Odette's point of view.




　When the battle is over and Odette and her friends return to King's Landing...

His Royal Highness Prince Cain is on border patrol in the southern border region. His Highness is on patrol at the southern border, and witnesses include himself, his soldiers and sorcerers, as well as the Count, who has territories to the south.
What...?

　Prince Cain's messenger to King's Landing came across the messenger.
　The messenger was Demeter, a C-class magician.

　When old Zamel saw Demeter, he snorted, "Prince Cain was a wielder of the Black King's Horse? I asked him about it.
　The old Zamel and his fellow sorcerer then explained the incident and the 'Black King's Horseman'.
　Then Demeter simply said


"On my honor as a sorcerer, I testify. His Highness Cain is on the southern border.


　I declared.



　There was silence for a while.　
　Old Zamel and the other sorcerers opened their mouths with a plop.
　Their faces looked as if their souls had been drained.
　Seeing this, Demeter, a C-class sorcerer, gasped.

''In the first place, how can you transport the 'King's Horse (Lord)' from the border to the vicinity of the royal capital? ''Huh?　Flying away?　
　Um.........you know that the King's Horseman can eat magic, don't you, Mr. Zamel? It's impossible. Neither His Highness Cain nor I can do it.
　Huh, Master Zamel and the others were saved by the black "King's Horseman" and spoke with him. And what did that person say?　'I'm not Prince Cain,' he said... 'I'm not Prince Cain... then you must be someone else, right?'

　Old Zamel and the others could only nod their heads as she said without hesitation.

'....Indeed, that's true. But, but.........to be able to handle something like that.......
'That one was first identified in the 'Torrius Territory' to the north, wasn't it?　His Highness Cain was in the palace at that time. I was with him. I believe the records are still on file.
'Oh....'
Lady Zamel and all of you need to calm down.

　Demeter, a C-class sorcerer, sighed.

''Zamel-sama, you've been doing nothing but research lately, and you haven't had any experience fighting in dungeons, have you?　Could it be that you saw the battle between the "King's Horseman (Lord)" right around the corner, and your feelings were overwhelmed?　It's what's called 'getting high' in the town's language. So you've made some strange assumptions, haven't you?
Uh-uh.
'So, you spoke with the owner of the black 'King's Horse', right?　Did you get any testimony from him?　

(Well, you will.)

　Odette watched the exchange with a wry smile.

　Old Zamel and the sorcerers are disappointedly slumping their shoulders.
　Demeter, a C-class sorcerer, was looking up at the sky as if in dismay.

　Yuki didn't pretend to be Prince Cain after all. There is no problem for old Zamel to make a mistake on his own, but he properly said, 'It's not Cain.
　He seems to have taken Odette's advice to heart.
　I like that very much.

　However, the old Zamel and the others, who were high from the battle, thought the Lord of the 'King's Horse' was Cain.
　They should have listened to him, but they thought 'Prince Cain will always be able to listen to what he has to say', so they just walked away from the 'Black King's Horseman' who was leaving. Moreover, he even waved his hand.

　And now, as Demeter pointed out, old Zamel and the sorcerers, who realized their mistake, are trembling in despair.

The 'Black King Horseman' is an ally of the kingdom and a powerful being.
　They easily missed the opportunity to know its true identity.

　Odette feels sorry for the old Zamel and the others who sit down and hold their heads.
　But she can't help but smile with relief.
　Thanks to old Zamel's mistake, Yuki's identity was not revealed.

'It sounds like you've had a rough time of it too. 'Odette-Slay,'

　A short while later, the C-class magician Demeter came in front of Odette.

''Experimenting with the 'Spirit King (Lord-of-Us) Horseman (Phantom)' and an actual battle against a replica Lord. Even though you took some damage, you still managed to defeat the enemy in the end. You should be proud.
"Yes. Mr. Demeter.

　There's someone else to be truly proud of - Odette swallowed the words that were in her throat.
　The truth is, I want to be proud of my dear friend - I want to be proud of her.
　You're not going to be able to get your hands on any of these things.
　But I can't do that. Yuki doesn't want to do that either.

(Will there come a time when I can talk about Yuki without a care in the world?)

　This will surely be in the far future.
It will be when the Sanctuary Church has really disappeared and the threat of the Empire has been eliminated.

