Mushoku Tensei – JOBLESS REINCARNATION. Volume. 17.
Adulthood – Asura kingdom arc (Part 2).
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‘Chapter 3: Suspicions and Theories.’
ABOUT AN HOUR after the attack, we pitched camp in a spot fairly deep inside the woods. I encircled our campfire with a low stone wall to keep the light from giving our location away, and we settled down for a full-fledged strategy meeting.
“This can’t be. It doesn’t make any sense…”
Luke was still muttering to himself, his expression stunned and disbelieving. Ever since we spotted the crest of Milbotts on the armor of those soldiers, he’d been off in his own world, struggling to come to terms with what he’d seen. It felt fairly obvious that his father had betrayed Ariel’s cause and dispatched those soldiers to murder her, but I guess he didn’t want to believe it.
In contrast to his shocked reaction, Ariel and her other allies seemed to have taken the news in stride. I got the feeling they’d viewed this as a possibility all along.
I had to wonder why Luke seemed this surprised. Obviously, Pilemon was his father, so that probably had something to do with it. But maybe the Man-God had been whispering half-truths in his ear as well. Maybe he’d just found out that his new friend wasn’t being entirely honest with him.
Which seemed plausible. The Man-God tended to keep a lot of things to himself, especially when the facts were inconvenient. Maybe this was a chance to confirm my suspicions.
…No, not yet. Let’s get the conversation moving in the right direction first.
“Your Highness,” I said, “There’s something we should discuss.”
“Yes, Rudeus? What is it?”
“Auber shouted ‘We’ll have to try this one again,’ as he fled. I think it’s very likely that he’ll be launching repeated ambushes on us at some point in this forest, and maybe even after we cross the border.”
“Yes, I imagine so,” said Ariel, tilting her head slightly. “What’s your point?”
The look on her face suggested that she’d expected all this from the very beginning.
“We managed to ward him off this time, but Auber seems to be even more dangerous than I expected, and he has a lot of troops at his disposal. It looks like they’re deadly serious about taking you out. I think their next ambush will be much more carefully planned and dangerous.”
“…You think we might not prevail?”
I nodded firmly. “It’s hard to say for sure at the moment, but I’d expect their next attack might come right at the border fortress itself. They could easily have laid a trap for us there, and it won’t be easy to break through by force.”
“Perhaps so, but there are no teleportation circles active within Asura. We have no choice but to press forward.”
So far, this conversation was going exactly as I’d hoped. Ariel was making this very easy for me. It felt like she already suspected what I was getting at.
“Right. We do need to press on. But that doesn’t mean we have to blunder right into a trap that we know is waiting for us.”
“Oh? Are you saying there’s some way we might cross the border without passing through the border checkpoint?”
“Yes.”
“What did you have in mind?”
At some point, many of the others around the campfire had started listening intently to our conversation. It made this feel a bit more awkward, but I pushed on anyway. “I’m familiar with a group of bandits based nearby that primarily makes a living by smuggling goods and trading slaves across the border. With their assistance, we could make it to Asura without moving through the checkpoint.”
Ariel brought a hand to her chin and considered this. Sylphie was staring at me with a slightly dubious look on her face. Eris and Ghislaine didn’t seem to be paying attention.
“Correct me if I’m wrong,” Ariel said, “but didn’t you previously argue that we should avoid resorting to any shady business?”
“Yes, and I still feel that way. But I think I misjudged how serious our predicament is. I don’t think we can afford to be too choosy about our methods at the moment.”
“I see.” Ariel nodded and looked around the campfire. Her gaze settled on Sylphie, who was frowning slightly at this point. “What do you think, Sylphie?”
“It sounds… reasonable to me. I don’t know how much we can trust these bandits, but I do trust Rudy’s judgment. If he says it’s less dangerous this way, I believe him.”
Sylphie’s words sounded sincere enough, but there was a hint of displeasure in her voice. I think she was a bit upset I hadn’t mentioned any of this to her beforehand. But if I had discussed the possibility with anyone ahead of time, it would have made me look awfully suspicious when Auber popped up to push us in the right direction.
“And what about you, Luke?” Ariel said, turning her attention toward him.
The man raised his head slowly, almost like a zombie, and fixed his eyes on me. There was something like hostility in them.
