Kaze no Kishihime v2c1

Cendrillon opened his eyes, enduring the pounding in his head.

“Again… that dream about Karina…”

His former lover… the only woman he had ever loved.

And the woman he had killed with his own hands.

And yet… she was now a woman shrouded in mystery.

A woman like a demon, who turned an entire town into an army of the undead…

The Karina he had seen in his dream was impossible to reconcile with the woman he encountered before. Her appearance was exactly the same, yet inside she was an entirely different person. What in the world had happened to her?

As he sat there clutching his head in anguish, he sensed something trembling beside him.

Hm?

He turned to look. Is it Karin curled up next to him trembling all over?

…Wait. Why was this girl sleeping here? He glanced around the room. This was an inn. Right, they were currently escorting Marianne back to Tristania. A military encampment was stationed outside, and Marianne’s room was under heavy guard.

The members of the escort each were assigned rooms so they could rest and recover from the journey. If he remembered correctly, Narcissus and Bacchus were sleeping in the room next door, while he and Karin were assigned to this room.

But why was Karin sleeping beside me?!

Wasn’t Karin supposed to be in the other bed?

Cendrillon covered his mouth and recalled last night’s dream once more.

That kiss…

And then what followed was something far more adult.

Don’t tell me I lost myself in my sleep again and did something to this guy…

Clutching his head, Cendrillon spoke to Karin in a strained voice.

“Why… are you here?”

Karin, sounding on the verge of tears, shot back:

“W-Well, because you were moaning like you were having a nightmare! I-I got worried and came to wake you up!”

The blood drained from Cendrillon’s face.

N-No… not again…

Not to a “boy”…

“I asked if you were all right! And this time I was careful! I stayed at least one mail away! But then you…”

“I did what…?”

“You grabbed my hand and yanked me over here! Really hard! And then you pulled me onto the bed!”

“…And then?”

“You k-k-k-kissed me!”

“…I am truly sorry. I think I should just die.”

“You are absolutely not allowed to dieeeeeeeeeeeee!”

Karin spun around, her pink hair bristling with fury, fists clenched as she glared at him.

“You are going to listen to the rest before you die, got it?!”

Overwhelmed by her ferocity, Cendrillon could only nod.

“W-What was with those fingers of yours?! Like this—on my chest—how do I even describe it… drawing circles, l-like that… deliberately avoiding the center, and th-th-th-that, th-that…”

Cendrillon’s face turned scarlet.

“I… I actually used that kind of technique on you…”

Karin pounded on him with her fists like an embarrassed young girl.

“It’s your fault I couldn’t sleep! And my body started trembling for some reason! What is wrong with you?!”

“…From now on, even if I moan in my sleep, just ignore me. Honestly, I can’t be held responsible for what I do while unconscious.”

Karin blinked.

“Ah…”

Then she nodded vigorously.

Cendrillon rose to change, but since he slept in his clothes, he was ready in moments. Karin, who went to bed in her usual outfit as well, simply threw on her cloak.

The two of them headed downstairs and stepped outside.

The streets were already packed with soldiers.

Bacchus and Narcissus, who were up before them, approached.

“Hey!”

The two men immediately noticed Karin’s bright red face.

“What’s wrong, Karin? Your face is all red.”

“I-It’s nothing.”

“Do you have a fever?”

Karin remembered Cendrillon’s fingers from the night before and shook her head frantically.

“What is it?” Bacchus asked with a grin. “Don’t tell me Cendrillon did something to you. It would be a shame for a face as pretty as yours to go to waste on a man!”

The moment Bacchus said that, Karin covered her face and ran off.

“Huh?”

Bacchus and Narcis exchanged puzzled glances, then turned to Cendrillon.

For some reason, he went deathly pale.

The blood drained from Bacchus and Narcissus’s faces as well.

“Y-You… don’t tell me… We knew you weren’t interested in women, but… are you actually… one of those?”

Cendrillon shook his head.

“No, no! That’s not it!”

“But you definitely did something! Just look at his reaction! That’s really bad, you know! If the gods heard about this, they’d be furious!”

The two men clung to each other, trembling as they shouted.

“That’s not what happened. Listen.”

Cendrillon cleared his throat and desperately forced his expression to calm down.

“I was confused in my sleep.”

