Chapter 110: Bit of both

But that wasn't important. The fact was just that—the nth battle for Ladafar had come to an end, the orcs had retreated further down the border, and the playground I fought at was gone. What that meant was that the third princess' (voluntary) duty was completed here. And so, she was to go back to the capital where her father awaited his brave daughter, a military woman now, so that she could give her report.

While the military's campaign—that was the State's army and soldiers—wasn't quite wrapped up yet, the chain of command was rearranged so that the army could be put to work again and more blood be spilled.

The military woman, Elina, who had braved her fears and reaffirmed her pride as a chosen noble on the battlefield, would go back home. While she had come with flocks of carriages in tow and dozens of royal guards to serve her, with a flashy entrance, she wouldn't go back home with the same parade. It had been secretly arranged that she regains the capital not with a dozen, but only three less extravagant chariots. That new arrangement was to maintain secrecy, and I later learned that the flock of carriages returning back to the capital were supposedly the official information the palace would get—she would be assumed to have normally returned to the capital, like she had come, without letting people know of her affair.

That was the human royalty's affair, and I didn't care about the obvious reasons as to why she had to maintain secrecy when recruiting a monster under her. The deal she was conducting with me, a monster-type creature, was a sin according to the State's laws.

But anyway. Three decent carriages it was, and with my old man, we met the human royalty where no one would see us, not so far away from the giant forest's border.

Lost in my thoughts, I longed for the battlefield again. It was the place where I thrived the most, and I was anxious to think that maybe I would lose my enemies if I ran away from them and obtained citizenship as a normal human resident in an enormous human city. "Your host is awaiting her guests, my dear boy. Never let people wait on you!" Seeing I daydreamed even now, the old man ushered me forward.

Princess Elina de Roerden lived quite the good life. If even the vehicle she presently used was considered no more than "decent" and "regular," I wondered just how shiny and flashy an expensive ride would look. It might have been obvious to people, but I learned today that a royal person was rich.

Escort carriages were stationed both in front of and right behind Princess Elina's carriage. There were only two of them. As I said before, Princess Elina was the one to say "only two," but to me only two were already a lot. Too much, even.

All three carriages waited for me and the old man to come in so that we may set off down the road at once.

From inside the vehicle, a voice greeted me. "Little monster, little monster; come on in! I won't bite, I promise. Do enter." Making way for two, I slid inside the noble's vehicle where I silently marveled more at the princess' wealth. In a few words, the inside was very refined and noble-like.

It was spacious enough for a handful of people to stand up inside of the square room, and there were two fluffy-looking and beautiful benches that might have been confused with couches on either side of the wide cabin.

That Elina person seemed rather happy telling me she wouldn't "bite." Hey, did she need a little reminder on who it is that shall bite whom of us both? I should be the one telling her I wouldn't "bite." After I fully worked my way in, exposing the elf maiden to the human lady, I decided not to react negatively to the royalty's high spirits. After all, presently, it would serve no real purpose to remind her of just how afraid and subdued she was in front of me, the monster, a few hours back. No real purpose, but I was surprised to see she managed to be acting in a totally normal manner and be so relaxed given what happened between her and me hours ago.

I had honestly thought that, after time went by, she would have had time to thoroughly process what happened then. When all the arduous events of our little private parley properly sank inside that little head of hers, I guessed she would be more tense, jumpy, and on edge, but it seemed not to be the case. That made me think that the royalty either thought she had simply made sure to harness her new pet soldier so carefully that I was a hundred percent under her control, or that she still kept the unbreachable wall she had put earlier today—that which of a noble's necessary poker face skills—and hid her feelings of stifled distress skillfully enough so I couldn't see through her panic inside.

Maybe it was a little bit of both.

And how pale Cetha the elf was. That comment was made by the royalty upon seeing the frail, feverish creature I held in my arms.

For a second, I wished my two elf companions—Hideous and White-haired, the ones I respectively witnessed be killed and killed myself—could have been there with me. Together, we would have been so happy to share the discovery of the broad, roomy carriage, comparing it with our old creaky chariot. Snif.

When the overly relaxed royalty proposed to me to spread out a sheet, for the elf maiden, upon one of the couch benches, I nodded my thanks to her with a smile, and the unconscious Cetha was comfortably, if one ignored the discomfort of her fever, laid there, sleeping. The benches, which looked more like sofas to me, were already comfortable enough, but with the refined linen sheet, I hoped the elf's comfort was maxed.

"Ah," the human princess gasped, "the young lady's condition does seem serious... doesn't it?"

Before I departed from my parley with the human royalty, naturally, I explained to her that I wasn't the only member of my team. She knew about Cetha, but other than the elf being some distant relative of my old uncle or something, she didn't know that she was the last remaining fallen princess of a fallen elven kingdom. Of course, Cetha being a relative to the old man was a fabrication.

White-haired, the companion elf I brought down, when telling me how to care for his princess before he passed, had made it clear Cetha needed not keep her bloodied name of an elf noble. Thus, I and the old man thought it wise to keep Cetha's identity to ourselves.

"Her condition is serious, ma'am."

While I answered the royalty with the same words my old man had given me on our way here, I took the liberty to use another two sheets for the elven princess: one I made into a ball to use as a cushion and the other I placed on the elf maiden, from shoulders to feet. "See, my old uncle is strong—he knows about a doctor's expertise, that's being strong, isn't it—but he isn't so strong that he can heal Cetha right away."

"Is Cetha her name?"

"My old uncle isn't stronger than me, ma'am."

"Fufu. Cetha, then. Her elegant name does suit the sleeping sweetheart. ...But how pale she is!"

"I'm afraid he isn't," I nodded. "No, no, my old uncle can't be nearly as strong as I am, ma'am."

Hearing onto the haphazard conversion I held with the royalty, the "old uncle"—the old man begged me not to call him an "old man" right to his face in front of the royalty, a few hours before, as he didn't want to lose so much face—boarded the carriage.

"No stronger than the young man, oh?" he stroked his chin. "Zip! I'll say nothing! Oh ho ho."

And the royalty politely laughed. "Do please allow yourself in, too, much-esteemed Uncle."

"Why, but you oblige me, my young benefactor." By calling the royalty his benefactor, the old man carried on and ceremoniously greeted and thanked the human princess. Seeing him bow, I learned how to pay my respect to an official of the Palace, but I wondered why he acted so... stiffly. The royalty was the benefactor of his grandchild, hence, she was as dear a friend to him as she was to me, the old man said, humbled.

When the royalty replied with reciprocated politeness and reverence, the old man urged her to drop the formal tone. "I could do without it!"