single blow…”

“Flattery won't get you anywhere.”

She shrugged as she walked toward her destination.

After training came a meal with the prince.

The schedule was no different from usual.

It was already past lunchtime.

When she arrived at the castle dining hall, she saw the prince among the sparse figures eating there.

The prince was an unpretentious person and took his meals in the dining hall just like everyone else.

The lack of formality was something Nonoa appreciated.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Ah, Nonoa. You look lovely today as well.”

She gave a vague smile at the prince's compliment and sat down across from him.

She had been told that she didn't need to ask permission to take a seat each time.

After preparing meals for two, the prince's secretary stepped away to wait at a short distance.

It was likely meant to give them privacy to talk, but Nonoa wished people wouldn't be so considerate in such an awkward way.

Since the country had been at war with the Demon King's army until just a year ago, even meals for royalty and honored guests weren't extravagant.

Still, there was precious meat, soft bread, and a hearty soup filled with ingredients.

She could feel the utmost consideration behind the menu.

As she ate, the prince spoke up.

“So, Nonoa. Have you given it some thought?”

Thinking “that again,” but careful not to show it on her face, Nonoa replied calmly.

“Yes. I'm still thinking about it. In other words… I haven't reached an answer yet. I'm sorry.”

In truth, she wasn't thinking about it much at all.

Except for how to keep postponing it.

At her reply, the prince gave a wry smile.

“It can't be helped. Marrying someone more than a decade older than you isn't a decision you can make lightly.”

“No, it's not that I'm concerned about your age, exactly…”

A year had passed since the Demon King's defeat.

The situation was gradually changing.

First, the aid that had come from neighboring countries was cut off.

On the surface, the kingdom was respected as the leader that had defeated the Demon King, but the future looked bleak.

With the black clouds, agriculture was in a state of ruin.

Restoring the fields to how they were before the Demon King appeared would not be easy.

Twenty years had stripped many people of the knowledge needed to cultivate crops.

The kingdom had announced a policy of granting land to immigrants from abroad, hoping to increase its dwindling population and recover lost knowledge, but it would be a long time before that bore fruit.

Above all, the native citizens of the kingdom took pride in the fact that “we were the ones who fought.”

Favoring immigrants too much would only inflame public sentiment.

Even with the Demon King gone, the country was exhausted.

In such circumstances, the prince, forced to steer the nation through treacherous waters, wanted to seize any opportunity to improve the situation.

That much, Nonoa understood.

(So as at least some bright news, they suggest my marriage to the prince… even so.)

Nonoa respected the prince as an individual.

During the war against the Demon King's army, his skill “Command” had guided the soldiers and led them to victory in numerous grueling defensive battles.

In a different sense from Nonoa herself, he was a key figure in those victories.

After the war, when the king collapsed under the combined weight of relief and accumulated strain, the prince effectively took control of the nation in his stead.

If the prince and Nonoa—the hero who defeated the Demon King—were to enter a marriage across class lines, it would be met with overwhelming approval, save for a handful of stubborn nobles.

At present, there was little the country could give its people.

So the desire to at least offer hopeful, uplifting news was understandable.

But from Nonoa's perspective, she couldn't bring herself to care about that.

She had defeated the Demon King, and yet nothing remained for her.

She thought she was finally standing at the starting line—but the thing she truly wanted to do was no longer possible.

She still hadn't recovered from that confusion.

Yet those around her urged her to move on, telling her not to linger.

Not content with merely having her defeat the Demon King, they brazenly demanded even more, saying, “You're a hero who slew the Demon King.”

Honestly, it felt suffocating.

“I'm sorry, Your Highness. Please give me a little more time to think.”

In the end, she gave the same answer as always and took her leave.

Back at the home the kingdom had prepared for her, as she was getting ready for bed, a visitor arrived.

“This way, please.”

“Thank you.”

After that brief exchange, the visitor left.

What they had brought was the report she had previously requested from an investigation.

Reading through it, she found the location of the person she had been searching for.

The next day, canceling her original schedule, Nonoa went to visit that person.

It was the wife of the man who had saved the lives of Nonoa and the villagers—and Erius's mother.

She gathered as much wealth as she could carry and went to see her.

“So you're Nonoa? I'm glad you came.”

She was greeted with a smile, which surprised her.

She had worried that such a sudden visit would be startling, but instead she sensed a welcoming atmosphere.

She was shown into the house.

“Please, sit and wait for a moment.”

While waiting, Nonoa observed the interior.

Everything she saw was worn and modest, clearly reflecting a simple life.

Even so, Erius's mother went out of her way to brew tea for her.

“I had heard you defeated the Demon King, so… I imagined someone much more imposing. I never expected such a delicate young lady.”

“Haha, no, not really. I was always scolded by my parents for being a tomboy… thank you, I'll have some.”

As a child, she had often been teased by friends, called “half-boy, half-girl.”

Even now, though people sometimes praised her appearance, she still wasn't used to it.

She sipped the tea to hide her embarrassment.

All the while, the gentle gaze of Erius's mother made a sharp pain prick at her chest.

Setting the cup down and taking a breath, Nonoa finally brought up the main point.

“Today, I… I came to apologize.”

“Apologize?”

“Yes.”

There was no longer any tea in her mouth.

Even so, Nonoa swallowed once more, as if forcing something down, before speaking her words of apology.

“The one who caused Erius's death… your son's death… was me.”

After a brief pause to think, Erius's mother asked her,

“Why do you think that? The person who killed him was caught and executed, wasn't she?”

“…Yes.”

Lena, a former party member, had been convicted of Erius's murder and executed.

She had turned herself in, and based on her testimony, an investigation found Erius's body in a well.

The execution of a saint spread rapidly among the people.

Rumors flew—grudges, crimes of passion—but within a year, it naturally faded from public discussion.

So Erius's mother was correct.

And yet, for this past year… no, even since the days of the “Dragon Fang's Bite,” Nonoa had constantly felt a sense of guilt.

That she truly was, as Lena said, a burden.

She had kept those feelings hidden inside.

“If you don't mind, tell me why you feel that way. From the beginning, if possible. I'd like to know a little more about my son, too.”

Prompted by Erius's mother, Nonoa began to confess her past.