“You… hate women, don’t you…?”

Then Narcissus’s expression turned serious.

“Did you mistake her for your former lover? In your sleep?”

“That’s exactly what happened.”

“Your former lover looked like a little thing like that?”

Narcissus, who had heard about Cendrillon’s past lover but did not know what she looked like, asked the question.

“No… she looked nothing like Karin.”

“I thought not… From what you told us, that suspicious ex-lover of yours was a voluptuous and gentle beauty.”

Cendrillon fell silent.

“Don’t tell me you still…?”

Narcissus looked at him with concern.

“No. It’s not like that.”

“Well, in any case… whatever you do, don’t report any of this to our superiors. Let’s keep this conversation strictly between us, understood?”

Cendrillon gave no reply.

Bacchus, who did not entirely understand what the two of them were talking about, merely nodded along at the side with an expression that suggested he understood perfectly.

Meanwhile, Karin, who ran off with her face burning red, finally stopped once she had reached a spot far away from the others, gasping for breath.

Ugh… After having something like that done to me, there’s no way I could act normal when I run into people I know…

Karin muttered this to herself under her breath.

“What is wrong with that guy?!”

After shouting at the top of her lungs, Karin looked around in all directions. The soldiers gathered in the street were staring at her in surprise.

Oh no!

“I’m a man, you know!”

Straightening her back in a hurry, she made the declaration.

The soldiers seemed to decide that getting involved with a strange young noble was more trouble than it was worth, and quickly averted their eyes.

But the pounding in her chest still refused to subside. What kept resurfacing in her mind were Cendrillon’s kiss and his fingers…

Ugh…

Karin clenched her fists tightly.

What made her feel so frustrated was not the fact that Cendrillon did those things to her.

If shereally wanted to get away, she could have escaped no matter what.

When he grabbed her hand, she could have pulled free if she truly wanted to. But in that moment, the thought that crossed her mind was, “Ah, so it’s happening again…”

And if she thought about it carefully, when Cendrillon started moaning in his sleep, she could simply have left him alone.

The color gradually drained from Karin’s face.

Somewhere deep in her heart, she was hoping for something like this to happen…

And on top of that, there was something else she could not forgive.

When he kissed her, she thought, “Here we go again!” and felt indignant, because he was confusing her with another woman. He did not have any feelings for her at all!

And yet, even so, when he stroked her head, her whole body was filled with a sense of happiness.

“Is it really all right for me to be this happy?”

When he whispered those words in a gentle voice unlike any Karin had ever heard from him, and she felt the touch of his hand on her head, her mind went completely blank.

So that was the kind of tender voice he used with his former lover.

Fine! It doesn’t matter! I’m not your lover anyway! You think I’m a man, and in the end you even called me some kind of freak!

And yet, despite all that, her mind still went blank, as if flowers were blooming everywhere inside her head. She was deeply ashamed of herself for reacting that way.

And then… after that, the movement of Cendrillon’s fingers…

The moment she remembered his fingers gliding smoothly across her chest, Karin felt as though she might faint.

If becoming an adult meant doing things like that, then she absolutely did not want to become one.

If she had to experience that sort of thing every day and feel that way all the time, then surely even the gods would never forgive her.

That guy really is hopeless.

If I don’t help him, there’s no way this incident will be resolved!

That’s right!

Karin proudly lifted her head.

I’m going to become a knight!

A splendid knight.

The greatest knight in the kingdom!

This… how should I put it?

This is no time to be swooning just because that pathetic drunk, still hung up on his former lover, touched my body by mistake.

This is no time to be getting flustered over something like that!

With a sharp motion, Karin drew her wand, causing the soldiers around her to yelp.

“I’m going to become a knight!”

“P-Please do your best!”

Karin responded with a flawless knightly salute. In that moment, she looked every bit the gallant and spirited young knight.

Whenever she struck that pose, courage and dreams welled up inside her.

I’ll be fine… I can do this!

Just as she was reassuring herself, a lady-in-waiting came to summon her.

“Ah, there you are, Lord de Maillart!”

“What is it?”

“Her Highness wishes to see you.”

Led by the attendant to the princess’s room, Karin had barely stepped inside when Marianne sprang from the bed. Dressed in a cream-colored nightgown, the princess looked so adorable, like a little rabbit, that Karin felt some of her tension melt away.

