“Ah, so it is true. You must be the one they’ve all been talking about, the famed ‘Blonde Sword Princess.’ Now that I’ve seen you for myself, you truly have the face of an angel and hair like spun gold.”
Adventurer’s Guild Headquarters.
“…”
“Maxwell already told me everything that transpired in the Netherworld Forest. To be honest, when I heard him describe it all with such conviction, I thought he had lost his mind. Oh, good heavens! He claimed that a single person—a teenage girl, no less—held back thousands upon thousands of demon beasts all on her own! You can imagine why I thought he was joking, can’t you?”
The middle-aged man set down his teacup, having taken barely a sip. He sported a peculiar general’s mustache, parted in the center. This was Cliff K. Conrad, the head of the Adventurer’s Guild and a benefactor to the nearly ten thousand adventurers in Volantis.
“But the look in his eyes… it was so fervent, so resolute! I admit, I didn’t understand it at the time, which is why I was so desperate to learn the truth! And now, seeing you before me… everything has become clear.”
“…”
Leya, maintaining a dignified and formal posture, perfectly embodied the discipline of a soldier—or perhaps a knight. No, it was more than that. It was the regal bearing of a king.
She exuded an unapproachable aura of pressure, her gaze fixed on Cliff at a slight angle. Her presence was as unshakeable as a mountain, unmoved by thunder or rain.
It was truly breathtaking.
“Magnificent! Simply magnificent!”
Suddenly, as if struck by a sudden fit, Cliff shot to his feet, his voice booming. “Unlike those other pretenders, I can see it! You are a true warrior, one who is worthy of the title ‘hero’!”
“…”
Yet Leya’s expression remained unchanged as she watched his performance. Yes, that’s what it was—a performance.
Occasionally, she would lift the teacup from the table, carefully restraining herself from draining it in one go. If she did that, there was no telling if their conversation could even continue. At least the tea gave her a distraction from his ridiculous display.
“The Blonde Sword Princess… what a wondrous title! I can already see it. In the near future, your name will be whispered throughout the Kingdom of Alvia—no, throughout the entire Western world! They will sing praises of your great deeds!”
“…”
“Hahaha—I can hardly wait! Now then… ah, my apologies, Miss Sword Princess. It seems I’ve made a rather elementary, and quite unforgivable, error… Oh, what have I done! In my excitement, I completely forgot to ask for your name!”
“Artoria. Artoria Pendragon. Now, sir, if you’ll pardon my bluntness, could you please bring your performance—ah, I mean your speech—to a close?”
She had reached her limit. There was no need to endure it any longer.
Heaven only knew when this man would finally stop talking.
Honestly, from the moment she had transformed into Saber outside the city, to the guards rushing over to inform Cliff that someone called the “Blonde Sword Princess” was looking for him, to being brought here for this long-winded nonsense…
Twenty minutes. A full twenty minutes had passed.
And they still hadn’t gotten to the point! Dammit! If he kept this up for another minute, she was going to tear down his whole damn guild, the f*cking idiot!
“Ah… hahaha, you are quite the frank and refreshingly candid young lady, aren’t you? Well… I must say I rather like that in a young person!”
“…”
‘Gods, I can’t take it. I really can’t,’ Leya thought, finding the smarmy, middle-aged man and his lecherous expression utterly unbearable.
“Well then, since Miss Sword Princess has put it so directly, let us move on to the main topic.”
‘You should have done that from the start!’
“Yes, well, about that… ahem. Regarding your formal commendation ceremony, Miss Artoria, it will require some… preparation.”
“Troublesome…” Leya frowned, rejecting the idea without a second thought.
“Then don’t prepare any ceremony. If it’s inconvenient, you can cancel any rewards as well. I only want one thing: a legal document that permits me to enter and exit the city of Volantis. Nothing more.”
“Er… that… might be difficult…” Cliff said, a troubled look on his face.
