Chapter 15 – Sigmund’s Knightly Vow
In the carriage back to the Imperial Palace, I was alone with the Emperor.
As I wondered what we should talk about, Emperor Eckardt spoke up as if remembering something.
“Katia, I heard you ended up in the ancient ruins while you were gathering gems in the mine. If you weren’t able to gather enough, I will have some prepared for you.”
Since my arm was still heavily bandaged, he probably judged it would be difficult for me to gather gems myself.
It’s true that I had only picked up one small gem in the mine before wandering into the ancient ruins. But remembering the many pink gems I received from the Witch’s servants in the ruins, I shook my head, saying it was enough.
“No, I was able to collect enough gems, so I’m fine.”
“…Is that so. If you have any trouble, tell me.”
Hearing the Emperor’s added remark at the end, I smiled faintly.
“What is it?”
“Nothing, I was just happy that you spoke kindly to me. Since Your Majesty is kind, it seems we can become a close couple.”
I had forgotten, but I’m currently executing Operation: Get Close to Emperor Eckardt, I thought, smiling.
Then, after thinking a little, the Emperor agreed quietly.
“That might be so.”
That night, I spoke to my reflection in the vanity mirror.
“…I feel like His Majesty Eckardt’s attitude has softened recently.”
I might just be interpreting things conveniently for myself, but his gaze, tone, and the content of his speech all feel much gentler.
“I don’t know the reason, but there’s nothing better than being treated kindly.”
Thinking this is a good trend, I was about to get into bed when I saw a room in the distance flashing brightly through the window.
I watched, wondering what it was, but the room continued to flash.
Curious, I put on a thick gown securely over my nightwear, left my room, and walked down the hallway toward the direction where I saw the light.
Perhaps because beastmen value individual freedom, or perhaps they are confident there is no danger in the palace, the soldiers guarding the hallway didn’t follow me even when they saw me.
So, I walked down the hallway alone, my slippers making slapping sounds.
Calculating the direction of the light seen from my window, I opened the door of the room I thought it was, and a challenging voice rose from inside.
“Who’s there!”
Not expecting anyone to be there, I was surprised and apologized.
“Is that voice Sigmund? I’m sorry. I heard the rooms in the East Wing weren’t being used, so I thought no one was here.”
Hearing a voice that sounded like Sigmund’s, I called his name on a guess, and sure enough, a shirtless Sigmund ran from the back of the room looking surprised.
“Princess, what’s wrong?”
“N-Nothing.”
Isn’t the shirtless Sigmund the one something’s wrong with? I thought, but remembering Emperor Eckardt sleeping shirtless, I swallowed the words, wondering if beastmen have a habit of sleeping half-naked.
Besides, Sigmund clearly intended to sleep in this room, so I’m the one intruding.
“Sorry to disturb you. I saw a light in the East Wing which shouldn’t be in use, so I came to see what was happening.”
Sigmund frowned.
“You thought there might be danger, yet you jumped in yourself? Princess, did no one in your homeland warn you about your reckless behavior?”
Back home, everyone thought I was the strongest, so no one ever warned me.
Thinking this, I smiled vaguely to dodge the question since I was in the middle of playing a fragile human.
“You see, a light seen in the dark is special and attractive. Even insects are often attracted to light and come close, aren’t they?”
“Are you talking about ‘insects flying into the fire in summer’? In that case, it means ‘insects attracted by the brightness jump into the fire and burn to death’. You brought up another outrageous metaphor.”
Ah, indeed, that was a bad metaphor. Alright, let’s dodge this by praising Sigmund.
“Sigmund, you know such difficult phrases.”
“Princess, you think I’m a born idiot, don’t you?”
Stared at with flat eyes, I put on a harmless smile.
“No way. By the way, Sigmund, you sleep with the lights on. And trying to sleep in a different room than usual, is it for a change of pace?”
Sigmund looked suspicious about why I was asking such things, but answered dutifully.
“Since I was back in my territory until yesterday, the maids judged I wouldn’t return to the palace for a while, and my dedicated room is in the middle of a major cleaning. I was told I couldn’t use it for a few days, so I borrowed this room for tonight.”
“I see.”
As I nodded in understanding, Sigmund looked toward the flickering room light beyond the slightly open door.
“Also, about the light… the light in this room won’t turn off.”
“Is there such a thing?”
Just as I wondered if there was a light that wouldn’t turn off, I continued, Ah.
“That’s right, turning off the light in this room requires a little trick.”
I got Sigmund’s permission, entered the room, and brought my face close to the light.
“Ah, certainly, for someone not used to this room, turning off the light here would be difficult.”
Bringing my face too close to the light made it dazzling, so I worked while squinting.
“This light is tricky with how tight the screw is. It can’t be too tight or too loose, so it’s quite difficult. Loosen it to the limit… then tighten it two and a half times… see, it’s off.”
“That’s amazing!”