“Karin! Karin! Why weren’t you by my side?”

Crying out, Marianne threw herself into Karin’s chest.

“A mere knight should not disturb Your Highness’s rest.”

Karin replied awkwardly.

“But you’re different! I told you it was all right! Especially at a time like this, how could you not stay with me?! Waaaaah!”

Marianne burst into tears.

At last, even the lady-in-waiting could not remain silent.

“Your Highness, Lord de Maillart is tired as well. He risked his life to save you.”

Marianne looked up at Karin, deeply moved.

“That’s true! If it wasn’t for Karin, I…”

“N-No, this was not my accomplishment alone! It was only possible because the other three also fought bravely…”

Before Karin could finish, Marianne wrapped her arms tightly around her.

“W-What?!”

Marianne clung to Karin.

The lady-in-waiting widened her eyes and hurriedly pulled them apart.

“Your Highness! If His Majesty were to hear of this, there would be trouble!”

Marianne reluctantly let go, her cheeks faintly flushed.

Even Karin, as a woman herself, found that shy expression irresistibly cute. If she was a man, she might have fallen for Marianne on the spot.

Marianne looked up at Karin with sparkling eyes.

It was the trusting gaze of a puppy, one that placed absolute faith in her.

“…”

Whenever Marianne looked at her that way, Karin felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.

I’m a girl…

The urge to confess the truth rose within her, but at the same time so did fear.

What would happen if Marianne, who adored her this much, discovered that she was actually a woman?

Would that affection turn to hatred?

Would something terrible happen?

“How dare you toy with Her Highness’s pure heart!”

Karin could almost hear the accusation.

Then imprisonment.

Beheading.

Hanging.

As Marianne gazed at her so innocently, Karin shivered.

The incident at Deauville—the dead rising again and attacking the princess—soon spread throughout Tristain, causing a tremendous uproar.

The princess’s procession carried the grim atmosphere of a wartime march, and the people lining the streets trembled in fear.

Watching the imposing column pass by, they wondered what disaster might come next and offered prayers to the Founder and the gods.

When they arrived in Tristania, anxious citizens surged toward them.

“Your Highness! Thank goodness you’re safe!”

“What in the world happened?”

The fact that the residents of an entire town turned into the undead was enough to send even the distant capital into panic. Every face was marked by fear.

Watching the crowd, Karin leaned toward the seemingly untroubled Cendrillon and whispered:

“It feels like war has broken out.”

In an effort to distract herself from her lingering embarrassment around him, Karin spent the journey thinking about the incident.

“That’s only natural,” Cendrillon replied. “The one who was attacked was the princess.”

“…What was the enemy’s objective?”

“Hm?”

“I’ve thought about it seriously, but I still don’t understand. Her Highness is only thirteen. What could they hope to gain by attacking a little princess? Were they trying to kidnap her?”

Cendrillon narrowed his eyes. It seemed he had been pondering the matter as well.

“…Then again, perhaps we were the real targets. It’s hard not to connect this with the series of incidents aimed at weakening the Royal Mage Guard.”

Karin turned pale.

“I-I see… This is getting rather interesting.”

“Stop pretending. Just admit that you’re scared. This is no trivial matter.”

Cendrillon said this, and Karin squeezed her eyes shut and shouted:

“I-I’m not scared at all!”

“That’s exactly what I mean,” Cendrillon replied. “Stop pretending.”

Having been overwhelmed by Karin’s forceful attitude, Cendrillon said so with a helpless expression, but Karin only leaned even closer. She did not fully understand why herself, but whenever Cendrillon treated her like an immature child, an inexplicable irritation welled up inside her.

“I beat that woman without using the spell of courage! I was scared, that is true, but I am not afraid anymore. How should I put it? I overcame my cowardice. I am no longer the same person I used to be. It will be the same with this incident. I will resolve it, just you watch! And I am going to become an excellent knight!”

“I told you, I truly admire what you did. But... this matter is not that simple...”

“Who cares whether it is simple or not? You were the one I saved, so how can you still act so high and mighty!”

“What are you two arguing about?”

Startled by Karin’s intensity, Narcissus approached them. Looking around, Karin realized that the surrounding soldiers were also staring at the two of them in astonishment.