“I understand, Miss Sword Princess. You likely come from a prominent family and have little regard for such fame and fortune…”
“…”
“Sigh…” Seeing that Leya remained unmoved and realizing his attempts at persuasion were futile, Cliff sighed in resignation.
“Very well. As you wish, Miss Sword Princess. We will cancel the troublesome ceremonies! We will directly grant you legal citizenship in Volantis and the title of Honorary Knight of the Kingdom.”
“Hm?” she hummed softly.
The first part was fine, just as she had expected. But what was this about the second part? Hadn’t she just refused all rewards?
“Ah… Miss Leya, you see, the title of Honorary Knight is bestowed directly by the kingdom. It is reserved for knights who have made significant contributions or performed great deeds for the realm, so it is not something our Adventurer’s Guild has any say in. It would seem… someone up high has chosen you directly, hehe…”
It wasn’t difficult to detect the deep envy in Cliff’s tone, especially the strange emphasis he placed on “someone up high.”
After all, while an Honorary Knight wasn’t an official state position, holding the title set one worlds apart from a commoner. It was, in a way, like having one foot in the door of the nobility.
And though the title was supposedly based on the magnitude of one’s deeds, how was that magnitude measured? Which was the greater achievement: destroying an enemy headquarters or wiping out their main force? In the end, it all came down to the whims of the one doing the judging.
For someone like Leya, the merit of her actions could be spun in any direction. Inflated, one could claim she saved the entire city. Minimized? She was lucky they didn’t charge her for meddling in the first place.
“They chose me?”
That was truly…
Leya didn’t dwell on the politics of it. She simply found the notion absurd.
With her current status and power, did she really need the title of “Honorary Knight” as some kind of decoration? Especially when it was presented as if it were a scrap of charity being tossed her way. It was comical—utterly, ridiculously comical.
“Well… never mind that, Mr. Conrad. When will the identification papers be ready? And will I have any trouble leaving the city now?”
“No trouble at all. You can pick up the document here tomorrow morning. As for the Honorary Knight title, you just need to register at the Lord’s manor. And of course, no one will stop you from leaving now. Hehe… After all, the name ‘Blonde Sword Princess’ should carry quite a bit of weight in Volantis by now!”
“Oh, I nearly forgot. As a final token of my sincerest gratitude, I would like to formally invite you, Miss Leya, to register your name with our Adventurer’s Guild. I don’t suppose…”
“You, and you alone, I refuse.”
****
“Whoa—look! That must be the Blonde Sword Princess!”
Leya heard the whispers on her way back to the Thunder Tavern after leaving the guild.
“Yeah, yeah! I saw her myself being escorted inside by the guards earlier.”
‘Hmm… “escorted” isn’t quite the right word. “Taken into custody” would be more accurate. And “earlier”? Are you kidding me? It’s been twenty minutes.’
“Seeing her today, she’s just like the rumors say… truly beautiful and powerful!”
‘No, no, my dear boy, I don’t think you can gauge my strength just by looking.’
‘Ah… am I really that famous already? Honestly… I haven’t done anything to attract this much attention, have I?’
‘Well, well… I’m short on time. Better leave before I blow my cover…’
“Whoa! She… she vanished!?”
It happened in an instant.
All the onlookers felt was a sudden gust of wind sweeping through the street. The next moment, the Blonde Sword Princess had simply disappeared from before their very eyes.
Hundreds of pairs of eyes stared, wide with disbelief, looking from one person to another, completely dumbfounded.
“Tsk, tsk. Do you think the Sword Princess will participate in the Sword Dance Festival this year?”
“Uh… I hope not. Otherwise… with that speed, even three of the last champions combined wouldn’t stand a chance…”
The others nodded vigorously in agreement.
“Blonde Sword Princess… is it?”
Amidst the crowd, however, a young woman with long, obsidian hair gazed at the spot where Leya had stood, her expression deeply complicated.
“If it were me back then… no, how could that be possible… hehe…”
“Oh, no, this is no time for that! If I don’t find Miss Leya soon…”