“What are you playing at here, Rudeus?” he murmured, his voice trembling slightly. I could see the suspicion on his face now, clear as day. “Your behavior in that battle was… strange. It felt as if you knew Auber was going to launch that sneak attack.”
“I anticipated he might try something, yeah.”
“It almost seemed like you knew all about his combat style…”
“Well, I do have the Eye of Foresight, remember?”
And why do you know all this anyway, Luke? You were supposed to be watching our backs. Auber was in your blind spot, wasn’t he?
“Auber certainly retreated quickly from that battle. And cleanly.”
“True. I imagine he would have played it differently if he’d managed to kill me with that first attack.”
“Couldn’t you have stopped him from escaping, if you really wanted to?”
“…Maybe, if I used a spell with a large enough area of effect. But I would have hit Eris and Ghislaine as well, and there’s a good chance he would have escaped anyway, thanks to that weird magic cloak of his.”
“Hmph. If you say so.”
Hey now. It sounds like you’re implying that I might be working with Auber behind the scenes, buddy.
Well… this actually made some sense, now that I thought about it. Telling Luke that I was allied with Auber and Darius would be the easiest way for the Man-God to manipulate him, at least in the short term.
The thing was, that whole idea would fall apart if you just thought about it for five minutes.
Get it together, man. I know you’re upset about your dad trying to kill us and everything, but I’m not the enemy here.
“Come on, Luke. You’re the one who asked me to help Princess Ariel, remember?”
“I did, yes… but none of this makes any sense. Why did my father betray us? It wasn’t supposed to be that way…”
What was that supposed to mean? This was getting stranger by the second. I was feeling increasingly convinced that the Man-God had told Luke something, although it was hard to say exactly what…
Hmm, wait a minute. What if the Man-God can’t see Luke right now?
I was wearing that bracelet Orsted had given me, and it supposedly acted as a kind of “jammer” that blocked the Man-God’s sight. There was a chance he had foretold events inaccurately in his conversations with Luke.
Another possibility also came to mind. Maybe the Man-God had decided Luke wasn’t useful anymore, and abandoned him entirely.
“You got something you want to say, or what?” said Eris. The girl was glaring at Luke threateningly from across the fire. I felt like she was on the verge of taking a swing at him.
Sylphie didn’t say anything, but her eyes were darting warily from me and Luke and back again.
Ghislaine just looked puzzled. Mind games were never exactly her strong suit, I guess.
“Your Highness,” said Luke, looking up with a stern expression on his face. “I’m opposed to this plan. Rudeus’ behavior makes me fear he’s hiding something.”
“…Does it?”
“We have no proof whatsoever that these bandits are trustworthy. I agree that it would be unwise to pass through the checkpoint, but I think our best option is to turn back for now and ask Lord Perugius for assistance.”
Ask Perugius for help, huh? There was definitely some logic to that. If the man lent us a handful of his servant spirits, we could come back and overwhelm our enemies.
Sure. It felt like a reasonable alternative. As long as Ariel made it through this alive, I didn’t mind that much either way. The only reason I was pushing the bandit plan was that I wanted to meet up with Triss, and maybe I could go off to handle that on my own. Still, there was a risk that Ariel might get assassinated in my absence…
“Ellemoi, Cleane,” Ariel said. “What do you two think?”
“Sir Luke has my support,” said Ellemoi.
“And mine,” said Cleane.
“I see.”
The attendants were both on Luke’s side as well. That put things at three to two in their favor.
Of course, Asura wasn’t a democracy. Quite the opposite. At the end of the day, Ariel’s vote was the only one that really mattered.
Well… if the decision went against me, I’d just have to go meet Triss on my own. I could always say I was going to scout ahead inside Asura while they doubled back or something. They might get suspicious if I went alone, so I could ask Sylphie or Eris to tag along…
Ariel didn’t ask Eris or Ghislaine for their opinions. Instead, she fell silent for a while, lowering her eyes and gazing deeply into the fire. She was clearly lost in thought.
“All right.”
After a while, she looked up again. Her gaze moved between mine and Luke’s several times, then came to rest on Luke’s.
“We’re going to go with Rudeus’ plan.”
“What?!” said Luke angrily. “But why?!”
“I don’t believe Lord Perugius will be inclined to recognize a woman who fled to safety at the first sign of trouble as the rightful queen of Asura. We mustn’t turn to him unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
As she spoke those words, Ariel sent a quick, meaningful glance in my direction. What was the message there? Was she taking my side on this for a reason? I didn’t entirely understand. It was convenient, of course… but I couldn’t see why she’d chosen to trust me over Luke. That made me feel a little uneasy.
