The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent – 136
EP.136 Secret (4)
“Come to the capital.”
I spoke with a tense expression, my voice steady despite the weight of the request.
“There, you can be with all your disciples.”
“Hmm.”
Hearing my suggestion, the Sword Saint seemed to pause in thought, loosening his grip on the sword he had been holding.
Seeing that, I let my guard down for just a moment—
Thwack!
“Eek!”
His sword struck my head again. Reflexively, I clasped my head with both hands and looked at him in disbelief.
The Sword Saint returned my gaze with an exasperated expression.
“Didn’t you hear what I said earlier? I came here because I detest the chaos of the world. And now you’re suggesting I live in the very heart of the busiest place in the capital, surrounded by all kinds of people?”
He snorted dismissively.
“And as bait for your scheme, no less? Do you think I’m so easily swayed by such cheap tricks?”
Well, he wasn’t wrong.
I silently agreed with his words.
If someone who had lived in seclusion in the mountains for decades could be convinced to leave so easily, I would’ve tried much earlier.
“Then, I’ll stay here.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ll remain here until I’ve convinced you to come with me.”
Of course, I hadn’t come without some preparation.
There were only about two weeks left of my vacation, but I planned to use that time to persuade him. I’d try various approaches, and if I found any promising lines of reasoning, I could rewind time and—
Thwack!
“Ow!”
“Does that sound effect come preloaded in your vocabulary?”
It was infuriating to hear such a remark while being hit without warning.
Of course, I didn’t think I could actually win against him in any capacity.
“A grown woman, no less a princess, coming to spend the night in a man’s home? Such behavior would tarnish your honor. More importantly, how can you speak so casually about staying at a man’s house? Especially you, a princess.”
“……”
He didn’t seem to mind when I stayed overnight with Jennifer, though. Alice had also stayed here before, as had Claire. Granted, Jennifer had been with them on those occasions, but even in the original story, the Sword Saint wasn’t the type to care about such things. He was likely just trying to use this as an excuse to send me away.
Regardless of my glare, the Sword Saint ignored me and turned his gaze toward Leo.
“And why are you standing there frozen like that?”
“Ah, well….”
Leo’s forehead was already drenched in sweat, and a few strands of hair clung to his skin.
“What’s wrong? Do you disapprove of me using ‘Her Highness’s’ head as a striking target?”
“……”
“I’ve met another princess before, you know. And if I cared about status or acted accordingly, I wouldn’t have considered taking Jennifer as my disciple in the first place.”
“That… that is true, but….”
“Oh, now that you mention it….”
The Sword Saint’s gaze returned to me.
“Is Alice your sister or your cousin?”
"Big sister—"
Leo started to respond from the side but immediately shut his mouth when he caught my gaze.
"…We're 'sisters,'" I answered.
"Oh," the Sword Saint muttered, the corners of his mouth curling up in amusement.
"I see. Sisters, indeed…"
He folded his arms and seemed lost in thought for a moment.
"Well, fine. It’s already late at night. Sending you down the mountain at this hour wouldn’t be proper conduct for a man dealing with a woman."
With that, the Sword Saint stood up from his seat.
"I’ll allow you to stay for the night. But leave by tomorrow. I’m not someone with the time to indulge your whims."
Well, he is free enough. Of course, there’s no particular reason why he should accommodate me, but still. At least I managed to secure permission to stay for one night, which was a relief. This meant I had an opening, however small.
*
"Did Alice teach you that?"
The following dawn, I woke up around the same time as Leo. While I sat cross-legged, meditating, the Sword Saint broke the silence with a question.
It was the first thing he’d said to me since our conversation the previous day. Ever since that exchange, he had acted as if I didn’t exist. Looking back, I suppose I deserved it for being so audacious, practically ordering him around. Still, if words weren’t enough, I’d just have to persuade him through action.
