Page 120

(Derisha Teigitan)

As the day turned dark, the people of the royal capital, exhausted from their day's work, gradually returned to their accommodations. The night awakened, and the whole city fell into silence.

But that was for the ordinary life. A different kind of world came alive as the night began.

Nighttime, in a bar.

The light inside the bar is quite dim, but many people were inside of it, some were standing, and some were sitting on wooden chairs.

Two girls are sitting around a small round wooden table, with two cups of ale placed nicely on it.

"Ah, well, I admit, it's quite rare for you to be the one who willingly invites me for a drink, not that I mind it, butwould it be okay? As a princess, shouldn't you try to not get too close to others for your own safety?" A brown snake tail swayed as Alice looked at me with a curious gaze.

"I've come to invite you to understand some things.... Furthermore, even if I'm the princess, there is nothing wrong with spending some personal time with my own friend." " I took a sip of ale and spoke.

It's been a while since I've had this kind of drink... I've grown accustomed to brandy due to my adventurer life.

... In the [Dog House], Walson had left plenty of barrels of brandy that he had specifically made for me, but... drinking alone in an empty house is no fun, no matter how delicious the brandy that he made was.

... The once comfortable sofa doesn't feel comfortable anymore, knowing the person who made it wasn't there.

Walson has been gone from the capital for two days, so after making sure everything would be safe in the [Dog House] I went out and found a hotel and slept on a harder, but at least less uncomfortable, sofa.

"Hahaha, it reminds me of three years ago." Seeing my frown, Alice smiled and laughed.

Yes... Three years ago was the time when I abandoned my right as this nation's second princess to pursue my path as an adventurer.

If that incident hadn't happened, I probably wouldn't have returned to the royal capital.

Returning to the capital, taking on the responsibilities as a member of this nation's royal family.

And if I didn't return to the capital, I wouldn't be able to make this kind of friendship that I have with Alice...

But now, everything is different.

After coming out of the [Water Labyrinth], I've come to understand many things that I previously wouldn't be able to.

The melodious singing of the bard on the stage gradually ceased, and the adventurers in the tavern began to cheer, throwing copper and silver coins onto the stage.

The elven bard put down his seven-hole flute and waved his hat, bowing to the crowd with a smile on his face.

I used to cheer along with everyone else, but I couldn't muster the enthusiasm anymore.

There's a feeling of drowning in the cheers.

"... Derisha, you're not in a good mood, are you?"

"Yeah... Everything feels boring, even things that used to be fun are now seems so bland, lifeless." I said.

For a while, neither of us spoke a word, what with me taking a sip of my drink, and her, with her sharp purple vertical pupils, stared at me as if she could see through everything.

"Fufufufufu~"

And then she smirked, a laugh started to come out of her mouth, apparently finding something on me that she thought was worth a laugh.

"What a sight to see, to think the silly-as-a-rock Derisha would one day have a love problem!"

"I... I..."

Instinctively, I wanted to refute her statement with my face hot from embarrassment, but I immediately gave up.

This feeling that I have for him Is something I've already admitted to myself. There's no point in trying to deny it any further, it wouldn't do any good for myself.

"Well... but..."

Walson left, just like how the old man left my mother back then.

I don't know when he'll come back to the capital. Walson only said it would be before the semester starts.

The uneasiness in my heart has already consumed me in just two days.

Was this how my mother felt when my father left her back in the past?

Could it be... could it be...

"Eh!? Why are you crying? Although I guessed it right, there's no need to cry about it, right?" When I snapped back to reality, I felt a piece of cloth pressed against my suddenly wet cheek.

I didn't realize when my face was covered in warm tears. I tried to speak but found my words filled with a nasal tone.

Alice affectionately wiped my cheek, wiping away the tears that are still falling from my eyes.

Moving her chair, Alice moved from across the table to my side, keeping me company.

"Don't cry, don't cry. Let's talk about something else. A lot of things have happened recently." Alice said, "By the way, have you heard about the [Miracle Water] of the Vantinom-Grella branch Church?"

"Uh, yeah." I sniffled, feeling thankful for the change in topic

"Let me tell you something I secretly found out. I heard that the [Miracle Water] is actually purchased from the [Mart Chamber of Commerce]." The volume of her words suddenly lowered, and no one else could hear except the two of us.

Upon hearing that, I froze.

Alice continued speaking, oblivious to my reaction.

The source of the [Miracle Water], which has become a hot topic recently, is actually acquired by the Vantinom-Grella branch Church through a significant amount of money from the [Mart Chamber of Commerce].

And then... the [Mart Chamber of Commerce] underestimated the impact this potion would have on the world, as well as the ambitions of the Vantinom-Grella branch Church, which always played second fiddle.

After selling twelve bottles of [Miracle Water] with the claim of being able to heal even severed limbs, the Vantinom-Grella branch Church took action.

On the night two days ago, all the top executives of the [Mart Chamber of Commerce] mysteriously disappeared, and hardly anyone knew about this mysterious disappearance.

I suppose the church took action and either captured or disposed of all of them in order to obtain information about the [Miracle Water].

Don't underestimate the Vantinom-Grella branch Church. Despite their appearance, their influence spans the eastern countries, and they have significant power. Dealing with a small trading company would be a piece of cake for them.

The current [Mart Chamber of Commerce] is just a puppet controlled by the Vantinom-Grella branch Church, of course. These are all secret pieces of information.

I believe it won't be long before the source of the [Miracle Water] is uncovered...

Hopefully, without any more bloodshed.

I put a lot of effort into obtaining this information, Alice said.

"While we don't know the exact situation, if the source is a person... wouldn't it be nice if that person had a royal family as their support? Don't you agree?" Alice slyly smiled.

That smile seemed to imply that she had already figured everything out.

"Shifting the topic, you stopped crying, huh? Though it's quite mysterious. Well, if you need any help, just let me know. For example, a horse's rein."

"Alice."

"Oh! It's rare for you to remember my name."

"As fast as possible, please find me a horse, it's an emergency."