That day, the rain poured down relentlessly.
In the capital of the Empire stood a building that housed the Adventurers’ Guild.
A young boy wearing a hood pulled over his head stepped inside.
The moment he entered, a wave of loud chatter filled his ears.
Numerous adventurers gathered. They were guzzling down alcohol without restraint.
The boy frowned at the noise and quickly climbed the stairs.
As he ascended, the clamor from below gradually faded, and he made his way to the fourth floor.
The fourth floor housed the Guild Master’s office.
Bang!
With a swift kick, the boy forcefully flung the door open.
At the same time, he threw back his hood and fixed his gaze on the room’s occupant.
“Hey, it’s been a while. It’s Ain.”
“You brat! How many times have I told you not to open the damn door like that?!”
“The door has a pretty nice kick to it, you know.”
“…Hah, you crazy brat.”
The influence of the Adventurers’ Guild stretched across the continent, transcending race, time, and history.
Because of this, everyone regarded the Guild Master as a figure of immense importance.
And rightly so. After all, the position of Guild Master could be considered on par with the Imperial Family itself.
Since the days of the first Hero, the Empire had respected the guild that had carried on his will.
Such was the power of that title.
“So, what brings you here this time, brat? Did you kill someone again?”
“Do I really seem like the kind of person who only comes here when I’ve killed someone?”
“Has there ever been a time when that wasn’t the case?”
“…Now that I think about it, probably not.”
“See? Hah, I knew it.”
And yet, this laid-back man was supposed to be on equal footing with the Imperial Family.
Once again, Ain felt the absurdity of that contrast as he plopped down onto the sofa.
“Seriously, what brings you here?”
“What if I just wanted to stop by and catch up after a long time?”
“A little brat like you, scheming as always. And do you really think the position of Guild Master is that easygoing?”
“I don’t know… I don’t recall ever seeing you do much besides kissing your wife’s picture every day.”
“…Ahem!”
The old man placed the freshly brewed tea in front of Ain before plopping down on the sofa across from him.
“Seriously… You serve me this cheap tea while you’re drinking Haoren Mountain herb tea that costs over two gold coins per cup?!”
“Quit whining, brat. That stuff suits you just fine.”
Fighting back tears at the cruel reality of wealth disparity, Ain silently lifted his teacup.
Sip. Sip.
Without a word, they drank the tea in silence and waited until both their cups were empty.
Just like always.
Clink.
Ain set down his empty cup.
Looking up, he saw that the old man had already finished his and was now staring at him in silence.
“……..”
“……..”
Normally, this would be the point where they’d start some meaningless conversation after finishing their tea.
But today, neither of them seemed to be in the mood for that.
An awkward silence ensued. And it was the old man who broke it first.
“…Well, good timing. I was planning to call you soon anyway.”
“Yeah?”
Ain absentmindedly ran his fingers over the empty teacup, lost in thought.
It must have been around this time of the year.
It was around the time the tutorial began.
“You told me before to let you know if any requests came in from the imperial family, didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Well, just yesterday, a request arrived from the imperial family. Directly to me, as the guild master.”
“About the Third Princess, right?”
“…How the hell do you know that—No, never mind. As if you’d actually tell me. You cocky little brat.”
“You know me well.”
The old man let out a sigh. He started rubbing his temples as if he was already tired of this conversation.
After a brief pause, he continued in a more serious tone.
“…Ain. How old are you now?”
“I turned fifteen this year.”
“It’s already been over three years since we first met, huh?”
The old man gazed up at the ceiling with a nostalgic look on his face.
“Wow. That’s so disgustingly sentimental. Do yourself a favor and cut it out. You’re way too old for this.”
“…You little shit, even when I try to be nice, you just have to run your mouth!”
Now that was more like his usual self.
After clearing his throat with a loud ahem, the old man quickly shifted back to a serious demeanor.
“It’s a bodyguard job. For the Third Princess.”
“A bodyguard request… you say?”
“Yeah.”
The details of the request were as follows:
The candidate’s age had to be as close as possible to the princess’s.
An adventurer rank of C or higher would suffice.
Most importantly, they had to be someone the guild master himself could personally vouch for in terms of reliability and trustworthiness.
“A bodyguard job for a princess, and the minimum requirement is just C-rank…?”
“Brat, even you think that sounds off, don’t you?”
“Honestly, the real issue is why they’re hiring a princess’s bodyguard from the adventurer’s guild in the first place. And even more suspiciously, why they’re doing it directly through you, in secret.”
“…Well. Considering that particular princess’s situation, it does make some sense.”
