Aria’s Protection
Under the persuasion of Boss Sylas, the girl obediently decided to come to the Royal Castle.
After leaving the Black Ravens hideout, I thanked Mr. Kernel and Orlan.
"Thank you again for this time."
"It's all right. Come by the ruins again."
Mr. Kernel smiled cheerfully and disappeared into the darkness of the night.
Then, as Sister Emilia, the girl, and I began to walk, Orlan, for some reason, decided to come along.
"Huh? Orlan, where are you going? We're heading to the Royal castle."
"I'm coming with you."
"Why are you coming? Entry to the castle is restricted to only a few people. You can't come in."
Orlan and Sister Emilia started bickering again.
It's a usual occurrence, so there's no need to stop them.
They seem to get along surprisingly well.
I decided to leave the two of them and talk to the girl.
Her name was Aria, and she was nineteen years old.
She looked a bit young, so I thought she was around the same age as Sister Emilia, but she was older than I expected.
She was born in a town on the edge of the Elfast Magic Kingdom.
At the age of five, she received the Magician’s Blessing and was taken to the Elfast’s Royal Capital at the age of ten.
Since then, she had been researching magic circles in the magic research institute.
She escaped from the research institute, and as she crossed the border, pursuers began to appear.
When she reached our Royal Capital, she was almost killed.
That's when Orlan happened to pass by and took her to the Black Ravens.
Perhaps because Aria escaped to the Royal Capital, the Elfast Magic Kingdom changed its approach from capture to assassination.
This means that Aria's life will be in danger from now on.
Even though the security at the Royal Castle is strict, since Orlan can enter so easily, there's a possibility that assassins could infiltrate the castle as well.
"Orlan, I have a favor to ask."
"What is it?"
"Could you protect Aria?"
"I will. Leave it to me."
Orlan nodded firmly.
Her casual acceptance made me, who asked, feel uneasy.
Instead of entering through the main gate, the four of us entered the castle through a hole in the wall.
Since it was still early morning, we headed to my room.
In the room, we decided to take a nap.
I ended up sleeping on the long sofa, while the three girls slept in my bed.
In the morning, when I woke up, I found Orlan snuggled up next to me.
When Sister Emilia discovered this, they started arguing again, but somehow it was endearing to see the two of them like that.
After breakfast, we headed to the throne room, where Brother Roland and Prime Minister Sylberg were sitting and chatting.
I bowed my head and sat opposite them.
"I've safely protected the magician who escaped from the Elfast Magic Kingdom. She's waiting in my room now."
"What, you've already secured her? It's only been a short time since I discussed it."
"It was a coincidence that an acquaintance knew where the magician was hiding."
"Is that so? Tell me more about it."
Brother Roland's eyes sparkled with excitement.
I explained in detail how I, along with Mr. Kernel and Orlan, went to the hideout of the Black Ravens.
After hearing this, Brother Roland held his head as if he had a headache, with one hand on his forehead.
"You went to the hideout of the Black Ravens'? They're infamous outlaws within the Capital, much like the Spider. Even though Emilia was with you, why did you go to such a dangerous place? I asked you to search for the magician, not to put yourself in danger."
"Boss Sylas didn't seem to be as bad as you think."
"That's not the issue."
"To think you have formed an alliance with the Black Ravens... I'm at a loss for words every time."
Prime Minister Sylberg also looked exasperated.
I never expected to go to the hideout of the Black Ravens, either.
But if we hadn't gone there, we wouldn't have been able to protect Aria, so I hope they'll forgive the minor details.
"I think we should focus more on Aria's future rather than my actions."
"That's right. She's already been targeted by assassins in the Royal Capital. If the Black Ravens’ guess is correct, the Elfast Magic Kingdom must have hired assassin guilds both inside and outside the Kingdom. Their spies would also search the Royal Capital, and if they can't find the magician, they'll assume she's in the castle. We should strengthen the castle's security for a while."
"Then let's make the arrangements."
Prime Minister Sylberg stood up with a stern expression and left the throne room.
What do you think about this chapter?
