“Ah… those wretched elves. I swear, if I ever run into them again…!”
It was the morning of the next day.
All of this had started after Xia Er had said, “I… I hope Miss Satella can bring our scattered kin out of the human city!”
****
“Halt. Show me your identification.”
Stomach empty and head spinning, Leya had finally stumbled her way to the gates of Volantis. But just as she was about to enter, two guards blocked her path.
“Hm? Identification?”
That was a joke. There was no way she would have something like that.
‘Besides… weren’t there no guards at the gate when I came through before? How strange…’
“Miss, please present your identification. Otherwise, kindly step aside and make way for others.”
“…”
Without a word, Leya silently moved away. She found a corner at the base of the city wall where a conveniently sized stone rested and slumped down onto it.
She was simply too tired and too hungry to waste her breath arguing with these guards.
Thankfully, the elves had at least given her a canteen of water when she departed. Otherwise… she might very well have died of thirst somewhere in the desolate wilds of the Netherworld Forest.
“Detestable humans… troublesome elves… Can’t anything go my way for once?” she muttered to herself, the chatter of the surrounding crowd echoing in her ears.
“Wow… what a beautiful girl!”
“She’s dressed like a noble, even though her clothes are torn…”
“Tsk, tsk. To think a girl like that wouldn’t have identification.”
“Heh, look at her. She probably snuck out to have some fun behind her family’s back and forgot to bring it.”
“Mhm, that makes sense. But we don’t usually need to check identification here, do we? And look at these soldiers… they don’t look like they’re from our eastern provinces at all.”
Hm?
Filtering out the meaningless chatter, Leya took a closer look at the soldiers.
‘I see. They’re military from the north…’
“Oh? Miss, are you from the north as well?”
A man in the queue, who was also watching, asked her with curiosity. Upon closer inspection, his attire also seemed out of place among the locals.
As Leya stared at him without moving, the middle-aged man actually blushed slightly, scratching his head.
“Uh… miss, I’m a jewel merchant from the north. I came here to sell some wares in Volantis.”
“Oh… is that so?”
But contrary to the rosy scenario the man might have imagined, Leya merely gave a nonchalant reply before turning her gaze away completely.
How cruel! The man felt a crushing blow to his spirit.
“Hey, have you heard? About the Blonde Sword Princess…”
“Oh, her! An incredible young woman! I heard just yesterday she was in the Netherworld Forest, holding off an army of demonic beasts all by herself.”
Eh? Eh? Eh?
‘Blonde Sword Princess? A formidable girl!’ The merchant couldn’t just ignore this!
To think such a figure had emerged in the east. It seemed he would have plenty of fresh news to share with everyone back north.
With that thought, the gossipy-looking man eagerly sidled up to the two people conversing, a practiced smile on his face. “Excuse me… brothers, could you perhaps tell me more about this Blonde Sword Princess?”
“Huh? You don’t know?! Judging by your clothes, you must have just arrived from the north, right?” a young man exclaimed, covering his mouth in feigned surprise.
The merchant played along, nodding enthusiastically. “Yes, yes! We haven’t heard a thing about the Blonde Sword Princess where I’m from!”
“Oh… hahaha! Well, when you talk about the Blonde Sword Princess, you’re talking about a legend! Hey, it’ll be a while before we get into the city anyway, so I’ll tell you all about it… So, it all started when…”
“…”
As the young man launched into the legendary tale of the so-called “Blonde Sword Princess,” his face alight with excitement and admiration, he had no idea that the true protagonist of his story—the Blonde Sword Princess herself—was staring at them with a look of utter bewilderment and confusion.
‘When… did I become so famous?’
‘Oh, but it’s not quite right to say it’s me… The one they truly admire and are interested in is the “Blonde Sword Princess,” after all. LOL.’
****
An unknown amount of time passed.
Maybe it was an hour, or perhaps several.
In any case, it was now nearly noon.
“Ah… mmm…”
Leya lazily opened her sleepy eyes and glanced around.
“And so, the few surviving adventurers were all saved! One woman, one banner, one sword! A thousand-strong army before her, yet she stood unshaken! Ah… truly, this is what it means to be a hero!”
“Er…”
‘This guy… is still talking?’
‘What dedication. But isn’t this delaying his entry into the city? Is he really okay with that?’
‘And the crowd… How did it grow from just one merchant to dozens of people gathered around him?!’
“Hey, wait? That can’t be right. In her previous appearances, the Blonde Sword Princess never had that banner, did she? And in the Netherworld Forest, she said some strange religious words to that mage, but she never showed any signs of being a devout believer before!”
‘Mhm, a sharp question from this young man. He’s getting very close to the truth. Impressive.’
Unfortunately, the storyteller merely scoffed at the inquiry. “Fool! The banner is obviously her family’s crest. Her previous appearances were mostly in cities. Use your head—would you carry your family crest around town? As for whether she’s a believer…”
‘No, no, you use *your* head! Carrying a family crest through a forest is just as suspicious, isn’t it? Who would be so bored as to lug their family crest everywhere they go?!’
“Faith is something that cannot be seen or touched. It stems from the most loyal piety in our hearts for the gods. So if the heart is sincere, why must one always be bound by formalities?”
“…”
At this, Leya felt her spirit almost shatter.
“Ooooh—I see! The Blonde Sword Princess truly is a remarkable person!”
“Yeah! Just like a hero from the legends! And what’s more, she’s a beautiful young lady too!”
“…”
‘Hey, hey, don’t just accept that with looks of sudden enlightenment! Are you serious?!’
Ugh, she couldn’t stand these idiots. She had to figure out a way into the city, and fast.
Just as Leya was wracking her brain…
“Oh, right! I heard that to commend the Blonde Sword Princess for her service in the Netherworld Forest, the Adventurer’s Guild issued a special announcement. They hope she will come to the guild headquarters, where the Volantis branch president will personally present her with the medal of an Honorary Knight of Alvia, grant her official citizenship in Volantis, and award her land and rewards commensurate with her deeds!”