It was in the 457th year of the Kingdom’s calendar that they suffered the invasion of the great eastern power, the Elslen Holy Empire.
In the Albeland Kingdom, the King had been suffering from a serious illness for several years, and a royal succession crisis had erupted as a result. The current king himself had only recently ascended the throne. The young King of Albeland, afflicted with an incurable illness, nominated not his younger brother Gildanstein, but his own young child—Princess Crexenta—for the throne.
Naturally, it was the King’s younger brother, Gildanstein, who opposed this. Gildanstein asserted that his claim to the throne was legitimate. His succession to the throne was correct according to the rights of succession, and from the perspective of royal court order, it was an entirely sound argument. However, the King of Albeland refused. The reason lay in Gildanstein’s wicked habits.
Gildanstein used the prestige of the royal family to disgrace women of lower nobility and, for his own amusement, mercilessly killed slaves—who, though not officially recognized, existed within the kingdom. The King of Albeland’s words, stating that Gildanstein could not fulfill the duties of a king, garnered much support. Nevertheless, regardless of his conduct, Gildanstein was originally the legitimate first in line to the throne. Many were reluctant to break this rule, and many also harbored concerns about Crexenta’s youth—she was only eleven years old. The royal court was split in two.
At this rate, a civil war would be unavoidable. The King gathered influential figures and convened an Electoral Council, attempting to decide the next king by its resolution. However, Gildanstein’s side, being numerically disadvantaged, boycotted the council to prevent it from convening, employing delaying tactics.
Seizing this opportunity, the Elslen Holy Empire renounced the peace treaty. Leading a grand army of one hundred thousand, they invaded the eastern part of the kingdom.
The Albeland Kingdom, its central command paralyzed, lost Eastern General Carmeda. Its eastern territories were swiftly ravaged, and it lost the initiative. The fierce general Dagrein-Garka, who rushed from the south, and the northern general nicknamed “Swiftbolt”—Baughan-Chrishtand—succeeded in halting the invasion, but the kingdom’s central command remained paralyzed. The Albeland Kingdom was in dire straits.
Crishet, who was giving swordsmanship instruction at the training grounds while also in the midst of her officer training, would also, as if swallowed by this great current of events, set off for the battlefield where Baughan was.
“Only two candies a day. You mustn’t eat too many just because your mouth feels lonely. They’ll be gone in no time.”
“I-I won’t eat them… Crishet isn’t that much of a glutton, you know.”
At the gate of the mansion, Crishet, her cheeks flushed red, received a small pouch packed full of sweets from Berry.
Crishet had grown somewhat taller and was transitioning from a child to an adult. Although she had grown, she was still petite; her chest had developed a little, and her waist had a curve. Her slender limbs were long, and her features had become more refined. However, her large eyes made her appearance seem youthful, making her seem more like a young girl than a woman. Her long, shimmering silver hair, with its beauty, increasingly dispelled any sense of reality. She had come to possess an even more fairy-like, fantastical, and bewitching charm than before.
Over a simple black and silver-themed one-piece dress, she wore a dark green cloak that enveloped her. Her shoulder bag was packed with light meals and a water flask. At her waist, she carried one small curved sword and two knives. She wore no armor of any kind.
This time, she wasn’t heading out at the army’s request. This was because Baughan-sama was opposed to bringing a young girl, however talented, to the battlefield. Selene had strongly wished to go, and Baughan-sama had relented, allowing her to accompany him, but Crishet, naturally, had no such enthusiasm. Since war meant Baughan-sama and Selene could be in danger, she had hesitated somewhat, but in the end, Selene had persuaded her to stay at the mansion, saying, ‘You should stay behind and protect Berry.’
Public order deteriorates during wartime. Even a mansion far from the battlefield wasn’t guaranteed to be safe, and if told to stay and protect Berry, Crishet had no choice but to comply. However, this area was originally a royal demesne with good public order. In this town of Gaergein, the riots she had worried about hadn’t occurred. It was just as peaceful as it had been weeks before the war began—Crishet had been thoroughly enjoying a life of cooking to her heart’s content with Berry at the mansion.
Her reason for leaving the mansion this time wasn’t due to any particular incident; it was simply to deliver letters. For ordinary items, she could have entrusted them to the army’s logistics unit. But as nobles, there were naturally matters that the head of the house himself had to personally review and make decisions on. Matters concerning the territories entrusted to the Chrishtand family’s management were such examples.