“But with this plan, you’re risking your very life. Are we really going to turn to bandits for help instead? For all we know, Rudeus is planning to sell you to them as—”
“Luke!” said Ariel sharply, cutting him off mid-sentence.“What’s the matter with you all of a sudden? You can’t really believe that Rudeus would do such a thing, can you?”
“But… my father…”
“Lord Pilemon has likely betrayed us, yes. But we’d always known that was a possibility. You yourself once warned me that he might do so under certain circumstances.”
“W-Well, yes, perhaps I did. But I know I heard that he—”
Luke stopped himself abruptly, bringing his hand to his mouth.
I blinked in surprise. Ariel looked somewhat startled also. Her eyes went wide, and I saw her lips tremble slightly.
“Luke. I don’t want to even consider this, but has my brother…”
Ariel trailed off, leaving the rest unspoken. If she completed that sentence, and accused Luke of disloyalty, there was a chance she’d be forced to break her ties with him here and now. I think she’d probably realized that herself.
Ultimately, she found a different and less risky approach.
“Luke Notos Greyrat, tell me what you are.”
Luke looked up, startled, to meet her gaze. His eyes moved briefly to the worried faces of Sylphie, Ellemoi, and Cleane, then returned to Ariel.
Without breaking her gaze, he kneeled in front of her and spoke. “I am your knight.”
“That’s correct. And I am your princess.”
Ariel nodded firmly, and Luke lowered his head.
They both seemed almost rejuvenated in that moment. They’d figured out what mattered most, and put it into words. Nothing else really mattered.
Sylphie and the attendants looked relieved as well. Those two did have a special bond. That much was for sure.
“Well then, let’s get moving right away. Rudeus, will you lead the way?”
“All right.”
In the end, our party would be seeking help from the local bandits after all. Luke wasn’t about to betray us.
Still, I felt more uneasy than before. That conversation had confirmed, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that he was a disciple of the Man-God.
***
The first step was to head back to the main road through the forest.
I knew how to get us to the bandits’ territory. One of the rocks by the roadside would be marked with a certain symbol; all we had to do was head into the woods right there and head due east. The group made their home on the far eastern edge of this forest, under a steep rock face at the foot of a mountain.
Once we entered the forest again, our speed dropped dramatically. The main issue was that we had to disassemble the carriage and load it on the horses. Ariel stayed on horseback for a time, but as we travelled deeper into the woods, she ended up getting down to walk. There were so many trees and tangled roots all around us that anyone riding was at risk of being thrown off their mount.
Heading due east was simple enough in theory, but the forest was so thick that we struggled mightily to navigate it. We had to pull the horses along, forcing our way through wherever we could. Sometimes I even resorted to blasting a path open with my magic. Clearing trees like this wasn’t the best idea; it was a clear sign that we’d passed through that area, after all. But we’d leave traces of our presence any time we had to fight a monster anyway, so there was no chance we could hide our tracks completely. Our group was large, and burdened down, and most of us weren’t exactly masters of stealth. There was no point worrying about it.
We stopped for breaks numerous times. It was mostly for Ariel’s sake, since her legs were aching terribly. She probably wasn’t used to walking through this kind of terrain; still, she took the pain stoically. We were only pausing long enough for her to catch her breath while Sylphie used healing magic on her legs.
We all barely spoke. And in the absence of conversation, your thoughts tend to wander. I don’t know what the others were thinking about as we trudged along in silence, but my thoughts turned to the Man-God, his disciples, and the things he might have told them.
Specifically, I was trying to figure out what advice he might have given Luke. It seemed safe to say that he’d told Luke something, but it was unclear when this had happened, and what he had said. Based on my own experience, the Man-God didn’t hand out his little hints that frequently. Sometimes he repeatedly showed up in a brief span of time, but his visits were generally spaced out annually. Assuming the same was true for Luke, he’d probably only gotten one prophecy so far, or maybe two.
I could think of at least one possibility. Before that trip to the Library Labyrinth, Luke had come to ask me for my help. Maybe the Man-God had told him something like “Go ask Rudeus to join forces with you. It’ll work out to Ariel’s advantage.” It was a good explanation for his actions at the time.