“No, it’s nothing serious. This apprentice is just throwing a little tantrum.”

With practiced ease, Cendrillon straightened his collar as he said it.

The sight of him acting so composed only made Karin even angrier.

This idiot! He still thinks I’m a child, doesn’t he? And just who was it that this “child” had to save?

When their party arrived at the royal palace, Philip III came rushing toward them in a state of utter panic. He paid no attention whatsoever to Cendrillon and the others. Forcing his way through the crowd of soldiers, he practically threw himself at Marianna’s carriage and personally flung open the door.

“Marianne!”

“Father!”

Father and daughter embraced each other tightly. Even though Karin had comforted her, Marianne must have still been frightened. Tears streamed down her face without end. It was only natural. Princess or not, she was still only a thirteen-year-old girl.

Philip III, too, cast aside the mask of the Hero King and became simply a father as he held his daughter close.

“Oh, Marianne… You must have been terrified. But everything is all right now. Your father is here in this castle, and I swear that I would do anything to protect you.”

Watching the two of them, Karin felt her own eyes grow hot. Around them, more than a few soldiers were wiping away tears of their own.

After personally escorting Marianne to her chambers and assigning his most trusted knights to guard her, Philip III summoned Cendrillon and the others to the familiar audience chamber and demanded a full report of what had happened.

The moment Karin entered the room, she gave an involuntary start.

Philip III’s expression was so fearsome that it made her shudder.

“What in the world happened? Explain everything to me. At once!”

The face he wore was the face of a warrior—the same expression he must have shown on the battlefield and in the dueling grounds. Bacchus and Narcissus seemed intimidated, and both turned to look at Cendrillon. Cendrillon alone remained perfectly composed as he began to explain the course of events.

When Philip III had heard his report, he asked in a stern voice:

“So, among the corpses that attacked you, you claim there was Angelo of the Unicorn Guard?”

“Yes. The men who later came to investigate examined the body as well. They would undoubtedly identify him as Angelo.”

“And who was controlling those accursed corpses?”

Karin, Bacchus, and Narcissus kept their expressions neutral as they glanced sideways at Cendrillon.

Don’t say it, their eyes seemed to plead.

But Cendrillon gave a different answer.

He stated it plainly.

“My former lover.”

“What?”

Philip III’s eyes widened.

Bacchus and Narcissus covered their faces as if to say, Oh no.

“What do you mean by that?”

Philip III placed a hand on his wand and fixed Cendrillon with a piercing stare. Depending on his answer, it seemed entirely possible that he would strike him down on the spot.

“Or rather… I should say that she was a woman whom I accidentally killed with my own hands.”

“Your former lover, slain by your own hand? What are you saying? Are you claiming she returned from the dead?”

“I do not fully understand it myself. In any case, my resurrected former lover transformed Angelo and the people of Deauville into living corpses and used them to attack Her Highness and us.”

“Then are you saying that you are somehow connected to this?”

“No. I had no idea that she had been brought back to life. There may be some connection to me. There may not be. Even that I do not know. In any event, that is everything I know.”

Philip III’s hand moved, and he began slowly drawing his wand.

Karin’s face turned pale.

Narcissus and Bacchus closed their eyes, tilted their heads toward the heavens, and muttered brief prayers under their breath.

Cendrillon stood at attention, his gaze raised only slightly.

There was neither affectation nor bravado in his posture.

He was simply an officer reporting everything he knew to his sovereign and awaiting judgment.

Philip III fixed Cendrillon with a sharp, penetrating gaze.

“You seem to be a veteran warrior, Monsieur Cendrillon.”

“Your Majesty’s praise is more generous than I deserve. I am deeply honored.”

“I have won many victories on the battlefield. Do you know why?”

“How could a mere man such as myself presume to understand the thoughts of one as great as Your Majesty?”

“Because I have an eye for officers. I, too, am a warrior. And because you are one as well, you should understand. A warrior who possesses absolute confidence in his own courage does not stoop to petty lies. If you say you do not know, then you do not know. If you say you do know, then you do know. And the words that leave your mouth are the truth.”

Philip III removed his hand from his wand.

Karin and the others visibly relaxed.

Then Philip III raised his voice.

“Summon Eustache!”

