My body, which was supposed to have been stuck in a castle room for medical treatment, was surprisingly weak. Just walking a little made my legs tremble, which really shocked me.
Well, from what I heard, I had been dead, so technically I should be amazed that I can move this much at all, right?
With the king around, we didn’t ride horses. Instead, they prepared a carriage for us.
Inside the carriage, I got an explanation. Noie-san usually lives outside the castle town… beyond the walls.
It was vague to me, but if that’s what they said, I had no choice but to accept it.
The carriage rattled along the rough road for a while until it suddenly came to a sharp stop.
「What is it?」
「Yes, Your Majesty… it’s Knight Noie」
「Already? That was fast」
After talking to the guard in flashy armor, the king looked at me.
「Noie is apparently here. We’re getting off」
「Yes」
I followed and stepped out of the carriage.
The first thing I saw was a hellish scene that looked like the end of the world.
The edge of the grassland, where grass must have grown long ago, was now withered. Instead, the bare ground was scattered with meat, bones, and what looked like organs.
People moving through it all were dressed in rags, busily cutting meat with tools or scraping bones.
From what I could tell, they seemed like slaves. Maybe this world has that kind of class system.
Suddenly, a shadow crossed the sun and raced across the ground.
What landed quietly in the corpse-like dump was a woman with long, beautiful silver-white hair.
Against the piercing blue sky, her human shape stood out like a cutout. But that shape was red-black.
Probably from blood splatter. Because in her hands… her right hand held what looked like a dragon’s head, and her left gripped the torso, torn apart.
She really does rip them to pieces.
But unlike what I imagined, she was about my height. Maybe even a bit shorter.
Is she losing out just because of that antenna-like ahoge? …That’s an ahoge, right? If it’s actually an antenna, that’s not funny at all.
Looking at her, who was average height for a woman… I didn’t feel scared.
She looked so dignified and cool.
「Noie. It’s Knight Noie」
The king, whose existence I had completely forgotten about, called her name.
Crap. I was totally staring.
Realizing she was being called, she tossed the two massive chunks she was holding aside and walked straight toward us.
Yeah… her face was completely covered in blood. I couldn’t make out anything.
But one thing was certain: she definitely wasn’t some muscle-bound amazon.
The reason I thought she was about my size was probably the armor. If she took it off, she’d probably look way slimmer than me.
She stopped a few steps away, dropped to one knee, and bowed deeply.
Since they called her a knight, this must be the vassal’s courtesy.
「Yes」
「Good. My son Argusta’s illness has finally healed… and he said he wanted to meet you at least once, so I brought him. This is your first time meeting, correct?」
「Yes」
Super blunt answers.
No sign of the conversation growing at all.
But the king didn’t even flinch. Maybe he’s totally used to this reaction?
「Now raise your face… Someone, bring something to wipe her blood off」
The king was being considerate.
Thanks to the chain of command among the guards, one guy looked ready to sacrifice his own cloak.
But before the removed cloak could reach her, blood started dripping from her face and hair. Plop, plop, plop.
Like sweat rolling down, it fell straight to the ground.
「Looks like you didn’t need it. Now lift your face」
「Yes」
My first impression was… kind of a letdown.
Not because of her facial features. It was just… she had no expression at all.
A perfectly beautiful face that looked almost inorganic was simply staring at me.
I wouldn’t mind if she at least smiled a little and showed some charm.
「Come on, Argusta. Aren’t you going to greet her?」
「Eh, ah… I’m Argusta. Nice to meet you」
「Pleased to meet you, Argusta-sama. I am Noie」
Even her voice was completely flat. It sounded like a machine reading text aloud.
Looks like this is just her default setting.
「Your Majesty」
「What」
「Is Argusta-sama my partner for reproductive activities?」
「…That is correct, but could you maybe choose your words a little better」
「Choose? Reading and writing aren’t needed for dragon extermination」
「Fair point」
The king actually took a small step back, overwhelmed by her response.
Dry doesn’t even begin to cover it.
But while watching them, something else was bothering me.
I can’t shake it. That feeling from when I was nursing Mom at the very end.
I used to wipe the sweat off her forehead when she was lying in bed all the time.
I stepped closer to her and gently wiped away the drop of blood clinging to her chin with my sleeve.
I just… couldn’t stand seeing her face dirty.
「What?」
「Sorry. It just bothered me」
「Bothered?」
She tilted her head ever so slightly. That blank face was honestly a little scary.
「You have such a beautiful face. It’s a waste to have it covered in blood…」
She didn’t react to my words at all.
Instead, the king and everyone else around us looked like they were about to fall over in shock.
Wait, was I too casual? I’m a prince, so maybe I should’ve acted more high-and-mighty? Should I have thrown a towel at her and said 「Wipe your face, sow」 or something? Would that have been better?
「As expected of my son. I’m looking forward to the wedding with Noie」
The king let out a dry 「ahaha」 laugh and started beckoning me back to the carriage, clearly wanting to escape.
We’re heading home together.
「See you later, Noie-san」
「…Yes. Prince Argusta」
I gave a quick goodbye and jumped into the carriage. It took off like a rocket.
The sudden jolt sent me tumbling across the seat. Once the ride steadied, the king looked at me.
「You… really are fine with anything, huh」
「I’d like to know exactly what you mean by that」
「No… I’ve never seen anyone bold enough to call Noie 『beautiful』 to her face after seeing her like that」
「That was… um…」
My voice trailed off.
Thinking back now, it was pretty embarrassing.
Calling a girl I just met 「beautiful」? What kind of cheesy playboy am I?
「But Noie-san really is gorgeous, you know?」
Honestly, I’ve never seen a girl with a face that perfect in my entire life.
Even if it was completely expressionless. Even if she looked like a wax doll.
「Sure, her features aren’t bad. But what lives inside her isn’t human. It’s something else」
「…That’s exactly why everyone looks at her through colored lenses and gets scared」
「Maybe. But once you know… No, never mind. It’s not my place to say」
The king shut his mouth and turned to look out the window.
I followed his gaze.
In the direction where Noie-san was, regular townspeople were pressing their hands together in prayer.
I still had no idea what that meant.
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