　By that time, Yuki, Iris and even Martha may have disappeared from the human world.
The "Grail Chamber of Commerce"'s Rodelia........................will probably keep in touch with them in secret.
　Remy will follow, of course.
　And so will the bat army. They would act as a liaison to the human world.

(I wonder where I will be then...)

　Odette doesn't understand.
　I think I can understand, but I'm afraid to admit it.

　I've always admired my position as a magician.
　The position as the daughter of a duke.
　Human relationships as a girl living in this world.
　The question is whether she will be able to keep up with them, throwing all of that away - and whether or not she will be able to keep up with them.

...Scary, isn't it?

　What's that?
　Abandoning the relationships in the world of people that you've been stumbling upon?
　Or ... being left behind by the people you care about?

I don't know. I don't know if I can ... yet ...

　So Odette is relieved that Yuki's identity was not revealed.
　You can still be with that person in this world. Because I understood that.

　Well.........it's a little distressing that the master of the "Black King Noir" was mistaken for Prince Cain. It was her Yuki who protected Odette and won a complete victory over the "Holy King's Horseman".
　I want to tell someone about it. I want to brag.
　It was frustrating not to be able to do that.........

'Demeter-Springal-sama.

　So Odette decided to tell a different story.

''I apologize for hurting the 'Spiritual King Rider'. That was the 'King Rider (Lord)' that Demeter-sama first experimented with activating.
Don't worry about it. It's not something I could handle.

　Demeter said with a faraway look in his eyes.

I am rather amazed that you were able to fight with it. I am amazed that you were able to fight with it. I have no doubt that old Zamel and Prince Cain will recommend you as a C-class sorcerer. Be prepared for that.
Thank you. Mr. Demeter.
Well you're still a big shot, aren't you?
What?
'I used to jump up and down with joy when I found out I was going to be a C-level magician. And yet you are very calm. It's just as I thought, someone with ability is different.
No, please don't. Mr. Demeter.

　I really want it to stop.
　Please don't make me aware of the feelings I've been trying to avoid noticing.
　When you realize that you're going to be a C-level magician and you're not going to be moved one bit by it.

　She realizes that she can leave that position at any time.
　Because really, she would know the path she herself would want to take.

(......for now.)

　Odette murmured in her mind and took a deep breath.
　Once again, she turned to Demeter, the C-class magician.

''I wasn't sure if it was right to ask you in my position, but...''
What is it?
What will happen to those who have invaded the country with the replica lords this time and the Fourth Princess of the Empire?
They've already been captured by the kingdom's soldiers, haven't they?
That's ... well ... yes, sir.

　After the battle, the old Zamel and his men launched a sorcery to summon the soldiers.
　The soldiers soon arrived and captured the replica-lord-clad enemy soldiers and the fourth prince of the empire, Naylara Gaiulu. They were carried back to the capital, bound hand and foot and gagged in their mouths so that they could not use their magic.

　The rest is up to the kingdom to decide what to do with them.
　From this point forward, it's not something Odette can intervene in.
　But for the sake of Yuki and Iris, I wanted to get the information.

'I don't know. But from what I've heard, the princess is answering the questions honestly.''
Well I'm afraid so.
''It's strange. A person who is so fearless as to invade another country - and if he is an imperial family member, he could have committed suicide right after he was captured. But the imperial princess looked frightened and answered the questions one by one. I, too, was frightened when I heard the story.

　Demeter, a C-class sorcerer, nodded her head in wonder.

''As an emissary of His Highness Cain, I came to check on the royal capital, and all of a sudden there's a huge incident. Utterly, this is the first year I've had so many incidents since I became a C-class magician.
I'm very sorry for your loss.
And I've never seen a year with so many good recruits.
Demeter?
''Your generation might change the 'Magical Guild' eventually. I can't help but envy you.
No, no. It's a pleasure to speak with you, Mr. Demeter.
I've enjoyed talking to some of the brighter juniors myself.

　Odette and Demeter nodded.
　That was the end of the conversation.
　Demeter would now head to report to the royal palace as Prince Cain's representative.
It seems that he only stopped by the 'Magic Guild' before that.
　There, he said to old Zamel, "Demeter which!　His Highness Cain has his own 'King's Horse' in secret! And then, he was confronted and stopped in his tracks. The person who had been attacked - old Zamel and his friends - seemed to feel remorseful.