In this country, which practiced absolute monarchy, the King possessed absolute power, and nobles were military personnel and government officials. Naturally, all land in the kingdom was the King’s property, but when entrusted with the management of that land, it was not uncommon for a region within it to be temporarily loaned to them. They were entrusted with its administration, much of the profit generated from it was given to the loaned noble, and being entrusted with a fief itself was a status symbol for nobles.
However, managing a fief didn’t always generate profit, and naturally, various troubles also arose. The letters contained information regarding large transactions in the fief and the handling of borrowed funds. Letters with such content absolutely could not fall into the wrong hands; even just being seen by others would be a serious matter. Even for a well-disciplined army, such documents could not be mixed with other papers and sent to the war front.
Normally, one would use their own servants or someone close to them. In other words, it was logical for either Berry or Crishet to go.
There was also the option of Baughan-sama entrusting them to a reliable soldier, but due to the current turmoil, those soldiers were busy attending to Baughan-sama, so that wasn’t possible. If it were a training expedition, they would know when he would return home, so waiting until then would be an option. But this was a real war.
The letters were just piling up. It was decided that it would be best to take them all at once around this time. After a discussion with Berry, it was settled that Crishet, who could protect herself if need be, would go.
Berry also had some knowledge of self-defense, but to Crishet, it was as good as nothing. Since Berry was comely, there were great concerns about sending her to an area where public order was disrupted. Crishet, for her part, also wanted to check on Baughan-sama and Selene, so she persuaded Berry, who was very reluctant to let Crishet go.
“I know you are strong, Crishet-sama, but if you sense danger, please prioritize your own safety above all else. Don’t go poking your nose into strange affairs if something happens, alright?”
“Yes.”
“And also, the last candy in that pouch is mine. Please make sure to bring it back and let me eat it.”
Crishet, who had just popped a candy into her mouth, was surprised by the sudden words and checked the pouch.
“Eh, um, which one is it…?”
“Eh? Ah… fufu, that’s not what I meant. It’s a sort of charm to ensure you come back safely. Please make sure you bring it back, okay?”
“…? Um, yes.”
Feeling as if the contents of the pouch had slightly diminished, she reluctantly nodded.
“…Well then, it should be about time. You’ll be late for the carriage.”
“You’re right. Well then, Berry, you take care too.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll polish my cooking skills even more by the time you return, Crishet-sama.”
“That’s, ugh…”
She still couldn’t catch up to Berry’s cooking skills. Berry smiled at Crishet, who looked downcast at the thought of the gap widening further.
“Fufu, when you come back safely, I’ll teach you a new recipe. Let’s cook together again.”
“Yes. I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
“Yes, please come back quickly. It’s lonely being by myself.”
Saying that, Berry brushed aside the hair on Crishet’s forehead, kissed it, then stepped back a little and smiled.
“I’ll be waiting for your return.”
“…Yes.”
Crishet also returned the smile.
Using an army communication carriage, she moved to a logistics base. After that, she joined a baggage train and headed for the front lines.
The journey was approximately seven days. On the fifth day, she completed the leg of the journey from Gaergein in the northern Albeland Kingdom and entered a logistics base established just before the Great Forest, located in the kingdom’s northeast. From there, she boarded a carriage of the baggage train and departed for the front lines.
It happened during a short rest around the time the sun began to set on the sixth day. The soldiers accompanying her until the fifth day were men who had seen Crishet many times, and they knew what kind of person she was. Therefore, no one spoke to Crishet as she sat with a generous pile of blankets cushioning her seat, gazing at the scenery; it was quiet—but from the sixth day, both the carriage and its personnel changed. Most of them knew her only through rumors.
Though adopted, she was a general’s daughter. Along with Selene, who had begun to display military talent as if to rival Crishet, word about her had spread, albeit faintly, among the soldiers.
Because Crishet had a selective nature, Bohgan was reluctant to present her publicly, and she had not yet made any appearances in high society. Therefore, while not as renowned as Selene, who was known as the valiant and beautiful general’s daughter, rumors about Crishet, originating from the training grounds, were quietly circulating.
They said she was a woman like a fiend, with a body tougher than an average man, or a monster that would make even veteran soldiers’ legs tremble at the sight of her. Most of these rumors were slightly different from the truth. Only the tales of Crishet’s extraordinary swordsmanship preceded her.
The reason for this was that those who had actually faced her were unwilling to speak of Crishet’s delicate and lovely appearance. Their opponent had been a slender, dainty, fairy-like girl. No one would want to broadcast their shame of being utterly thrashed by such an individual. Instead, descriptions of her as a “cold-blooded, terrifying monster” were what circulated, with the truth of her appearance deliberately obscured. As these accounts passed from person to person, the rumors transformed.
