Helios Orb Chronicle – Chapter 4

Side: Prim

I was soaking in the bath with Mother, recalling the day’s events.

Today was truly a troublesome day. Even after Father’s execution, we had repelled numerous assassins sent to capture us and had finally come close to Porton with Mother and a few retainers. But just then, we were attacked by assassins again, and to make matters worse, bandits appeared.

All the retainers lost their lives. And I couldn’t go all out while protecting Mother, so we had no choice but to flee.

However, the boy we met while fleeing unleashed a barrier I had never seen or heard of, and easily defeated the bandits. Not only was that amazing, but when I checked his Library, he was at a higher level than me. And most importantly, he was a Guest. Guests are legendary beings with rare knowledge and immense magic power, capable of changing the fate of a nation. The last Guest recorded in history was a woman who married into the Amister Royal Family about 80 years ago.

“What’s wrong, Prim?”

“Nothing. I was just thinking about how tough today was.”

While answering Mother, I kept thinking about Yamato. His fighting style, unlike anything I had ever seen or heard of, and his Engraving Magic, more perfected than magic itself. The higher the level, the stronger a person is, and it’s difficult to overcome that difference. However, if the level difference is about 5, it’s not impossible. Furthermore, the Winged Tribe is said to possess magic power equivalent to High Class of the same level. But the difference between Yamato and me seems to be greater than level or race, I suspect. I couldn’t possibly win against him right now; that battle was that shocking.

“You’re thinking about Yamato, aren’t you?”

“O-of course not!”

Mother, who was soaking in the bath, stated it as a fact. Of course not! Why would I be thinking about Yamato!?

“It’s fine, isn’t it? There’s no one your age who is at a higher level than you, so it’s unreasonable to tell you not to care. I was also surprised that he was a Guest.”

That’s true, but I’m not particularly conscious of him!

“There’s no need to hide it. The look on your face just now was very much like a girl’s.”

When Mother said that, I could feel my face heat up. Many nobles had approached me, wanting to marry me, but they were all fools who were only after the power and wealth of the Duke Hydransia family. I had crushed all those fools, and because of that, such people had disappeared recently, so I had been hunting monsters more often. I had also defeated bandits twice. For someone like me, who lived a brutal life, to have the face of a girl, what did that even mean!?

“Love isn’t about logic, you know? Besides, Yamato is stronger than you, isn’t he? Then there’s no problem.”

There’s a huge problem! It’s true that Yamato is stronger than me, but whether he will accept me is a different issue!

…Huh? Why am I thinking like that? N-no! It’s not like I’m thinking about Yamato…!

“Even if you’re thinking that, denying it with a bright red face isn’t convincing.”

Mother, don’t read my mind! Besides, how can you be so sure!?

“I’m your mother. I can notice my daughter’s romantic feelings.”

“R-romance… No, I’m not…”

“Let’s leave it at that. Besides, Yamato probably has more pressing matters on his mind right now.”

“Ah…”

I had almost forgotten, but Yamato is a Guest. And he only just arrived at Helios Orb. He said he would prioritize the immediate problem, but it’s impossible to switch gears so easily. My mother and I were exiled from our country, but we could probably return if we managed to do something about Gumnos. Even if not, it wouldn’t be difficult to set foot in Valentia. But Yamato has a far higher possibility of never being able to return. I can empathize with his feelings more than words can say.

“He’ll probably calm down eventually, but I don’t know what he’ll do or where he’ll go once he does. But like the Guests of the past, he’ll probably search for a way to return. At that time, Prim, what do you want to do?”

“That is…”

…I couldn’t answer immediately. Mother asked Yamato to escort us to Feel and to be our guarantor so that we wouldn’t be apprehended by the Amister Royal Family. For that purpose, he’s supposed to register as a Hunter, but becoming a Hunter doesn’t necessarily mean traveling, though it’s close to it. In other words, he might not always be by our side. Yamato would understand that much as well, so it’s entirely possible, even likely, that he would go on a journey to find a way to return. If that happens, what would I… what do I really want to do?

I don’t need to think about it. I want to travel with Yamato. But if I do, I’ll have to leave Mother behind. Feel is about three days away from Zack, so the possibility of being attacked by assassins isn’t low. I can handle anything by myself, but Mother can’t. If she were attacked in my absence, Mother would…

“It’s alright, Prim. If it comes to that, we’ll seek protection from the Order’s Guild in Feel. Besides, at this time of year, the Royal Family might be present, so security should be strict enough. If assassins were sent to such a place and something unexpected happened, it would lead to a war between Amister and Valentia. If that happened, the Solemn Empire and the Retysentia Empire would gladly join. If that were to happen, Valentia would split as it did in the past, and there would be occupied territories.”

That’s certainly true. The Solemn Empire has the second-largest territory and population on the Philia Continent, second only to the Amister Kingdom, and its military strength is said to surpass even Amister’s. The Emperor of Solemn harbors ambitions of unifying the Philia Continent and is said to have dispatched troops to neighboring countries like the Libertarian Federation and the Torencia Phantom Kingdom. That alone is impressive, but there are also rumors that they have succeeded in developing new magic-powered weapons and are planning to invade Valentia.

Even the Solemn Empire would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage fighting against Valentia, Libertà, and Torencia, but the situation changes if Valentia enters into a state of war with Amister. And if such a situation arises, the Retysentia Empire, Amister’s other neighbor, would undoubtedly make a move. It is a well-known fact that the Retysentia Empire, whose territory is more than half wetlands, lacks mineral resources and has little arable land, has been coveting the Mylight Mountains, an important mine for Amister. The Mylight Mountains are famous for being the source of Magic Silver and Crystal Silver, and Feel is located on the shores of Veil Lake at the foot of the Mylight Mountains. Moreover, Veil Lake is teeming with fish, making it a desirable location for anyone, not just Retysentia. Being surrounded by the Mylight Mountains, Feel also seems like a natural fortress in terms of terrain. Of course, that makes transportation inconvenient. But that’s not the point!

“What are you talking about! I can’t possibly go on a journey and leave Mother behind!”

“See?”

“…Ah!”

My true feelings slipped out. I didn’t expect to be able to hide anything from Mother, who sees right through me, but I never thought I’d self-destruct so foolishly…

“Alright, Prim? The Duke Hydransia family no longer exists. The title is clearly marked with ‘former.’ But you know, there are many fallen nobles in this world, aren’t there? This time it was us, the Duke Hydransia family, but is that all bad? Of course, there are bad things, but for you, it’s not so bad. You don’t have to be tied down by marriage, and if you become a Hunter as you wish, you and Yamato might even evolve into Ancient Class, not just High Class.”

Ancient Class can evolve from High Class, and the evolution seems to begin around level 60. There is only one in Helios Orb currently, and the details are unknown as only a handful of people have evolved to Ancient Class in the past. But their power is said to rival that of the gods in myths. That’s why it’s called the Ancient Class. The idea that I, let alone Yamato, might evolve into Ancient Class is beyond belief. But… a small feeling of “what if” has begun to sprout.

“In any case, we’ll talk about it after we safely arrive in Feel. The movements of Retysentia are also concerning, and we need to prepare your and Yamato’s equipment before departing. Most importantly, we need to procure a beast-drawn carriage. I’ll go ahead. Be careful not to get heatstroke from staying in the bath too long.”

With that, Mother got out of the bath and left the bathroom. The journey to Feel takes about two days, but will I be able to sort out my thoughts and feelings by then…?