Since Sigmund widened his eyes in surprise, I puffed out my chest proudly.
“Isn’t it! …Or so I’d like to say, but that’s an exaggeration. I just turned off a light.”
I smiled wryly saying it wasn’t a big deal, but Sigmund nodded greatly with a serious face.
“No, it really is amazing. No one other than you can turn off that light, Princess. This is a room the previous Witch used sometimes. And… I’ve heard about it, that Witches can pass on individually acquired information to the next generation as a species. I thought such a dreamlike story couldn’t be true, but witnessing it, I understood it’s a fact.”
“No, it’s not such a grand story. I just turned off a light, I didn’t do anything special.”
Although I answered that way, I certainly wondered why I knew a way to turn off a light that required a special technique.
As I tilted my head, Sigmund shook his head.
“Precisely because it’s trivial content, I can believe it’s information inherited as a species. Because no Witch from two hundred years ago would bother to pass on such trivial thing orally or in writing to someone else.”
Hearing Sigmund’s words, I remembered how information about the ‘Witch’s Divination Leaves’ flowed smoothly out of my head.
At that time too, I wondered why information I shouldn’t know came out of my head, but if I inherited the knowledge of past Witches, it makes sense.
“About me possibly being a Witch, my eyes are blue, right? They say Witches have red eyes, and my eyes only turned red once, so isn’t it possible it’s some kind of mistake?”
It’s strange that I knew information only a Witch could know, but even so, I think the probability of me being a Witch is at most 50%, so I looked up at Sigmund.
However, Sigmund shook his head without hesitation.
“You are a Witch, Princess. Otherwise, the new ancient ruins would not have been found.”
Seeing everyone’s reaction, I had just realized that the discovery of the ancient ruins was far more amazing than I thought, so I stared at Sigmund unable to say anything.
Then, Sigmund suddenly sat on the floor with his legs together, put both hands on the floor, and bowed deeply.
“Princess, I sincerely apologize for my rudeness until now! I am truly sorry!!”
“Eh, S-Sigmund!?”
I was startled, wondering what he started doing half-naked all of a sudden, but he continued speaking with his head deeply bowed.
“I’m sorry. Forgive me. It is a brazen wish, but please give me a chance to atone.”
“H-Huh?”
“I will definitely die for you. Therefore, please allow me to be by your side. And please give me the opportunity to die for you someday.”
A sheltered princess would probably blush and say “I’m happy” here.
Since I am a princess of a venerable Holy Kingdom, I don’t think I would be blamed for acting like that, but…
“Um, I don’t think that’s possible. After all, I’m stronger than you.”
When I declared flatly, Sigmund banged his head on the floor with a thud.
“Why are you so strong even though you’re a Witch! Truly, you are strong beyond a joke, Princess.”
“I’m strong because I practiced magic a lot.”
When I gave a very simple answer, Sigmund lifted his face buried in the floor and looked at me.
“You must have put in a lot of effort, Princess. Being strong means having made that much effort. I respect your strength, Princess.”
“Eh, th-thank you.”
Praised straightly, I felt embarrassed and thanked him.
Sigmund stared at me with a serious expression.
“May I call you Lady Katia, Princess? And will you allow me to become your shield?”
Sigmund shuffled closer while still sitting on the floor, so I blinked rapidly in agitation.
“Lady Katia, you made me the true head of the Wolf clan. My attachment to the Wolf bloodline is immense. I was the head until now too, but I was always alone. Because no one recognized me as blood kin. For me to be saved, there was no other way than to prove I was the biological son of my parents. However, such a method did not exist anywhere until now.”
Having actually gone to the Wolf territory and witnessed Sigmund with his clan, I felt his plea deeply.
I thought Sigmund must have wanted to be accepted as a companion by his clan ever since he was little, and now that he was accepted by everyone and even called the pride of the clan, he must be happy.
“Lady Katia, you are my savior. So, I want to make a knight’s vow to you.”
“Eh, w-well, I don’t mind.”
Remembering that the knights of my homeland also made a ‘Knight’s Vow’ to me, their superior, I agreed casually, and Sigmund’s face lit up visibly.
“Eh, really!? Thank you!!”
Witnessing Sigmund showing an expression of rapture, although I thought it suspicious, —I did not realize;
That the beastmen’s ‘Knight’s Vow’ was something incredibly heavy.
“Thank you! I will vow right here and now!!”
Sigmund ran off as if not wasting a single second, grabbed a magnificent sword and shield hanging on the wall, and returned again with incredible speed.
Then, kneeling before me, he respectfully presented the sword and shield, and stated the words of the vow in a low, deep voice.
“I, Sigmund Wolff, from this moment on, vow on my blood and flesh to become the unrusting sword and unbreakable shield of Katia Sapphraine.”
When I accepted his sword and shield according to etiquette, Sigmund bowed deeply once more.
After a while, he lifted his face again and stared at me with determined eyes.
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