Part 2

After the meal, there was some struggle over what to do with the bed and so on, but as I was mentally exhausted, I managed to get through it, and I was able to go to bed safely. And the next day, I found out that Luna's physical condition was okay now, after having rested for a day, so we once again decided to go to the place where we left Owen-san and the others.

It would be quicker if we moved with teleport magic, but since Luna wanted to move her body as well as rehabilitate, we're moving on foot.

…Honestly, I took Lexia-san and Luna, the attacker, without explaining anything to Owen-san. So it's complicated for me to face him, but I can only apologize honestly. I'm the one who's to blame. And there's no guarantee that Owen-san and the others are still in that place.

"Truly, Yuuya and Night are just ridiculous… To think that you can proceed in battle with an advantage against the monsters of this Great Devil's Nest…"

"Woof?"

Luna says that with a somewhat distant look in her eyes, but… I still haven't gone that far into the depths of this Great Devil's Nest, and to be honest, given the fact that I know of the existence of sage-san, I think I still need to train. Well, the sage warned me not to go too far in possessing too much power, though. Although, I do want to be strong enough to protect Night and my friends at least.

"Oh, that's the entrance!"

When the entrance of the forest finally came into view, Lexia-san pointed happily and told us that.

Along the way, we encountered a group of goblin elites, but there were no monsters near the exit, and we were able to pass through the Great Devil's Nest safely.

Then…

"Ah! Commander, Commander! Look, look over there!"

"Huh? Lexia-sama!"

I heard a voice and turned my gaze toward it, and I saw Owen-san and the others, just as they were when I first met them. Apparently, they'd been waiting here all day long.

When Owen-san saw us, he rushed over to us. Lexia-san just smiled, looking at Owen-san.

"Ara, Owen. Good day."

"Don't just 'good day' me like there's nothing! Please refrain from acting arbitrarily! We are your guards!"

As expected, Lexia-san felt bad about this situation, and she bowed her head obediently.

"I'm sorry."

"U-um! Owen-san. I'm sorry for bringing Lexia-san along with me…"

When I think about it calmly, it's like some kind of kidnapping, isn't it? Is that okay? I wonder if I'm still going to be charged for a crime?

When I looked at Owen-san's face with anxiety, Owen-san was about to say something for a second, but he let out a big sigh.

"Sigh… there are a lot of things I want to say, but considering Lexia-sama's position and Yuuya-dono's position, it would have been difficult to go against what Lexia-sama said."

"No! It wasn't Lexia-san's fault; it was just that I got swept away in the moment…"

Owen-san and I were both apologizing to each other, but we cut off the conversation once we knew it wasn't going to progress at this point.

"Ahem! Ah… so, Lexia-sama. I've been wondering since earlier, who's that woman over there? And I also heard that the little wolf at your feet is Yuuya-dono's companion, but…"

"Oh, come to think of it, I didn't introduce him properly. This little boy is my family, and his name is Night."

"Woof!" After being introduced by me, Night dexterously raised his paw and responded.

"…You seem to be a very clever wolf. Night-dono, thank you for saving Lexia-sama at that time."

"Woof."

Night barked as if to say, "Don't mind it."

"Well, you're really clever, aren't you…? And what about that woman over there?"

"Yeah, she is──."

The moment I was about to speak about Luna, Lexia-san, for some reason, puffed out her chest and answered on my behalf.

"She's Luna, the assassin who attacked me! And now she's my new bodyguard!"

"Wha-?"

"…Hey, Yuuya. Is this woman an idiot?"

I can only return a drawn-out smile to Luna, who says that while holding her head. Nah, I didn't expect her to be that honest… Owen-san's expression froze at Lexia-san's words, but he immediately jumped back with Lexia-san in his arms and drew his sword when he got a distance away from Luna. Taking that as a cue, the other soldiers also draw their swords and point their blades at Luna.

"Hey, Owen! Why do you keep pointing your sword at Luna? Put it down now!"

"What do you mean, Lexia-sama? This woman is the assassin who attacked you, isn't she?"

"Yes, she was. Therefore, I've hired her as my bodyguard!"

"It's too unclear how we arrived at that 'Therefore'!"

Lexia-san, you're leaving out too many explanations. Owen-san is really having a hard time with this, isn't he? I can't say anything about it because I'm involved with one of them this time.

Luna herself, whose sword was pointed at her, raised her hands in a bitter smile, showing her non-resistance.

"Lexia. Do something about them."

"Geez, it's too much trouble. Can't you just go ahead and do it yourself?"

"What? Are you an idiot?"

"What does that mean!"

When Lexia-san's mouth suggested an unexpected physical solution, Luna half-eyedly clicked her tongue at that.

"Um, Owen-san! As for Luna, Lexia-san was right; she is now Lexia-san's bodyguard, so she is no longer dangerous!"

"Are you expecting me to just believe in your word? If that's what the assassins are after, then Lexia-sama is in danger."

"Ugh…"

I really don't have anything to say about this overly sane opinion. It's pitiful, but as a proper bodyguard, Owen-san's words are correct. As I was thinking desperately about what I should say to make him believe me, Luna let out a sigh.

