The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent – 148
EP.148 Ambush (5)
When I opened my eyes, I saw the ceiling of my room. Of course, the place I was lying in was my own bed. I could tell without even getting up. It was a bed I had used steadily for almost eleven years, and the blanket I had been sleeping under every day for that time. Well, the blanket had been changed at least once, but it was clear that I had used this one for quite a while.
Is... it all over?
Has Lucas been caught? Did the Emperor find out what Lucas was carrying? These were the first thoughts that came to my mind.
I didn’t feel like I had slept at all. It was as if I just closed my eyes and opened them to find myself lying in bed.
“Sylvia?”
A voice came from beside me.
When I slightly turned my head, I saw Alice's face, wide-eyed with surprise.
“Sylvia!”
Alice grabbed my arm tightly, and I heard Claire’s shoulders trembling as she looked over from the table.
“Sis?”
Claire’s face, too, looked nearly identical to Alice’s in her shock. I couldn’t see Leo or anyone else. Were they all busy with something?
Well, if they caught Lucas, they must be busy with that... I’m not sure what Leo was doing, but I didn’t see him around.
“What about Lucas...?”
“That’s not important right now.”
Actually, it was important.
I hadn’t had the chance to ask Lucas anything yet—since we had jumped straight into fighting when we saw each other.
...
Now that I thought about it, I was a bit foolish. The fact that Lucas had disappeared and then returned meant he was coming back to fight. I should have realized that.
As I tried to sit up, Alice, looking worried, stood up as if to help me but then sat back down.
I felt refreshed.
When I raised my arm to check, there were no visible injuries. Without needing to check further, I knew I had obviously received the highest-grade treatment since I was the princess. Most of the wounds on my body were just scratches, so the treatment must not have been difficult. I had probably fainted due to exhaustion.
Having rested on a soft bed for several hours, I felt much better. Before, I hadn’t been able to sleep properly due to nightmares.
And I felt much better mentally as well.
“What happened to that masked woman?”
The last time I saw her, she was still swinging her sword while getting tangled up with others. She had kept her injuries, though.
“She disappeared during the process of handling the situation.”
Again.
I had already known that she couldn’t use her abilities in that situation. But the fact that she disappeared in that manner was another matter. Was her disappearance something she willed, or was she somehow stuck in a specific timeline, making her appear like that?
Either way, it wasn’t something I welcomed.
“Sis, water.”
While I was talking to Alice, Claire suddenly handed me a cup.
It was only when I saw the cup of water that I realized how dry my lips were.
I gratefully took the cup from Claire and drank, then asked again.
“What happened to Lucas?”
At my question, Alice and Claire briefly exchanged glances before responding.
“...He escaped.”
“With his condition like that—”
I stopped myself from finishing the sentence.
Now that I thought about it, it seemed possible, especially considering it was Lucas. Given the clothes he was wearing, he could probably withstand the Emperor's and the Sword Saint's sword energies, and even bullets. It wouldn’t be impossible for him to get hit by the knights' swords and still manage to escape.
He surely wouldn’t be unharmed, though.
“What about the people who had collapsed...?”
“…...”
Both Alice and Claire avoided eye contact at my question.
I see...
“How much time has passed?”
It wouldn’t have been strange if I had been asleep for a day, so that would explain why my throat was so dry.
But the answer I received came in a hesitant voice.
“Almost two weeks have passed.”
“...Pardon?”
For a moment, I thought I had misheard and that it had only been two days.
“Two weeks, sis. While you were unconscious, August is almost over. Tomorrow is the first day of school.”
“…...”
I couldn’t hide the dazed expression that crossed my face.
“You mean... the first day of school is tomorrow?”
“Yeah.”
Alice nodded seriously in response to my question.
“Then... what about the Sword Saint?”
“He's still at the Imperial Palace. I don't know... he seems strangely happy, though. It's a little scary, to be honest.”
Claire spoke with a hesitant look on her face.
“...And Leo?”
“He’s currently training. It seemed like it would be awkward to leave your care to a man.”
