3 bar menu

Chapter 64: Princess Sophia Appears

, The following day.

I brought the Elf chieftain Eranieff and my wife Jessica to visit Prince Alex’s younger sister.

Princess Sophia of the Argeas Kingdom, Alex’s sister, was said to be confined to her private chambers in the royal palace.

Prince Alex himself would be guiding us.

The fact that he was personally escorting us showed just how worried he was about Sophia.

「Gaia. Thank you for coming so quickly.」

「Well, we won’t know anything until she’s examined. Even Elves aren’t all-powerful. Try not to get your hopes up too much.」

I kept my tone cautious, setting the expectation that we’d take a look, nothing more.

Prince Alex seemed genuinely grateful, but just having an Elf examine his sister wouldn’t guarantee she’d suddenly get better.

If I didn’t manage expectations, he’d be crushed if we came up empty-handed.

Caution in all things.

Princess Sophia lived in the western palace of the royal complex.

I was told this area was separate from the inner court and served as residence for the royal children.

We walked through the western palace with Prince Alex leading.

It was made of white stone, reminiscent of ancient Greece from my previous life.

The spacious courtyard was filled with flowers and trees, clearly meant for children to play in.

Despite being stonework, the building had a warm, not cold, feel to it.

Inside, female attendants bustled about, while male guards stood vigil, perfectly disciplined.

As we approached, they stepped aside and bowed. Of course, palace etiquette was strict.

「Do you live here too, Alex?」

「No, I’m an adult now, so I live in a different wing. My sister stays in this room.」

Prince Alex stopped in front of a large door.

Two guards stood on either side.

At a signal from Alex, one of them called out through the door.

「Prince Alex has arrived.」

A moment later, the door opened from within.

The room inside was spacious, with a large wooden table covered in untouched food.

Two maids opened the inner door at the back of the room.

「Sophia. I’m coming in.」

Prince Alex called into the room, and the three of us followed.

It was dim inside, lit only by lanterns despite it being daytime.

It was a bedroom. A large, fine bed stood at the center.

Two maids flanked the bed.

Propped up in the bed was a young girl, sitting up slightly.

She wore a white dress with a checkered shawl over her shoulders.

「Brother Alex. Thank you for coming.」

「Sophia. How are you feeling?」

「I’m quite well, thank you.」

This was Princess Sophia.

I’d heard she was ten years old, but she looked more mature than her age.

She had long, sleek black hair, probably inherited from her father, the king.

Her features were gentle and serene. She was petite for her age.

Her skin was pale.

People in the Argeas Kingdom tend to be darker than us Barbars, so her paleness likely came from poor blood circulation.

(A frail constitution… or something more serious?)

I frowned in sympathy at the sight of her.

Prince Alex gently sat at the edge of the bed and placed his hand over hers.

He smiled warmly as he spoke.

「Sophia, I brought the Elves with me today. Remember what I told you before? The Barbars who live far to the west, they have Elves among them.」

「Oh my! So these three are from the Barbars!」

Sophia’s eyes sparkled as she looked at us.

She probably didn’t leave her room often, being sickly.

So just the fact that we came from far away must have piqued her curiosity.

I greeted her in the Argeas tongue.

「Pleased to meet you. I’m Gaia, chieftain of the Barbars. This is my wife Jessica, she’s an Elf. And this is Eranieff, chieftain of the Elf tribe. He’s Jessica’s uncle.」

「Oh my! Chieftain Gaia, you’re married to an Elf!」

Sophia’s eyes darted between me, Jessica, and Eranieff with childlike fascination.

Her curiosity made all of us relax a little.

We’d been bracing ourselves, unsure what to expect meeting a sickly princess, but despite her condition, she was a lively, bright child on the inside.

(Sma-ho!)

I activated my skill to appraise Sophia.

【Sophia – Princess – Extremely Gifted / Physically Frail】

(Huh!?)

I blinked in surprise at what I saw through 【Sma-ho!】.

(Extremely gifted… Just like Alex! The both of them are monsters!)

The Argeas Kingdom really is full of talent.

Last night, during the feast, I used 【Sma-ho!】to gather info on the officials too.

The king himself is marked 【Gifted】 and many of his retainers were either 【Gifted】 or 【Strong】.

Their regular soldiers, though, seemed average.

That’s the weakness of a rising nation, strong leaders, but less competent foot soldiers.

When it comes to organized warfare, the Vaffancrow Empire still has the edge.

Though… Prince Munoh of the Empire did lose to Argeas.

But that was because Munoh was utterly incompetent, and his staff wasn’t much better.

His opponent, Prince Alex, was rated 【Extremely Gifted】.

It was like a sumo grand champion facing a drunken salaryman from Shimbashi.

I thought back to my previous life.

Argeas versus Vaffancrow felt like a battle between a hot startup and a venerable, sluggish megacorp.

Princess Sophia was overjoyed to meet the Elves.

「My! I’ve never seen an Elf before! Your ears are so long!」

I translated her Argeas speech into Elvish for Jessica and Eranieff.

Jessica smiled.

「Fufu, that’s right. Want to touch them?」

When I relayed this, Sophia eagerly nodded.

Jessica, still smiling, approached the bed.

Prince Alex stood and gave her space.

Jessica sat beside the bed, and Sophia reached out to touch her ears.

「They feel just like ours! So strange!」

Sophia touched Jessica’s long ear with one hand and her own ear with the other.

Everyone in the room smiled at the sight.

It was heartwarming.

Even Prince Alex softened. He looked so gentle, I was surprised.

On the battlefield, he always wore an intense expression, but here… he was just a kind older brother.

It reassured me.

Geniuses sometimes lack basic human emotions, but clearly, Prince Alex cared deeply for his sister.

That boded well for future Barbar–Argeas relations.

Sophia clearly adored Jessica.

She chattered away, asking question after question. I translated.

Jessica seemed fond of Sophia as well, she never stopped smiling.

Once the mood had relaxed, Eranieff began his examination.

As Elf chieftain, he was knowledgeable in medicine and herbs.

He took Sophia’s pulse, performed a physical check, and asked some questions.

I translated back and forth.

「Hmm… she’s not ill. Princess Sophia is simply frail. She must eat well, sleep well, and build up her strength.」

When I conveyed Eranieff’s diagnosis, Prince Alex slumped.

「Hey… Alex. This is good news, you know? Your sister isn’t sick!」

「I mean… yeah, but…」

He trailed off, looking deflated.

「…Wait. You were hoping she had some specific illness that Elves had a magic cure for, weren’t you?」

「…Maybe. I mean…」

He mumbled, not denying it.

I couldn’t blame him, but still, he should be glad she wasn’t seriously ill.

As we talked, Sophia smiled gently.

「Brother Alex, I’m sorry for worrying you. It’s all because I’m weak…」

「No, Sophia. It’s not your fault! You’ve done nothing wrong!」

「Thank you, Lord Eranieff, for the examination. And thank you, Lord Gaia, for translating.」

Sophia bowed politely.

Eranieff returned her smile.

There was no illness, and no treatment.

Still, something about the situation stuck with me.

So I decided to ask Sophia and her attendants a few more questions.