Chapter 4: The Naive Princess
“Humanity has no time to wait!”
In the year 612 of the Kingdom Calendar, Duram, the leader of the Alliance of Kings, sent out a call to arms across the continent, gathering heroes who could stand against the Demon King.
The suddenly risen Demon King’s army had conquered nation after nation, imposing a harsh rule and reign, and he had summoned heroes who held grievances against them.
From every region, masters of their craft from all walks of life gathered—knights, warriors, hunters, thieves, priests, mages, merchants, blacksmiths, and farmers.
What they all had in common was a fierce hatred for the Demon King.
Those whose families were killed by the Demon King’s army, those whose hometowns were burned to the ground by the Demon King’s army, those whose fortunes were stolen by the Demon King’s army—all gathered in the royal capital of the Ishtar Kingdom to seek vengeance on the Demon King.
King Duram gave each of the assembled heroes a war fund of 120 silver coins and declared:
“What I am about to say is inhumane, worse than the actions of a demon.”
“If you do not like my words, you may strike off my head here and now. But if you agree, then I ask you to die for my sake—no, for the sake of this world.”
With that preface, Duram explained his strategy.
No, it was not something so refined as a strategy.
Tomorrow, 108 people would depart from this capital and head for the Demon King’s Castle.
They would force their way through the castle and assassinate the Demon King.
That was all.
It was a plan a toddler could have devised, but one could also say it was the only option left for a cornered humanity.
The assembled Lesser Heroes knew this, so not a single one of them resented the king.
And so, the assault on the Demon King’s Castle was carried out.
The 108 Lesser Heroes charged the Demon King’s Castle as one, but breaking through the Demon King’s domain to reach the enemy’s stronghold was no easy feat.
Along that arduous journey, they would lose many of their comrades—.
Now, this much is common knowledge, but before being chosen as one of the 108 Lesser Heroes, my wife Fina, the sage Murdock, and a few others had formed a small party with me.
It was a party that repeatedly formed and disbanded as needed, but as like-minded companions, we traveled to dungeons around the world and defeated misbehaving monsters.
Back then, it was “work,” so to speak, so we never had a chance to take it easy.
When a rumor of treasure in a certain dungeon spread, seasoned and cunning adventurers would gather, each trying to be the first to reach the deepest level. In the midst of that, there was no time to leisurely soak in a hot spring that happened to be bubbling up in the dungeon.
It was the same for jobs exterminating troublesome monsters. With villagers dying, we had no time to leisurely eat the village’s local specialties.
We had to run past ruins, famous tourist spots, and breathtaking views, catching only a glimpse out of the corner of our eyes. Each time, we’d say to our companions,
“It’d be nice to come back and see this properly someday.”
But that day never came. In the end, we spent all our time adventuring and subjugating the Demon King.
I told myself we could do it after defeating the Demon King, but in the end, thanks to the Demon King’s Cursed Venom, that dream was delayed by a miserable 100 years.
“Well, I guess the only saving grace is that nothing much changes in just 100 years.”
Of course, I wouldn’t be able to meet the people I once knew, but nature and famous landmarks don’t change so easily. A hot spring will keep bubbling until it runs dry, and ruins will exist until they crumble to dust.
My goal is to leisurely look back on the past with my wife.
So there’s no problem at all.
With that thought, I gazed at my wife, who hadn’t changed at all from 100 years ago.
Renas von Lichtat’s wife, Fina, was the owner of a rare and exceptional beauty.
Golden hair, a well-proportioned body, and perfectly arranged features.
She possessed a beauty as if an ancient master sculptor had spent a lifetime carving her.
And no wonder—she is the princess of the elves of the Forest of Dawn, said to be the most beautiful in this world.
There’s probably no need to explain what elves are.
Fairies who dwell in the forest. The embodiment of beauty created by the gods.
Pointy-eared, golden-haired vegetarians.
There is a saying that there are no unattractive elves, but Fina was exceptionally beautiful even among them.
Before she even left the forest, she had been proposed to by 255 elves, fallen for by 23 monkeys, and even courted by owls and wolves.
After leaving the forest, she was proposed to by the sons of multiple nobles, which even led to wars.
She was, in other words, a beauty that could topple nations.
And yet, she herself is indifferent to her own beauty, or rather, sees no value in it.
What are these people fighting for?
She would just stand there, looking bewildered.
On top of that, she has a good personality.
If she saw an old woman collapsed on the road, she would care for her, and if a child was crying in the forest, she would gently embrace them.
She was so nice that she was almost tricked by human traffickers three times, and each time, I had to step in and save her.
Well, you could say she’s naive, or has the personality of a sheltered princess.
That’s part of her charm, and also part of what makes her difficult, but I loved her, including all of that.
When I told her so directly, she blushed and said, “…You idiot.”
That part of her was also super adorable.
