3 bar menu

A Faint Path Leading to Another World – Part 01

“I’m back!”

Paula opened the door and entered the room, meeting Lavia’s gaze. Lavia sat alone at the table, engrossed in a book.

“Welcome back. Were you at the church again?”

“Yes. I had my meal there.”

Paula placed the bundle she held in both hands on the table. Inside was a black robe and a mask.

They were in a hotel in the satellite town of Pond. Five days had passed since that eventful night. During this time, with Hikaru’s permission to use Healing Magic—though it came with conditions, limited to when Paula deemed it “safe to use”—she had been venturing out at night like this.

Pond was a small town, but there was a church in a deserted part of the backstreets. Impoverished individuals who couldn’t afford medical care sought aid there. The priest of the church could use Healing Magic to a certain extent.

Paula visited the church as Flower Face, talked to the priest, and treated those whose injuries were deemed safe to heal. Healing Magic was effective for external wounds and poisons, but it had no effect on illnesses and debilitation in general. Some even passed away. Nonetheless, Paula patiently held the hands of the sick and prayed with them.

The only condition for her use of Healing Magic was “not to inquire about her true identity.” The priest was deeply grateful to Paula, and he only shared with a select few his belief that she was a saint and an apostle of the gods.

“Where’s Lord Hikaru?”

“He’s still sleeping.”

“Uh.”

Paula wrestled with her powerlessness in being unable to restore someone so dear to her—Hikaru. When he returned to Pond, he had been energetic, but the moment he stepped into the hotel room, he collapsed onto the bed and slept through the day. He would slowly get up only during meal times, eat indoors, and then promptly retreat back to the bedroom.

Paula couldn’t help but feel worried. “I’ll go check on him,” she said.

“Okay.”

“Aren’t you worried?”

“This is Hikaru we’re talking about. He’ll be fine.”

Paula shivered at her unwavering trust. Unfortunately, she couldn’t stop herself from feeling worried.

Killing Prince Austrin must be having a serious effect on him. From what I heard, he was forced to do it.

Paula firmly believed that Hikaru, who had extended a helping hand to her, was undeniably a kind-hearted person. That was why he was tormented by guilt.

It’s not right for Lord Hikaru to suffer like this… But what can I do?

Lost in her thoughts, Paula knocked on the bedroom door. As usual, there was no response.

“Excuse me,” she said as she entered. “Lord Hikaru… Huh?!”

Hikaru wasn’t there. Hikaru, who hadn’t moved in the past few days.

“Hmm. Did Hikaru go out?” Lavia asked.

Taken aback, Paula spun around to face Lavia at the table.

“Y-Yes… Did you know?”

“No, but I figured it might be about time. When you’re tired, you rest. As you should.”

“Ah…”

Now that she thought about it, Hikaru had mentioned that. If you were mentally drained, you should take a proper rest. If you kept pushing yourself, thinking you would be fine, you might end up with an irreparable mental breakdown.

“But where did he go? It looks like he didn’t bring his mask either.”

“I don’t know. But it’s all right.” Lavia turned to Paula with a smile. “This is Hikaru we’re talking about. He’ll be fine.”

---

Kujastria stopped writing and let out a sigh. Nights within the royal palace were quiet, so quiet that one could easily believe the massive structure was empty.

Ever since the day the king was assassinated, the palace had been engulfed in turmoil. Evidence surfaced of the chamberlain embezzling slush funds and smuggling illegal drugs, leading to the arrest and punishment of numerous nobles.

The three Dukes took charge of the punishments, but when it came to the seizure of the estates belonging to the guilty nobles, a new round of negotiations began to determine which noble would claim those lands.

Certain nobles guilty of wrongdoing had taken refuge within their estates. Grugschilt, accompanied by his trained army, personally visited them for investigations. Bloodshed was inevitable.

However, Kujastria, still only a princess, did not engage in actual governance, so all these matters felt unreal. She was aware that she would soon have to step into that world herself, but for now, she tried her best to push those thoughts aside.

Above all, there was something that weighed heavily on her mind. It remained unresolved, casting a shadow over her expression and causing concern among her attendants. Incidentally, all her attendants had been replaced, as they had all been working under the former chamberlain.

“I don’t think it’s good for the next ruler to be sighing.”

Startled, Kujastria turned around.

“Silver Face.”

“Good evening.”

“The secret passage has been sealed off. How did you manage to enter?”

“Are you angry? But your lips are smiling.”

“Of course. I’ve been troubled, wondering why you wouldn’t show yourself.”

Why would that trouble her? Silver Face wondered.

“Do you really not understand? You’re the key figure in changing the course of the kingdom’s future.”

“Good one. It was Grugschilt who pulled the strings, and it was the Four Eastern Stars who cured Galeicrada.”

“Are you serious? Did you really think that I would believe it was Miss Sophie who cured Lord Galeicrada?”

“Ah, um… Well, Galeicrada believes it, so I don’t see the problem.”

“Yes, he does. Thanks to that, the plans for me to marry him and abdicate the throne have come to a halt.”

“…What?”

Silver Face’s genuine surprise indicated he was unaware of this development. Kujastria felt a faint sense of relief upon hearing that.

“Lord Galeicrada harbors deep affection for Miss Sophie, and he proposed marriage to her.”

“I see… From adventurer to Duchess. Talk about succeeding in life.”

“But Miss Sophie declined. She appeared guilty. Do you have any idea why?”

“Absolutely none.”

Kujastria was convinced he knew something. Her intuition said so.

“Lord Galeicrada loves Miss Sophie so much that he couldn’t bring himself to marry me, even if it was only temporary.”

“I see. Quite the stubborn guy. In other words, you’ll be reigning as queen.”

“There are other ways to make my reign temporary. Though it would still take several years, for me, it’s a reasonable target.”

“Oh, what kind of ways? I don’t think the other Dukes had sons eligible to marry you.”

“It doesn’t matter who they are. I simply marry someone, bear their child, and have that child inherit the throne.”

“Well, that sure is something,” Silver Face murmured after a brief silence.

It was unclear what went on his mind as he spoke those words, but Kujastria’s heart raced as she thought about what she planned to say next.

“Silver Face, you bear some responsibility for how things have unfolded, don’t you agree?”

“Hold on a moment. Why are you getting closer to me?”

“How would you like to become the future king’s father?”

“Huh…? That’s not funny!”

Finally, his genuine voice, devoid of pretense, came out, and Kujastria burst into laughter.

“Y-You were messing with me!”

“It’s not a bad idea, though, is it? You’re familiar with noble affairs, your remarkable skills are acknowledged by the Sword Saint, you have established connections with the Margrave and the three Dukes, and you’re knowledgeable about sorcery. There is no candidate better suited than you.”

“Sorry, but no can do. I want to live freely.”

“I see…”

“Yeah.”

“So that’s the real you.” Kujastria chuckled once again.

Silver Face clutched his head and let out a muffled groan. He didn’t say anything more. He had no intention of divulging any further information.

“I thought it was a viable proposition,” Kujastria said. “I only need to endure for a few more years, and you could do the same.”

“…”

“Silence, huh? You’re a cruel person. You bring me into the limelight like this, only to say nothing.”

“…”

Kujastria giggled. “There’s no need to be so cautious. I was half-teasing you.”

“I know…”

“But there is something I can’t abandon. I want to pursue my research on the spell for crossing worlds.”

“Do you wish to carry on Roland’s legacy?”

“That’s part of it, but I also have an idea that he failed to consider. If I can test it, I might be able to perfect the spell.”

“What did you say?!”