Eustache hurried into the chamber in such haste that he was almost breathless. The moment he arrived, he exclaimed:

“Your Majesty! Whatever has happened?!”

His expression was one of genuine astonishment.

Philip III, his anger barely contained, shouted at him.

“Eustache! I am told that the men who attacked my daughter were members of the Unicorn Guard! Explain yourself!”

Eustache gave a large nod.

“I was equally shocked when I heard the news!”

“Shocked, were you? Enough, Eustache. Speak plainly. If you are a nobleman at all, then tell me everything with honor. What exactly are you plotting?”

This time, Philip III drew his wand in one smooth motion.

Grand Duke Eustache turned pale.

Even so, he answered in a calm voice.

“If Your Majesty wishes to punish me, then I shall submit willingly. Angelo was once a member of my guard. Formerly, yes, but he wore the uniform of my personal guard all the same. It would not be unreasonable to say that the blame lies with me, his master.”

Philip III widened his eyes.

“What do you mean by ‘former’?”

“I had already dismissed him from service.”

“What?”

“You recall the incident involving the Royal Mage Guard? When we conducted our own investigation, it became clear that the fault lay on our side. It seems that the ones who aggressively provoked them were members of the Unicorn Guard.”

Grand Duke Eustache cast a brief glance toward Cendrillon and the others as he spoke.

“Why was I not informed of this?”

At Philip III’s question, Eustache lifted his head.

His features were refined and almost delicate, but in that moment his eyes gleamed, and he looked every bit the seasoned soldier.

“Your Majesty is a man of perfect fairness. Had I reported the matter, you might have chosen to punish the innocent members of the Royal Mage Guard as well, in the name of impartial justice. That was not my intention.”

Cendrillon thought to himself, He has turned the situation completely to his advantage.

Sure enough, Philip III’s face showed clear admiration.

This king had always been vulnerable to displays of such forthright and honorable rhetoric.

“You speak nonsense. I would never have done such a thing. The fault lay entirely with your side. Still, I will give proper credit to such an honorable attitude. I do strive to be a just and fair ruler.”

Sensing that the moment was right, Cendrillon pressed forward with one more crucial fact.

“Your Grace Eustache, this concerns the time when I crossed wands with your personal guard. Among the Unicorn Guardsmen, there was one of the living dead. A gloomy fellow named Pedro. I pierced him through the chest with my magic, and yet he fled as though the wound were nothing.”

“What is the meaning of this?” Philip III demanded, glaring at Eustache.

But Eustache was more than capable of defending himself.

“Then why did you not report this to His Majesty at the time?” he asked in return.

Cendrillon was left momentarily speechless.

“Yes,” said Philip III. “Why did you not inform me?”

“That is because… my companions insisted that I must have been mistaken.”

Grand Duke Eustache frowned.

“Well, that puts me in a difficult position. Would it not be more reasonable to trust the judgment of your own comrades?”

“Is that true, Cendrillon?”

Philip III, too, began to look at Cendrillon with suspicion. If he were thought to be fabricating lies in order to implicate Eustache, everything would be lost.

“I had consumed a certain amount of wine at the time…”

When he answered honestly, Eustache smiled.

“Wine has been known to make men mistake lizards for dragons. In any case, Pedro was also dismissed from my service. I, for one, never thought he looked anything like a corpse.”

At that point, Cendrillon could say nothing further.

Without proof, he could hardly object if his accusation was dismissed as slander.

Eustache continued smoothly.

“As for the present incident, I believe Angelo acted of his own accord. It seems more likely that he attacked these men out of personal resentment than that he was truly targeting Her Highness.”

At this, Karin raised her voice.

“I do not believe that is the case! Angelo had become a corpse himself and was being controlled by someone else!”

“In that case,” Eustache replied, “the true culprit would be whoever was controlling him. If young Cendrillon’s account is correct, then Pedro may also have been a victim. Perhaps it is the Unicorn Guard itself that is being targeted.”

So now he is trying to cast himself as the victim, Karin thought bitterly.

Philip III nodded thoughtfully.

“Eustache, do you have any idea what might have caused members of the Unicorn Guard to become living corpses?”

Eustache shook his head as though the very suggestion were absurd.

“If I had any such knowledge, I would have reported it to Your Majesty at once.”

Karin’s expression darkened.

