Chapter 120.3

Chapter 120.3

[Part 3/4]

(Yes, without limits...)

At the same time, the conversation with the lady, who turned her back on me, passed through my mind...

...

...

'It's quite easy to take your life.'

'However, your position is entangled with numerous complexities and interests. It's unwise to dispose of you easily.'

'That's why that person gave you an opportunity.'

'Your duty is simple and clear. Serve faithfully by that person's side, that's all.'

'Just by doing that, that girl, and everyone else, will become powerless.'

'No one can defy that person. No one can harm that person.'The roots of this story extend from novell bìn origin.

'And you shoulder everything.'

'Will you decline? That's alright too. I don't want to force you into anything. Certainly, someone without motivation cannot fulfill the role of a sacrificial pawn. However...'

'Hehehe. You have such a cute little sister, don't you?'

...

...

"..."

It was after escaping from 'Mayoiga.' After parting with Botan and fell asleep, I was jolted back to consciousness by the sensation of swaying on horseback. The words exchanged immediately upon regaining consciousness, the words delivered to me. They were a threat, a curse. The unique and only phrase that could compel me to obey.

(Truly, relentless. Magoroku and the others are thorough as well. It's almost impressive...)

Thinking about the one who desperately serves under Tamaki, I grit my teeth in secret.

Suppressing the turmoil within my chest, I continue to feign calmness. Expressionless, unresponsive, concealing my emotions. I didn't know what I might do if I let my emotions take over.

* * *

Before I knew it, the sky had turned dark, and the moon had shifted its light to the second hour. I continued along the night road where crickets chirped. In the distance, I reached the place I should return to, the place where I feel most at ease in this mansion.

"Hmm...?"

And then, I noticed her presence.

"...Oh my, you're surprisingly late, aren't you? I thought you'd come back a bit earlier, and I had a bet going. Could it be that you were lingering somewhere?"

In front of the cabin I was supposed to return to, her long hair, the color of a wet raven's wing, fluttered as she turned and smiled brightly at me.

The first princess of the Onitsuki family, Onitsuki Hina, was there. Her delicate body was illuminated by the moonlight, outlining her in a fantastical manner.

A beauty to look back on, such words passed through my mind without thinking.

"...Princess Hina?"

"Hehe, my apologies. I came to visit suddenly... Could you spend some time with me for a while?"

With an expression filled with both grace and affection, she invited me for a nighttime stroll...

* * *

A harmonious miniature garden spreads in the depths of the vast mansion. It was originally an open space set aside to establish defenses when the mansion was under attack. After the Great War, it was created by the fifth-generation head of the Onitsuki family, who had a hobby for gardening.

With considerable funds, renowned gardeners were summoned from the capital, and by incorporating grass dolls obtained from alchemists of the Southern Barbarians, the garden's landscaping is maintained semi-permanently and automatically...

"Hey, do you remember? In the past, you used to wander around this vast garden, calling it exploration?"

"..."

As I remained silent in response to Hina's question, she tilted her head and then, as if realizing something, her expression changed. She smiled and began to speak.

"Don't worry. As far as I can see, no one is watching or listening. Even if someone managed to hide well, if they were to tattle, I would cover for you. ...It's my selfishness. Didn't I say that before? I don't want to talk formally until this point."

In response to my concerns, Hina reassured me. Her cheerful and somewhat haughty attitude prompted me to respond in kind.

"Yes. I remember... I remember when the princess got lost and was crying."

"Oh, can you tell me?"

Once we started talking, it was as if a dam had burst. Walking aimlessly through the bamboo grove in a corner of the garden, Hina and I began sharing stories.

It was a tale of the two of us exploring all over the mansion. It was about Hina's pranks that led to scoldings. It was about squabbles over snacks, and it was about the time Hina, frightened by thunder, crawled into bed, crying.