“It's really dangerous, isn't it? Will the director be okay?”
“Maybe I should have offered my condolences in advance: ‘May he rest in peace.’”
As if he had read the anxiety theory, William sent a reassuring look accompanied by a smile.
“This incident was a force majeure. Chaos has spread in the capital due to the appearance of monsters, and Duke Reinhardt, the co-responsible person, will not be able to avoid punishment as well.”
William looked at Carlex with a look of firm confidence and patted him on the shoulder.
“With a friend who willingly goes with you to hell, there is nothing to be afraid of.”
Of course, Carlex was staring at William as if he were looking at an enemy he had met in Hell.
“So, what do we do now?”
I felt hopeless; A huge event happened and I can't even bear the consequences, all I can do is watch.
“There is nothing we can do about it now. We will focus on handling the situation first.”
William took a deep breath and took out the pocket watch.
Not long after the incident of monsters appearing on the field of the knightly tournament, one of the Five Great Books of Magic was lost.
Really, is Prince Franz really the culprit?
I know he's the prime suspect, but for him to be so bold...
As William checked the time, he looked up at the sky through the dense forest.
The darkness was dissipating and the blue light of dawn was creeping in.
“I wish I could say, 'Get some rest... but I'm really sorry. It's already dawn. You have to go to the library today. His Majesty the Crown Prince will personally inform you of the good and bad news, Miss Erica.'
“His Majesty will come to the closed library? That in itself is bad news.”
Carlex also nodded silently in agreement with my words.
“It will be a tiring day. Let us first withdraw from this foul forest.”
Under the heavy guard of soldiers, we moved out of the forest.
The forest fell back into deep silence.
The blue mist of dawn slowly spread deep into the dark forest.
I suppressed a recurring urge to look back and focused only on moving forward.
Why is it that the farther away I am, the more clearly I feel it?
The breath of beasts in the depths of the forest where the shadows intertwine, waiting to be called.
***
In the carriage to the Royal Library, I was constantly yawning.
I wiped away the tears gathering in the corner of my eyes and leaned back on the seat.
We arrived at the Sub-Palace Library at midnight and then at the Ducal Palace at dawn.
I closed my eyes for a moment and the sun had already risen, so I quickly got ready and left late.
Unlike me, exhausted and with dark circles under my eyes, Carlex and William across from me were neat, tidy, and brilliantly radiant.
Isn't this what distinguishes the main and second hero?
They look very natural.
Why am I the only one who receives the blows of time directly?
I yawned again, a large palm blocking my face.
Carlex extended his hand in dissatisfaction.
“It is polite to cover your mouth when yawning.”
Yes yes.
Thank you for covering my ugly face.
I was muttering in a low voice so that Carlex wouldn't notice, and William said while stifling a laugh:
“I find it cute. It seems that Duke Carlex does not want others to see Miss Erica’s cute appearance.”
"What? It can't be!"
I feigned exaggerated surprise, but the person in question himself did not deny it.
Oh my God, why is this person still silent?
Shouldn't he object at this point?
His response made me feel embarrassed too, so I looked out the window for no reason.
There was only silence and a stream of embarrassment in the carriage.
At that moment, the cart shook and stopped.
I looked outside and saw vehicles lined up because the Royal Guard knights were blocking traffic.
"What's this crowd? Is there some event today?"
I looked closely and saw a crimson carpet spread out in front of the entrance to the Royal Library, on either side of which about a hundred people were lined up.
People from different backgrounds gathered, from commoners to nobles, seeming to be waiting for someone with faces full of anticipation.
Isn't this because of the Crown Prince? No, it is not the time of his coming yet.
"Ah! He has arrived!"
When someone shouted, all eyes turned towards us.
When they saw the Reinhardt family's carriage, they suddenly let out cheers full of joy.
"Woah! Duke Reinhardt!"
“Commander-in-Chief, we have been waiting for you!”
“Our hero, live!”
“Please look at us, Duke!”
Cheers echoed through the Royal Library and the ground shook.
Loud trumpets were heard, and colorful flower petals flew.
Was today a popular signing day for Carlex? It rivals the concerts of pop singers!
"What is this?"
My ears were ringing from the falling cheers.
I looked at Carlex and William in amazement.
Carlex, the person in question, was pressing his temple with a submissive face, clearly holding back his anger.
William clapped as if he suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, I forgot. These people came to celebrate Duke Reinhardt’s return after defeating the monsters. Everyone was waiting for the hero to return.”
“Who informed them of the information about the Duke coming here?”
Before William could answer, Carlex said, gritting his teeth:
“His Majesty the Crown Prince must have done this.”
Indeed, this is what one would expect from a limelight-loving crown prince who enjoys causing trouble.
Carlex whispered in a deep voice, suppressing his anger:
“If retirement is difficult...there will be no choice but to oust him.”
Wait a minute.
What if the main hero became the leader of a rebel force?
It was urgent to calm down Carlex, who was beginning to be inclined to evil.
I exaggeratedly launched waves of flattery and flattery at him.
“Oh, I envy you so much, it’s nice to see the people appreciating the Duke. Come on, calm down and wave to them.”
“Do you really mean that, Erica?”
It seems I really have no talent in this area.
Maybe because of my very upright personality.
I dodged Carlex, who was staring at me with a frightening look, and quickly got out of the carriage.
When Carlex got off the carriage after William, the cries of excitement and admiration increased.