Last night, he had remarked that I lacked talent. So, I had to show him a glimpse of what could pass as ability—getting up at the same time as Leo and engaging in meditation. Peeking ever so slightly with one eye, I noticed Leo looking at me with a mildly surprised expression. But his face conveyed more than just surprise; he appeared to be deep in thought. Although I hadn’t explained it to him directly, Leo had been present when we fought the black-robed figure at the ruins of the Northwood estate.
He might even be considering the possibility that I’d been here before.
The truth was, I had no talent for this sort of thing. I’d never practiced it before, and it had taken me 300 days just to learn the most basic form of meditation under none other than the Sword Saint himself. Any more complex techniques would likely take far longer. But for now, I had to pretend this ability was my innate talent. Only then would the Sword Saint begin to take me seriously.
I heard the sound of his footsteps approaching.
I closed the eye I had opened and delved deeper into meditation as the sound moved in front of me, as though he were observing my posture closely.
Before he could say anything—
Bang!
The door burst open with a loud crash.
"…Alice. If you keep opening the door like that, it might break down entirely."
The Sword Saint spoke leisurely, as if he already knew Alice would arrive in such a manner, a stark contrast to how he had greeted me.
"If the door breaks, I will personally purchase the finest replacement and install it for you," Alice replied, her voice calm to the point where it sounded more like she was furious.
"Even if you install such a door, it would hardly suit this place," the Sword Saint retorted in a tone of disbelief.
However, Alice didn’t seem to hear him.
Honestly, their exchange was quite fascinating.
I had met the Sword Saint and seen his character in the game, but this was my first time witnessing a direct conversation between Alice and him.
In the game, aside from main storyline dialogue, other party members often faded into the background during side quests if Leo wasn’t involved. Despite the effort that had gone into crafting the game, the sheer volume of main story text made it difficult to give the same attention to side quests.
As more characters became available to set as party members later in the game, each with unique personalities, the developers had to create dialogue tailored to the situation for every combination. To cut costs, they often resorted to simply having no dialogue for party members during side quests.
But reality wasn’t a game.
I couldn’t rely on a single narrative line like, "They all discussed opinions together" or "They all trained together."
"What brings you here? You don’t seem to have come for training like Leo," the Sword Saint said.
"…I’m here to find my ‘sister,’" Alice replied.
Though I couldn’t sense others’ energy, I could feel the Sword Saint’s gaze shifting to me.
"Is something happening in the imperial family?"
I shut my eyes tightly, trying to maintain the appearance of being fully immersed in meditation, as if completely unaware of Alice’s presence.
Not that it seemed to be working.
After all, acting oblivious didn’t make me invisible.
"I’d like to speak with Sylvia for a moment," Alice said.
Following her words, I heard the rustle of clothes. The Sword Saint had gestured toward the table.
"If you wish, feel free to use that table. There’s no separate room for private conversations here, so I can’t guarantee secrecy."
"That’s fine," Alice replied, her voice tinged with amusement.
It didn’t sound like a warm laugh, though.
*
"I heard the story," Alice began.
"…What story are you referring to?" I asked.
We sat across from each other at the worn table, with Leo and the Sword Saint standing about three paces away, both wearing expressions of curiosity about our conversation.
I considered the possibilities. Could it be something about Lucas? Or had Alice somehow discovered the truth—that we might actually be sisters?
"I heard you called Jayden ‘big brother.’"
…Apparently, she hadn’t.
Even so, I instantly understood the significance of what Alice had just said.
I glanced toward Leo.
He stood there, staring at me with his mouth slightly open, as if the notion of such words ever leaving my lips was entirely unimaginable.
Unfortunately, I had no idea how to suppress the rapid pounding of my heart from embarrassment. At the very least, before leaving this place in two weeks, I was determined to master that skill.
And as for Jayden, who failed to keep the fact that I had called him "big brother" a secret—he was absolutely going to pay. Sure, I’d forgotten to ask him to keep it confidential, but still.