"Well then, I'll leave you to it.

　Demeter greeted old Zamel and then started to walk towards the royal palace.

'Master Zamel. Is there anything I can do for you?
No, Your Ladyship of the House of Surrey you have served your time well.

　Old Zamel shook his head, powerlessly.

''The 'Spirit King Horseman' was put on a carriage and carried to the guild.
　It should be stored in the guild's warehouse by now.
　The Replica Lord and the wreckage of the Holy King's Horseman are the same. I'm sure old Zamel won't be able to examine them until tomorrow. However, Odette will not be participating in that. He might be asked for his opinion, but that's another story.

　In other words, Odette's work was done.

'I understand. I'll be submitting a report on this battle later.
"The daughter of the House of Surrey.
Yes. Dear Mr. Zamel.
...You are very strong.

　The old Zamel looked impressed.

I forgot my coolness in the midst of the battle," he said. I forgot to be calm in the midst of the battle, but you managed to use the Spiritual Riders to the end to defeat the enemy. Now that the battle was over, he was still calm. I'm impressed with you.
No, no, sir.
"I would love to be a Zamelite.
I'm sorry. That's still a no-no, sir.

　Odette took a few steps, stepped back, then bowed deeply.

''I already have someone I want to serve. I have no intention of leaving that person's side - at least not while I am in the 'Magic Guild'.

　With that, Odette left the scene.







　Then, a few minutes later.

'May I interrupt you, sir? Mr. Martha. Mr. Remy.
Welcome, Miss Odette!
Dear Odette.

　When Odette visited Yuki's quarters, she was greeted by Martha and Remy in maid outfits.
　Suddenly, she noticed the smell of baked goods coming from the kitchen.

''Could it be that........Yuki came here before returning to the border?''
No, sir. As a matter of fact, I was waiting for Miss Odette.
Sorry to keep you waiting.
You call me?
'Yes, sir. The bats came to see me, so I know that Yuki-sama is alive and well, but I don't know the details of the incident in detail, so...

　Odette noticed that Martha's hand was trembling faintly.
　She was probably worried about Yuki, too.
　Yuki was sending letters to Martha frequently, using bats.
　Martha also believes in Yuki with every fiber of her being.
　But whether she is worried about him or not is another matter.
　Someone you care about is fighting in a place you don't know. How anxious it is - Odette understands well now.

So I was preparing tea and sweets, hoping that Odette-sama would come.
I was.
Oh, it's just a coincidence. I was hoping to have some tea and sweets at the same time.

　Odette laughed and turned to Martha and Remy, closing one eye.

Then I will tell you the whole story of the incident. During the battle, Yuki and I had a lot of conversations through the "King's Horse". I'll tell Martha and Remy about it as well.
Are you sure? Dear Odette.
I've been wanting to talk to someone about it.

　I just wanted to brag about Yuki to someone else.
　I couldn't do that with old Zamel.
　But with Martha and Remy, there's no need to hold back.

　How did Yuki come to the rescue?
　How strong Yuki was.
　And how Yuki - the fact that he didn't even step back from the foreign princess, and in the end, drove his opponent to complete defeat. Oh yeah, that guy said the reason for fighting was "to protect the royal capital where Martha and Remy are". I'll have to tell you that too.
　I'm sure Martha and Remy would be very pleased to hear that.
　Thinking about that, Odette's heart felt warm and fuzzy.
　It's very soothing.
　It's as if this is the place for you to be yourself

Well, it's a long story, isn't it?　Are you two ready to go?
Yes. It's nice to meet you. Mr. Odette.
Thank you, Miss Odette!

　Odette was led by Martha and Remy to the dining room of the quarters.
　So, the three of them began to talk about the incident while drinking tea.
　It was a story about a battle, which is not appropriate for the tea table, but...

Really, Yuki, you talk to me across the distance all of a sudden. I was so surprised.
Dear Odette it's nice.
Remy, I want to talk to Aruji-san too!
Now, now, that's all right. So, Yuki, you know...

　It was a very calming ... and a very tender time for Odette and the others.