There was not the slightest flaw in Eustache’s words or demeanor. He was so perfectly composed that he almost seemed genuinely innocent.

And that very perfection only deepened Karin’s conviction.

This man is absolutely involved.

Untroubled by Karin’s suspicious glare, Eustache continued.

“I shall conduct my own investigation to find the true culprit.”

“…See that you do,” Philip III said.

“Furthermore,” Eustache added, “I believe the Unicorn Guard should be relieved of its duties as Your Majesty’s personal guard.”

“What?!” Philip III exclaimed in astonishment.

“Even if the perpetrator was only a former member, I cannot in good conscience allow a unit associated with an attack on Her Highness to remain responsible for Your Majesty’s safety.”

His tone was firm and unequivocal.

“Then… who is to take charge of my protection?”

“The Royal Mage Guard would be the most suitable choice. Judging by the manner in which they defended Her Highness, there can be no objection to restoring them to service.”

Philip III stared at him, mouth slightly open.

It was no wonder. The very man who had so stubbornly opposed the Royal Mage Guard’s reinstatement was now endorsing it without hesitation.

“Y-you truly mean that?”

“My only concern is for Your Majesty’s safety. I have merely concluded that they are capable of protecting you properly.”

With those words, Eustache excused himself, saying that affairs of state required his attention, and took his leave.

Watching his retreating back, Philip III murmured,

“...A man as flawless and unyielding as iron.”

No matter how suspicious Eustache might be, there was no way that mere knights could press the matter any further.

Seeing the four of them still standing rigidly at attention, Philip III finally allowed the sternness to leave his face.

“Ah, yes, of course. You protected Marianne. I ought to have thanked you before anything else, but I was too shaken.”

Philip III summoned a page and had a pouch filled with gold coins placed into each of their hands.

“Now then, go to Vivian’s residence and inform her that you are to be restored to active duty.”

Philip III then stopped Cendrillon.

“You alone will remain. There are several matters I wish to ask you about.”

Once they were alone, Philip III said,

“Tell me everything you know about this former lover of yours.”

There was no point in concealing anything now.

Cendrillon spoke honestly of everything.

He told of how he met Karina, the daughter of traveling performers. Of how his father, the local lord, had discovered their relationship and tried to separate them. Of how they had fled together. Of how Karina was captured by the pursuing men, and how the magical arrow he  fired to save her had instead pierced her chest.

When Philip III had heard the entire story, he stared at Cendrillon for a long moment.

“That was conduct unbecoming of a nobleman. Even allowing for your youth, it was recklessly irresponsible in the extreme. To become infatuated with a wandering girl, and then to kill her with your own hand…”

“You are entirely correct, Your Majesty.”

Cendrillon bowed his head deeply.

“And what family does your father belong to?”

“...”

Cendrillon lowered his head uneasily.

“What is the matter? Speak. Since you are using an assumed name, I take it you come from a very distinguished house. Whom are you trying to protect? I am the head of this kingdom’s nobility. There is no need for hesitation.”

“I am a man who abandoned his family.”

“That is inconvenient. In that case, I may have no choice but to place you in prison until you feel inclined to answer.”

Cendrillon lowered his head.

He could not afford to be imprisoned now. Nor did he intend to lie.

That left him with only one option.

“...Very well.”

Cendrillon leaned closer and quietly whispered the name of his family into Philip III’s ear.

Philip III’s eyes widened.

“What! From a house of such illustrious standing!”

Philip III grasped Cendrillon’s hand.

“I knew your father well. We fought side by side on many battlefields. He once saved my life. I had heard rumors of a son who had left home. So it was you…”

“That connection has no meaning to me now.”

“What are you saying? A man’s family follows him for all his life. All the more so when he comes from a house of such renown. Listen… your father is a man to whom I owe a debt. If you wish, I would gladly intercede on your behalf.”

Cendrillon shook his head.

“...I see. But if you ever wish to return home, you need only tell me.”

Then Philip III seemed to remember something.

“No, this is hardly the time for that discussion. Your former lover is another matter entirely. This cannot be ignored. You understand, do you not? At present, you are the only person who knows anything about her. I want you to investigate this matter. I shall provide you with separate funds for the task. Take them.”

With that, Philip III summoned a page once more and had another pouch heavy with gold coins placed in Cendrillon’s hands.