Judging from Luke’s reaction to the attack today, however, I had to think he’d gotten another visit or two after that. This time, he had snapped at me at every opportunity. He seemed convinced that I was the culprit behind everything that was going wrong. Maybe the Man-God had told him… uh… “Rudeus is planning to seize control of the Notos house,” or something?
That was just ridiculous, though. Anyone could see I wasn’t remotely interested. I wouldn’t be living all the way up in Sharia if I gave a damn about Asuran politics, right? Hell, I’d avoided Ariel for years because I didn’t want to get mixed up in all that.
That said… Luke might feel very differently. Everyone thinks of whatever they want most as incredibly valuable, right? And if you hear someone wants to steal it from you, well, you’ll probably get suspicious.
Wait. Did that mean Luke was dying to be the next head of the Notos family? Never would have guessed it, to be honest.
Anyway, there wasn’t much point speculating about this endlessly. I had to wait and hope for more information.
What about High Minister Darius Silva Ganius? Orsted was convinced he was the Man-God’s second disciple, and I was inclined to agree. At this point, it would be shocking if he wasn’t. What was the Man-God whispering in his ear?
At the very least, he’d probably warned the man that Ariel was on her way back to court. Ariel believed that he’d anticipated her return from the moment the king fell ill. Even so, it seemed unlikely that he’d dispatched a force this strong on the basis of a hunch. The North Emperor Auber and the North King Wi Taa were both key weapons in his arsenal. Would he really have sent them here unless he knew for a fact that Ariel was coming? The safer play would have been to keep them close, to discourage the Second Prince from trying anything.
We’d also teleported to this forest. It was hard to say how fast information could travel from the city of Sharia to Asura, but it seemed impossible that he’d sent those two up here after hearing about Ariel’s departure.
Finally, there was the fact that Auber had come straight for me, instead of trying to assassinate Princess Ariel. They seemed to be aware of who I was and my abilities. Was there a chance that Darius’ real target was me, rather than the Princess?
Hmm. It probably didn’t matter either way. The two of us were dangerous to both Darius and the Man-God. There was no need to manipulate the man like Luke; the Man-God just needed to provide him with accurate information.
The identity of the third disciple was still unclear. It seemed that Pilemon Greyrat had betrayed Ariel. Was there a chance that was the Man-God’s doing?
Probably not, actually. In the future recorded in that diary, Eris had been staying at Pilemon’s mansion. And Eris was a member of the Boreas family, who were loyal to the First Prince. That seemed to imply that Pilemon would have betrayed Ariel no matter what. Plus… in terms of his capabilities and influence, the man was basically just a less useful version of Darius. All in all, it felt unlikely that the Man-God had chosen him.
What about Auber, then? From the sound of things, he’d brought Wi Taa along because he knew about the members of our party. Then again, that was information Darius could easily have given him. It seemed premature to make conclusions about Auber based on our single meeting. Clearly, he was particularly wary of me, but again, that could easily be due to something Darius had said. One way or the other, we’d probably end up having to kill the man.
…I’d been thinking this over for a while now, but I hadn’t reached any real conclusions or hit upon any brilliant insights. Oh well.
Speaking of Auber, though, that guy really did have a bizarre combat style. He clearly carried all sorts of strange items, magical and otherwise, and knew exactly how to use them. There was more where that pepper-spray and oil had come from, without a doubt. And it was easy to fixate on his flashy, peculiar tricks, but according to Orsted he was also formidable in an ordinary swordfight.
I’d gotten an accurate description of the guy beforehand. Still, hearing him described was very different from actually seeing him in action. I didn’t feel like I’d let down my guard, or made any glaring mistakes. At that moment, Ghislaine had really needed my help. But he’d still taken that brief opportunity to sneak up behind me. The next time we met, I really wanted to take him out for good.
Orsted had warned me that the man was practically impossible to track down once he got out of your sight. Despite his brightly colored costume, he was somehow capable of just… melting into the trees. He’d earned his title, clearly. Although he honestly felt less like a “North Emperor” or a “Peacock Blade” than a ninja master.
Hadn’t been expecting to find any of those guys in this world. The place was just full of surprises.
Hmm. I might have to try making my own version of that pepper bomb thing… or maybe the oil capsule…
***
We kept moving all evening, but eventually it grew too dark to continue. We pitched our camp in the woods, and set up a rotating watch as usual.