Considering the comfortable clothes I was wearing, someone must have helped me change.
“If I’ve been lying down for two weeks, how did I manage to eat or drink?”
“Basically, we helped, and the maids assisted as well.”
“They would chop up the food into small pieces and feed it to you little by little, and they did the same with the water.”
Alice and Claire explained one after the other, as if they were afraid I might panic, speaking calmly.
“…...”
I silently laid back down on the bed.
Sigh.
Two weeks... I’ve been lying here like this?
And receiving care from others?
Although the explanation was brief, so many things must have happened in that time. If Lucas managed to escape, then a manhunt would have been issued, and with gunshots ringing out from the tower, rumors must have spread near the Imperial Palace at the very least. The capital has a lot of diplomats and embassies. With spies planted here and there, it would be impossible to completely keep the news from spreading.
Even if they hid the fact that Lucas was involved, the mere occurrence of the incident couldn’t be concealed. And if Lucas had already caused chaos in the Empire, then perhaps even the Papal State had an idea of what was happening.
It felt like the Empire's once impenetrable reputation was beginning to crack.
I wondered how the Emperor would respond. From my perspective, it would be hard for him to show a positive reaction.
“Still, the situation has been mostly stabilized. At least the Imperial Palace is still functioning properly...”
Alice said, almost as if she were defending herself, but with so many knights fallen, things couldn’t possibly be the same.
“...That.”
As I sank into silence, Alice cautiously spoke up.
“...Sorry. I was the one who asked to go inside.”
“No.”
Claire quickly jumped in, trying to take the blame.
“It was me who insisted we couldn’t just wait downstairs.”
I looked at both of them, observing how they seemed to want to hide.
“So...”
“No.”
I cut off Alice as she continued to speak.
“It’s because I didn’t say what I was planning to do or why the situation turned out that way.”
Both Alice and Claire fell silent.
They wore expressions full of things they wanted to say, mostly apologies.
But I didn’t want to accept their apology. It didn’t mean I couldn’t forgive them; they hadn’t done anything wrong to begin with.
The situation had just gotten tangled up, mostly because of me.
I had said I would save all the heroines, but it was I who put them in danger.
“…...”
I lay back down, staring at the ceiling. The ornate, Victorian-style decorations felt so far removed from the word "minimal." As I stared at them, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
Ah, all of my remaining vacation is gone.
*
I briefly considered rewinding the entire vacation, but quickly dismissed the thought.
Even turning back just a short time made me feel like I might faint from the pain. If I tried to go back further, what would happen?
I might end up in the same situation as an egg dropped on a rock, cracked beyond repair.
In the first place, everything I had done was ridiculously foolish. What if I had actually died?
...So what would I have done then?
Better than Alice dying, at least. After all, I was more like a bonus character in this world, or rather, a character whose true identity no one really understood.
...Well, nobody died, so I guess it’s fine.
“Mm.”
I heard a small grunt and looked up to see Charlotte. She didn’t seem much changed, probably because nothing significant had happened during the break.
"I'm glad to see you're healthy."
"I'm glad to see you are too, Your Highness."
"The title is back to square one, it seems."
Charlotte gave a bitter smile as she sat in her usual spot.
After briefly staring at me, she shrugged her shoulders.
She must have heard about the events at the palace from the newspapers or the information network of the Velbur Imperial Family, but she didn’t press any further. What happened in the Imperial Palace was a matter of the imperial family. On the other hand, it would be a breach of etiquette if we asked about it.
"Hello, Charlotte."
"Hello, Alice. But we already greeted each other in the hallway."
When Alice, who had come in a bit late because she was greeting other nobles, spoke to Charlotte, Charlotte responded with a smile.
"Well, greetings in the classroom are a bit different. The hallway had other people around, too."
Saying that, Alice sat behind me.
"The break was really long."
Alice spoke with a sigh, and Charlotte replied, "Yeah, it really was."
Yeah. It truly felt long.
It felt like it had been a long time since I experienced this peaceful atmosphere.