"The plan to lure them into complacency by investigating the canal seems to be working well, judging by the captain's reaction. Hopefully, by rescuing the women on the first day here, the vigilance of the slave traders, which has been heightened, will diminish somewhat..." Rishe mused.
"Escaping by ship would be troublesome. This country lacks means to pursue them at sea." Arnold muttered.
(As expected, he's acutely aware of Galkhein's weakness in naval warfare.)
As Rishe and her companions walked through the back alleys, a large ship passed by. Rishe looked up at it, noticing the words written on the stacked wooden crates.
"Look, Your Highness, it seems to be a ship from Cetena!"
Cetena was a port town north of Galkhein. As Rishe's eyes sparkled with recognition of the familiar name, she couldn't help but think of her friend.
(I wonder how Fritz is doing. He's with Lord Lawvine, returning to our hometown Cetena...)
It had been about a month and a half since Rishe, disguised as a knight trainee, had trained under Lord Lawvine alongside Fritz.
(After accidentally meeting him while hiding my true identity, I haven't been able to see Fritz...)
Feeling regretful about that, Rishe turned to Arnold. "I wonder if Lord Lawvine is doing well. He must be quite busy as the lord of Cetena."
"Who knows?" Arnold retorted.
"Well, that seems like an uninterested response. You used to speak highly of Lord Lawvine during our knight training."
"I acknowledge his abilities." Arnold's voice now carried a coldness that wasn't there before. "I've never considered that man to be my vassal."
The Arnold who would ruthlessly massacre Lord Lawvine in the future spoke with a chilling detachment.
"But..." Rishe, clutching the sleeves of her oversized jacket, asked Arnold. "Is it because Lord Lawvine belongs to your father?"
"What are you implying?" Arnold glared challengingly, narrowing his eyes. "You must have noticed by now..."
Rishe prayed that Arnold hadn't noticed her racing heart.
(Calm down... He didn't point out that I know about the future.)
Reassuring herself, Rishe exhaled quietly. Bowing her head, she pretended to be a novice knight, walking ahead of Arnold as she replied, "I've been concerned for a while. During the incident with Professor Michel, it was Lord Lawvine who tried to capture him."
Rishe recalled the incident when she, disguised as a knight trainee, had participated in training and stopped Professor Michel's disturbance.
"Back then, Lord Lawvine behaved as if his actions were for the Emperor. But according to your suspicions, Lord Lawvine seemed to want to hide Professor Michel from the Emperor."
Instead of nodding, Arnold squinted his eyes. Though Rishe didn't understand his reasons, it was because of this that Arnold had warned Lawvine, 'Don't listen. Retreat immediately. If you make any more noise, it might reach Father's ears.'
The rumors Rishe had heard in her past lives portrayed Lawvine as a loyal vassal of the Galkhein Imperial Family.' Even after meeting him in person, he appeared genuinely sincere. However, there were still aspects of Lawvine's actions that troubled Rishe.
(In the future, Lawvine reprimands Emperor Arnold Hein for his action, followed by Arnold brutally killing Lawvine. Arnold, who in the future would mercilessly eliminate Lawvine, seems too different from the Arnold I see before me...)
Thinking about this led Rishe to a conjecture that left her speechless.
(What Arnold really eliminates in the future...)
They turn down a narrow alley in the warehouse district. Just then a loud bell rings. Rishe looks up, surprised, to see a church built along the bank of the canal. A golden bell sways at the tip of a spire, high against the blue sky. Nestled on top of the spire is a statue of the goddess, carved from smooth marble)
(The crusades religion... the goddess statue...)
Rishe blinks slowly and stares at the goddess.
(What His Highness Arnold hates. The priestess of the goddess with holy blood is the mother of His Highness Arnold...)
(In the end, what Arnold needs is not... a goddess.)
At that moment, Rishe involuntarily held her breath. Arnold reached out from behind, covering Rishe's eyes with his hand, enveloping her in darkness.
In the darkness, Arnold's breath brushed against Rishe's ear. "That is not what I need."
"...?"
She briefly thought he was referring to the goddess but realized he meant something else entirely. As Rishe's thoughts were interrupted, Arnold continued.