"Sigh… I can't blame you for not trusting me, but if I wanted to kill Lexia, I could have done it yesterday… that's exactly what I could have done while we were sleeping together."

"…Lexia-sama?"

"What? We were staying at Yuuya-sama's home together, so it's only natural that we slept together, right?"

"…Yuuya-dono?"

"I'm sorry."

All I can do is apologize. Really, I'm sorry. Owen-san wanted to say a lot of things, but when he looked at me, Lexia-san's face, and Luna, he let out another sigh and put his sword back down.

"Sigh… I still can't completely trust you, but I'll just stop pointing my sword at you."

"C-commander? Are you sure?"

"It can't be helped. In fact, if you looked at her skill during the first attack, she could have killed Lexia-sama when she went to bed with her. It was either because of Yuuya-dono's power that she didn't do that, or, it is as Lexia-sama said. Maybe it's because she's now Lexia-sama's guard… whatever it is, we can't judge it now."

"Geez, you're so specific with every single detail. Luna is now my guard, so you should just be obedient and delighted! She's still a brilliant assassin!"

"That was too much."

Owen-san, who looked completely drained of his poisonous energy, looked at Lexia-sama with a dumbfounded face and then immediately looked at Luna with a serious expression.

"Well then, assuming I believe Lexia-sama's words that you have become her guard. Would you like to tell me about the person who asked you to assassinate Lexia-sama?"

"Hmm, I don't mind."

Luna spoke honestly about the details of the request as if she was no longer completely wary of the dark guild.

"However, most people who make a request to the dark guild hide their identity. But this time, it was definitely a request from a noble of the kingdom. Apparently, it was also to curry favor with the first prince."

"What?"

"No way… why…"

I'm completely an outsider, and I don't know the situation in their country, so it's hard to say, but Lexia-san, who was so innocent until now, made a shocked face. The first prince means… eh, Lexia-san's big brother or younger brother? No, but… royalty is kind of complicated, so it's not just like the common sibling…

"However, as for the first prince's favors, it's a matter of speculation. In the underground world, stories about the first prince often come up, but that story has not been completely confirmed."

"Story about what?"

"Hmm? That is, of course, about the first prince hating the first princess… that is to say, he hates Lexia."

"Uh…"

Lexia-san's expression grew tense as Luna informed her of the fact that her brother might hate her. Night approaches Lexia, seemingly worried, and slips closer to her leg. Noticing Night, Lexia-san holds him in her arms.

"Ah…N-Night."

"Woof… Woof."

"…Thank you."

Although she wouldn't be able to understand what Night was saying, Lexia-san smiled gently, knowing that Night was worried about her, nonetheless.

"Well, let's continue the story. Anyway, I received a request for Lexia's assassination, and in the request, it also included the information about Yuuya."

"Huh? M-me?"

I thought it was completely unrelated to me, so I suddenly became nervous when I was brought up.

"Yeah. However, the existence of Yuuya is not completely known; it's just vague information that says someone in the Great Devil's Nest."

"Even so, why would anyone want to know my information…"

For some reason, Luna replied to my words with a dumbfounded look.

"You know what, Yuuya? Lexia was attacked once, before I attacked her. It seems that some professionals had been sent at that time, but then Lexia escaped to the Great Devil's Nest. Well, their mistake back there was that they drove her deep into the Great Devil's Nest, and as expected, those who were sent to do it never came back─yes, except for Lexia herself."

"Ah…"

"Did you notice? If monsters killed the attackers, then it would be strange if Lexia wasn't attacked as well. Who else would have the skills to hide in the Great Devil's Nest… Yeah, there's none other than Yuuya and Night. That isn't normal when Lexia just returned normally like that."

"Is that a roundabout way of saying I'm not normal?"

"…If Lexia is the only survivor, and the skilled assassin is dead, the only conceivable possibility is that someone saved her."

She ignored me.

"They're going to assassinate the princess. The assassins must have planned it carefully, so they must be thinking that the assassins separated Lexia and Owen and the other guards. That would force them to consider the existence of a third party. They could think of it as a monster attack… but then, as I said in the beginning, it's unlikely that only Lexia would be lucky enough to survive. After all, all those skilled assassins are dead."

"U-umu…"

Owen-san snorted at Luna's explanation. I feel like I want to hold my head up myself. What Luna says about the assassins she's talking about is probably from the first time I met Lexia-san. I didn't understand it at the time, but there was definitely blood and flesh splattered around the goblin general. In other words, that was…

Thinking up to that point, I felt a sudden rush of blood.

"…Woof?"

"Yuuya-sama?"

"Eeh? A-ah, I'm sorry. It's okay."

Night and Lexia noticed that I was acting strangely and called out to me in concern. I'm not going to say that life weighs differently because they're humans or anything like that, but it's still something that comes to my mind.

…It's not something I can say after taking the lives of monsters so many times. That's what I thought, and while the shock still hasn't left me, I managed to recover.

"I knew that someday people would discover Yuuya-dono's existence, but it was sooner than I expected… for that reason, I would like Yuuya-dono to meet His Majesty."