Fortunately, the Royal Guard Knights gathered and surrounded us.
As we made our way through the crowd under the protection of the knights, a young man spoke to me cautiously.
The man was dressed as a commoner and was examining me carefully.
“Are you Miss Erica Dale, according to you?”
"Yes, this is correct."
I answered without thinking, so he asked me again:
“So, you're the librarian at the Royal Library, right?”
“Yes, what's going on?”
Suddenly that person shouted to others around him:
“The hero in the equestrian tournament field incident is here!”
As soon as those words fell, people streamed towards me and cheered.
There was no room for the Royal Guard Knights to fend them off.
The startled William tried to grab my hand, but immediately lost it due to the rush of the crowd.
A group of people gathered around me like a powerful storm.
I was so confused and surprised that I could not escape and I stood dumbfounded, and a strong, muscular arm embraced my shoulder.
When I regained consciousness, I found myself tightly embraced in Carlex's arms.
At his majestic appearance, people hesitated and stepped back.
Carlex stared at the people with cold eyes.
“What an act! Miss Dale was almost injured. Disperse at once!”
I tried hard to move away from Carlex, but the more I tried, the more his strong arm hugged my shoulder.
At his shout, people retreated to both sides as if the sea had split.
The Guard's knights rushed to repel the crowd's enthusiasm.
"War Lady! Erica Diehl!"
"Greatest Knight! Champion! Erica Diehl!"
People all held up pictures and cheered and chanted my name.
I doubted my hearing.
Lady of War?
William took a picture, looked at it, and then sighed with a smile:
“Oh my God, she is so amazing and beautiful. The painter has perfectly captured Miss Erica’s beauty.”
"Photo? It can't be…"
I remembered the Crown Prince's empty claim that he would draw my portrait and publish it in the capital.
I thought he was joking, was he serious?
I roughly took the picture from William and examined it.
In the image, the Lady of War holding a huge fire arrow stands above the monster's head.
The lady was tall, with a slender but strong physique, and long brown hair that flowed like fire.
She looked like a queen, staring up at the sky with a confident smile.
At the bottom of the photo, there were also helpful instructions attached:
I suppressed an overwhelming urge to tear the picture apart.
My face turned red and I wanted to run away immediately.
What did I do to the Crown Prince to make such a black history for me?!
“You don't look like me at all!”
Carlex also looked at the picture and then smiled satisfied, as if he liked it.
“Hmm, His Majesty the Crown Prince has finally done something good after a long time.”
“This is not the time to smile. Was this picture the strategy he had developed over the past days? Is His Majesty the Crown Prince in his right mind...”
“Librarian Erica, I'm in my right mind.”
I froze at the bright voice that came from behind me.
The cause of all these problems is my enemy who suddenly appears these days.
I turned around with a frozen smile.
Crown Prince Ludwig appeared in all glory, leading the knights of the royal palace and making his way through the excited crowd.
Today his clothes were more luxurious than usual; A red silk coat, a sable fur scarf over one shoulder, and a bright white uniform embroidered with brilliant gold embroidery.
Not only was he wearing a crown, but if he had worn it, no one would have felt strange at the coronation ceremony.
With the crown prince's grand appearance, cheers and screams exploded, shaking the library.
Really, I'm going to die.
I stared at the Crown Prince with wide eyes so as not to lose my mind.
He raised his arms towards the audience and immediately attracted all attention.
“Dear people!”
At the Crown Prince's shout, the people calmed down as if it was a miracle.
No breathing or coughing was heard.
“As you all know, there was an incident where a horde of evil monsters attacked the field of the Equestrian Tournament. The appearance of monsters in the Peaceful Capital is something that should not happen.”
Fear and despair spread among the people who were whispering.
They looked up at the sky and sighed, or their faces turned pale in fear, or they tried to hold back their screams, or they prayed and wept.
"but!"
As if trying to calm the people's turmoil, the Crown Prince shouted forcefully:
“Duke Reinhardt and Miss Erica Diehl, the librarian, who are here, bravely faced the monster and defeated it. I, the knights and nobles of Ruberia, witnessed that moment of victory.”
People's eyes suddenly turned to Carlex and to me.
“Above all, Miss Erica showed courage in devising a strategy to defeat the monsters and attacking first. When she shot the fire arrow and faced the monsters valiantly, it seemed as if the Lady of War had arrived!”
Ludving stopped talking, looked at me, and extended his hand to me politely.
His looks were serious and sober, but his cunning smile was not hidden on his lips.
He said to me in a low voice:
'My librarian, come with me.'
A groan rose within me.
Why are you dragging me into the Champions Game? I want to live quietly.
But I couldn't ignore the people who looked at me with admiration and appreciation.
She forced the Crown Prince's hand.
When the Crown Prince raised my hand, people greeted us with thunderous cheers and applause.
“Through her, I realized that everyone has a hero inside them, and that anyone can become a hero and fight for Ruberia and to protect their loved ones!”
Ludving calmed himself for a moment.
He looked slowly as if trying to remember the faces of his subjects one by one who were looking at him.
“I am also willing to give myself gladly for my beloved Ruberia and for you, so I hope that you will not give in to terror and fear and show courage.”
When the Crown Prince's speech ended, cheers of public enthusiasm rang out.
Ludving waved his hand with a benevolent smile all over his face, like a politician on an election campaign.
I, too, smiled and waved my hand as stiffly as a wooden doll.
I wanted to live quietly and independently.
It's all over.