“……”
…Well, considering the power struggles that would soon unfold within the imperial family, it was no wonder they couldn’t trust anyone.
There was always the possibility that the very bodyguard they hired would end up stabbing them in the back.
In that sense, relying on whatever connections they had to request the guild master’s help was actually the safer option.
“Well… I can already tell what your answer’s going to be just by looking at your face, but I still have to ask. Are you taking the job?”
“If I wasn’t going to, I wouldn’t have asked you to put in a word for me.”
“…Tch. Fine. Do whatever you want. I’ll let them know.”
“Thanks, old man.”
The day Ain would finally meet her was drawing near.
He clenched his fist and steeled his resolve.
***
I stood before a door and adjusted my uniform.
Even I couldn’t help but feel nervous before a meeting like this.
Fidgeting with the unfamiliar knight’s attire, I took a deep breath.
“…Phew.”
Knock, knock.
“Third Princess. I’m from the Adventurers’ Guild.”
.
.
.
There was no response.
“…….?”
…Strange.
The princess’s personal maid had clearly led me here, saying she would be inside.
I titled my head in confusion and spoke again.
Knock, knock.
“Third Princess?”
.
.
.
Rustle.
At that moment, a faint sound came from inside the room.
Soon, a somewhat timid voice reached me from beyond the door.
– P-Please, come in…
“…Then, excuse me.”
Creak—
I carefully opened the door and stepped inside.
The room was even darker than I had expected.
No—there wasn’t any light at all to begin with.
Was she sleeping? In the middle of the day?
With that question in mind, I headed toward the bed where I had heard the voice.
The bedchamber was just as dark, making it difficult to distinguish even colors.
As I approached, a sudden sound came from near the bed.
“W-Wait a moment!”
Click!
With that sound, a bright light flared to life, illuminating the room.
Only then was I able to take in the full view of her living quarters.
…This is supposed to be a princess’s room?
It was completely different from any of the palace chambers I had seen so far.
There wasn’t even a hint of refinement. It was just an ordinary room, the kind a commoner might use.
The plain wallpaper and nondescript bed felt far removed from what one would expect of royalty.
I had some idea from the game, but… this is worse than I thought.
Even if she was born among commoners, she was still a princess in name.
Wasn’t this kind of treatment a bit too much?
Suppressing the sigh that threatened to escape, I focused on keeping my expression neutral.
If I looked too grim, she might get scared.
“A-Ah… hello…”
A small, trembling voice reached my ears.
When I turned my head toward the voice, I finally came face-to-face with the person I had been hoping to see.
I lowered my head at once and greeted her.
“…It is an honor to meet the small future of the Empire. How do you do, Third Princess?”
“Y-You don’t have to address me so formally…”
“…….”
She said I didn’t have to use formal titles…?
Was that really something a princess should say?
A legitimate princess of the Empire that was the most powerful nation on the continent?
…This might be worse than I expected.
I lifted my gaze and observed the Third Princess.
She was still young, only fifteen years old.
Her short, neatly trimmed hair was dyed a deep red.
Her bangs were long enough to nearly cover her eyes.
Her hunched shoulders trembled like those of a small, frightened animal.
She looked exactly like the princess I had seen in the game.
I wasn’t sure whether to be pleased about that or not…
For now, I should just focus on the job.
“The request you made… A bodyguard and butler, correct?”
“Ah… Yes!”
A bodyguard and a butler.
Two jobs that didn’t fit together at all, yet I was expected to do both.
I had braced myself for it, but now that I was actually in this situation, it felt utterly absurd.
“Then, I look forward to working with you.”
“Y-Yesht!”
…She just bit her tongue, didn’t she?
It was an impolite thought, but still…
She was, to be completely honest, nothing like a princess.
If someone had told me she was a commoner, I would have believed it without question.
The hardships ahead are already painfully clear.
I let out a deep sigh inwardly.
That was my first meeting with the princess.
***
A week had passed.
It wasn’t a long time, but it was more than enough for me to grasp the situation here.
This is… basically like being invisible.
The most secluded annex in the entire imperial palace.
She was isolated in that tiny space, with only the bare minimum number of staff assigned to look after her.
Even then, their attitude toward her felt questionable at best.
…There really isn’t a single person who treats her like a princess.
At this point, I couldn’t help but wonder.
For someone in such an insignificant position, what could possibly make her a target for assassination?
She was only fifteen years old, far too young to be involved in the power struggles of the higher ranks.
Yet in the game, countless attempts were made to kill her.
It was something that had always puzzled me while playing the game.
There’s definitely something going on here.
Maybe it was time to turn everything upside down and find out.
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