"Ah, a-about that…"

Owen-san's words reminded me that I had another purpose other than to send Lexia-san and Luna here, and I cut his words off with trepidation.

"Um… I'm sorry. If we had left yesterday, it would have been fine…"

"Y-you're not gonna…"

I feel even more guilty as I see Owen-san's face turned pale as he looks at me.

"I'm sorry! Can I have an audience with the king at another time? I have a schedule to keep…"

"Eeehh? Yuuya-sama, you won't come to the royal capital with me?"

Lexia-san shouted in surprise, but once this golden week is over, the school will start as usual.

"I'm really sorry! I don't know when the next opportunity will come… but I will definitely be coming over…!"

I know it's rude, but all I can do is apologize. In response to me, Owen-san gave me a look as if his soul had been drained.

"I-is… that so… haha, hahaha… if you have other plans, it can't be helped, right…"

"…Hey, Lexia. Is this guy really okay? He looks like he's going to die."

"It's okay. It happens all the time."

"What does that mean…?"

Luna looks at Owen-san with an indescribable expression. No, I'm very sorry for piling up your anxiety…

After I desperately apologized, Owen-san corrected his posture as if to regain his composure.

"Hmph! Then when do you think we will meet next?"

"It's… it's hard to say because my schedule is still very uncertain."

I'm still trying to figure out what the school's events are going to be, too. In my old high school, I could have predicted it to some extent, but in my current high school, that prediction can't be relied upon…

"I see… Then I would like you to come to the royal capital at a convenient time for Yuuya-dono."

"Eh? Are you sure? Um… what about the king's convenience…?"

I can't hide my surprise at the statement that said I could go whenever I want. I mean, how can I meet with the head of a country without making an appointment?

"It may be difficult to say you have to come as soon as possible, but the next time will certainly give you more time, right? There are no major conflicts these days, and diplomatic and domestic politics have settled down. …Well, there's also the first prince, but that's a matter of speculation, as she says."

"Y-yes…"

Is it really okay? However, it is also true that it helps me.

"Well… I'm really sorry, but I'll visit at my convenience for the next time."

"Umu, that's fine. If you go straight down the street right there, you'll find the city. And if you follow the single road that continues beyond that, you'll be able to reach the royal capital. Unfortunately, I can't arrange for a carriage or anything like that, but…"

"D-don't mind it! I'm really sorry and thank you very much!"

There was indeed a single paved road leading in the direction that Owen-san pointed to. If it's a single road, then I won't get lost.

"Well, I guess we should be leaving now. There's a lot more we have to investigate now."

"Leave it to me to deal with those who are in the same profession as me and to be vigilant. I've been hired to do that."

"…I'll be expecting you for that."

I was worried about how Luna would be treated, but I was relieved to see that they didn't seem to be concerned with anything more than caution.

"Uh~… Yuuya-sama, are you sure you can't come?"

"Uh… sorry. Next time, I'll go to the royal capital myself."

"Well, it would be a nuisance to Yuuya-sama if I kept him too long. Fine, I'll give up this time! But you'll definitely come to the royal capital, won't you? Can you promise it?"

"Yes, I promise."

Lexia-san nodded with satisfaction at my words, and then went straight to the luxurious carriage that had been prepared for her.

As Night and I watched that scene, Luna approached me with nervousness.

"Um… Yuuya. I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you."

"That's not really a bother… I was confused and really worried about a lot of things, but I'm just relieved that Luna was able to be safe like this."

"Yuuya…"

"Woof, woof!"

"Night, too… I see. You were worried about me…"

Luna muttered that softly as if holding her words. Then, as they got ready to return, Lexia-san called out to Luna from inside the carriage.

"Luna! We're going to move, so get in the carriage now!"

"Yeah, I'm coming."

It's a short exchange, but that's enough to make me feel like she'll be able to get along with Lexia-san, and I couldn't help but smile looking at them. I hope they will get to know each other better and better over time.

Luna was about to chase the carriage that began to go slowly, but then she suddenly stopped and ran towards Night and me. And then Luna kissed me on the cheek──.

"Yuuya."

"Eh? Eeehh!?"

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!"

I heard Lexia-san's scream from the advancing carriage, but I could not understand it for what it was exactly for at this point.

While I froze in surprise to that extent, Luna blushed and said.

"T-this kiss is… a way of expressing gratitude and… uh… a-a declaration of war!"

"What?"

"I don't know! Figure it out for yourself!"

As soon as Luna said that, she ran off towards the carriage with great speed.

"Hey, Owen! Stop the carriage now! I'm going to kiss Yuuya-sama, too!"

"Iyaa, the weather is so great."

"Owennnnnnnnnn!"

Apart from Lexia's loud voice, Owen-san said that in a heartfelt, soothing voice.

"Stop! Please stop it! I… I want to kiss Yuuya-sama toooooo!"

Lexia-san leaned out of the carriage and desperately reached out her hand. While watching the scene in a daze, I unintentionally touched my cheek as if to confirm the feeling I had just experienced.