I took this opportunity to make my second report to Orsted. After that battle, there was a great deal I needed to tell him about.
“So Auber got away, then?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I know you told me how to handle him, but…”
“It’s all right. It takes time to put advice into practice. And once Auber decided to flee, you had essentially no chance of catching him.”
After making the call to retreat, Auber’s movements had been very swift and decisive. He had all sorts of attacks, feints, and diversions, and he’d used a magic item I wasn’t familiar with. Orsted was likely familiar with all his tricks and strategies, but there was no way I could anticipate them all perfectly.
When you put it that way… couldn’t Orsted just go on ahead and kill him for us?
Hmm… well, it probably wasn’t wise to ask too much of the boss. Leaning on him constantly would not be good in the long run. Dealing with Auber was a job he’d delegated to me. I needed to find a way to get it done.
“What was the deal with that Wi Taa guy, though?”
“Someone must have summoned him here, I suppose. It was likely the Man-God’s suggestion.”
“…Hmm. Do you have any information on him?” It wouldn’t hurt to get a better idea of what that halfling was capable of, at least.
“They call the man ‘Light and Darkness’. He’s a North King with a bizarre style, and a pupil of Kalman the Third. I believe he’s served the Notos family for many years as a bodyguard.”
The Notos family? Huh. Maybe he’d taught Paul how to fight, back in the day?
“As his nickname suggests, he’s a master of optical trickery. During the daytime, he uses his polished armor as a mirror to blind his enemies; at night, he covers himself in ink and uses thick black smoke to hide himself in the darkness. You’ll want to make his armor dirty in the day, or light up the area with fire magic at night.”
“Makes sense.”
Once you knew how his gimmick worked, he didn’t sound like an especially intimidating opponent…
“As long as you counteract his tactics, Eris or Ghislaine should be able to handle him. But be aware that his skill with the sword is genuine. Don’t let down your guard for an instant.”
Ah. So the cheap tricks were just there to give him a little edge, then? That made sense. You couldn’t make it to a rank like North King with nothing but a couple of weird gimmicks.
“In any case, I doubt Wi Taa was the only one they summoned,” Orsted continued. “I’d expect they’ve hired others as well.”
“Other… North King level masters?”
“I wouldn’t expect any Sword Kings, but you might encounter Water Kings, Water Saints, and perhaps a Sword Saint.”
“You think they hired every swordmaster they could get to overwhelm us with numbers?”
“I doubt Darius would spend so lavishly on other bodyguards with the Water God already on his side. I would guess there’s another one or two at worst.”
The Water God was the ultimate trump card. It made sense that they’d gotten a little cocky after securing her services. The Man-God might have pestered them to bolster their forces further, but I could see Darius brushing off that advice.
“However, all the three blades of the North God should be in Asura at this time. There is a possibility they were hired as a group.”
“The three blades of the North God? I don’t think I’ve heard of them before.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll explain…”
Apparently, this was the name that a group of four top-class North God swordsmen had given themselves as a way of asserting their supremacy. All of them used particularly strange techniques, and had a strong craving for the spotlight. Orsted went over the list of members, and offered a few comments on how to deal with them. Then we moved on to the next topic.
“So what do you think about this situation with Luke?”
“It’s a positive sign. Because he has the gift of foresight, the Man-God is inexperienced at conventional prediction. When he manipulates multiple disciples at once, it’s common for him to undermine himself in this way.”
Basically, the Man-God had been giving advice to his disciples without really thinking through the effects it might have on the others. Luke’s stunned reaction today suggested an inconsistency between his reality and the advice that Darius or Auber had received. The Man-God’s prophecies were accurate, but he’d probably lied to Luke about something else. That tended to be his style; he’d tell you anything at all, if he thought it would make you do what he wanted.
“It did occur to me that the Man-God might have abandoned Luke at this point, also…”
“That’s entirely possible. Luke’s destiny is weak, so I doubt the Man-God ever viewed him as a particularly valuable pawn. His main role was likely just to keep an eye on your movements. And with me close by, he’s no longer even capable of that.”
“But the Man-God only has three pawns to play with, right? Would he really use one for just that purpose?”
Orsted frowned and shook his head. “The Man-God can see everything, and any exceptions to that rule are terrifying to him. He had every motivation to keep watch over you.”
“…Okay, I think I get it.”
The Man-God’s vision was the ability he relied on most heavily, and we’d prevented him from using it against me. Without Luke to monitor me indirectly, he wouldn’t even be able to anticipate any possible changes to the future. He’d have to fight us blind, guessing at our next move without a single hint—and he was terrible at predicting things.
When you put it that way, it seemed unlikely that he’d let Luke go completely. If nothing else, his presence would limit our options going forward.
“Do you think it’s all right to leave Luke be for the time being, then?”
“Yes. But be on your guard. When the Man-God sees no further use for a disciple, he’ll often spur them to act in reckless, absurd ways.”
“Yeah… I guess so.”
One time, he even threw this whimpering sad sack up against the Dragon God himself…
“If he takes any dramatic action, kill him.”
“…Before it comes to that, I’d like to try reaching out to him. At least once.”
“What do you suggest discussing with him?”
“I want to ask him if the Man-God’s speaking to him, and find out what advice he was given. If possible, I’d try to convince him not to trust the Man-God… maybe even get him to act as a sort of double-agent for us.”
“Hmm…”
I didn’t feel too optimistic about my chances. Luke clearly thought I was suspicious. The Man-God had probably told him something about my intentions. I almost certainly hadn’t built up enough trust with Luke to convince him to take my word for all this. We weren’t exactly friends or anything, you know?
“…I don’t think it will accomplish anything, but feel free to try.”
Okay, at least I got permission. Now it was just a matter of finding the right moment to take my shot. Hopefully this wouldn’t backfire on my spectacularly.
“For the moment, things are going smoothly enough. The Man-God hasn’t been able to disrupt our plans efficiently. Keep it up, Rudeus.”
“Yes, sir!”
With our second meeting at an end, I bowed to Orsted and hurried back through the woods.
Things are going smoothly enough.
That was true, now that I thought about it. The plan had always been to fight Auber at the Red Wyrm’s Whiskers, then join up with Triss. There had been some unexpected details and minor complications, but nothing severe enough to knock us totally off-track. I had reason to be confident.
I understood all that on some level. Still, I didn’t feel confident at the moment. Things were going so well that I was actually getting anxious. I could sense some kind of danger, but it felt like it was hiding somewhere just outside my field of view. The whole thing with Luke was part of it, probably.
Orsted didn’t seem concerned at all. Maybe that was just because he hadn’t actually seen everything I had today. Maybe he could sense something a little off as well, but wasn’t worried by it. Or maybe I was just overthinking things. I wished I had some idea what was going on in Orsted’s head.
There weren’t any major problems at the moment, so we were staying put. I could understand that. Thrashing around blindly only made matters worse, most of the time. Back in my old world, people used to say “it’s better to try and fail than to fail because you didn’t try.” But that only applies when doing nothing guarantees failure. Sometimes, maintaining the status quo is the best possible choice.
I didn’t want to fail, of course. I didn’t want to regret my choices. And with that goal in mind, there were a few things I wanted to try.
It felt worth risking a more proactive, open approach with Ariel and Luke. In particular, I wanted to approach Luke when the moment seemed right. I hadn’t decided exactly what I was going to say to him yet, and it might just make the situation worse. But I still felt the need to tell him exactly how dangerous the Man-God really was.
It might not be the right call. I wanted to do it anyway.
“…”
I made my way back to camp with these thoughts running through my mind,. All I had left to do tonight was to pop out of the woods and inform the others I hadn’t spotted any danger in the area.
Sylphie and Cleane were sharing my shift tonight. I’d left them by the fire less than thirty minutes ago. But as I approached, I found that there were three figures waiting for me now.
Had somebody woken up in the middle of the night? If a monster had attacked in my absence, Eris or Ghislaine might have gotten up to help.
The third figure sitting by the fire wasn’t bulky, but they were a bit taller than Sylphie with her small, slender silhouette, and about the same size as Cleane. The size of an average woman, in other words. Eris was noticeably taller than that, so it couldn’t be her.
Who did that leave? Ellemoi? I had no idea why she’d be awake.
As I drew closer, one of the three silhouettes rose to its feet. “It’s a lovely night. Don’t you agree, Rudeus?”
It was Princess Ariel. She was facing me now; the fire behind her cast her shapely features in shadow. Sylphie and Cleane looked on, their expressions troubled.
“Would you care to join me for a walk?”
As Ariel spoke those words, I could just make out the bold smile on her face.
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Diamond. Diamond. Diamond.
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