Therefore, when Crishet showed the lightning and hawk family crest sewn onto her cloak and introduced herself as Crishet Chrishtand, every soldier looked at her with a puzzled expression. It was due to these circumstances that those who had been watching Crishet from a distance finally began to speak to her around dusk.
“Yes. Though I am adopted…”
She was sure it had been explained that she was his daughter before they boarded, so why were they asking such a question now? Crishet tilted her head, and combined with her appearance, it was a truly adorable gesture. When one of them spoke to Crishet, who was sitting in the shade of a tree, the others around also turned their keen interest towards her.
The soldier wore a leather cuirass, gauntlets, and greaves. In his left hand was a buckler, and at his waist, a short sword less than two shaku long. Below the kingdom’s crest engraved on his chest—a sword with its tip pointing skyward—a hanging black cloth indicated he was a Corporal. Leather armor was resistant to blows, and a dull sword couldn’t cut it. Against spears, the wax-hardened leather would cause the spearhead to slide off. What the man wore was a relatively high-quality item, likely his own rather than standard issue.
Those ranked Sergeant Major or above, commanding fifty or more men, had to provide their own equipment. Conversely, those below that rank were not permitted free choice of equipment, as it could affect disciplined conduct, and were, in principle, required to wear standard issue. However, as long as the equipment was similar in form to the issued items, there was no particular problem. It was common for those born into merchant families to purchase good quality equipment themselves and join the army. He, too, might have come from a relatively wealthy family.
“My, I never imagined the General’s daughter would be so beautiful! Everyone is delighted to be accompanying you, Crishet-sama.”
A soldier clad in armor. What would be the most suitable way to kill him? Crishet, who had been vaguely searching for its weak points while looking at the high-quality hardened leather, answered his words for the time being.
“…? Yes, thank you. I am also grateful to be allowed to ride in the carriage.”
“I can’t say the journey is entirely without danger, but please rest assured. We will protect you with our lives.”
“Hah…”
That was their job. She wondered why he was explaining something so obvious now, but nodded, thinking it didn’t really matter. More pressing was the hunger attacking her. She had already digested her two candies for the day, so she had no choice but to endure it.
Magic wielders broke down food taken into their bodies and converted it into magical power. Crishet, who had been fed cookies and the like by Berry between lunch and dinner almost daily, had already developed a body accustomed to snacking. The food in her body had already been converted to magical power, leaving her stomach and intestines empty. Especially at this time, around dusk, her hunger was unbearable. During a journey where opportunities to bathe and clean oneself were limited, a body that didn’t need to excrete waste was an advantage, but the hunger that made her feel as if her stomach was sticking to her back was quite hard to bear. Crishet, though not showing it on her face, was tormented by hunger and quietly asked.
“…Is it almost time to make camp?”
“Yes, we’ll reach an open area shortly, so we’ll make camp there.”
A supply train of several dozen carriages. Suitable places for camping were limited. They should have camped before entering the forest, she mused, but as a mere passenger, she couldn’t very well interfere. Just then, her stomach rumbled with a guu.
Crishet’s cheeks flushed, and the soldier, after his eyes widened, gave a wry smile.
“Eh, ah, that was…”
“Hahaha, so that’s why you asked about camping. Please wait a moment.”
The soldier ran to a nearby carriage and returned with a small, hard-baked loaf of bread.
“Here you go. I can’t say it’s delicious by any stretch, but it should help take your mind off things.”
“Yes…”
All eyes focused on Crishet as she accepted it, her cheeks flushed. Growing increasingly embarrassed, the temptation was nonetheless considerable. Since I’ve accepted it, I suppose I have to eat it—Crishet, easily casting her reason aside, popped a torn piece of bread into her small mouth, her expression covered in shame. Given her hunger, she wanted to bite right into it, but her sense of aesthetics barely stopped her. The way she smoothly popped pieces into her small mouth revealed her hunger to the soldiers even more than if she had bitten into it directly, but Crishet herself didn’t realize this.
Rumors really are unreliable, the man thought, looking at the girl. He had noticed Crishet carried a small curved sword, but no one paid it much mind, assuming it was for self-defense. More than that, captivated by her beauty and charm, many of them found opportunities to talk to her that night. And this continued the next day. That night, as expected, and the next morning and noon, her soup was served with an extra portion, and she received two loaves of bread. A while after noon, before Crishet could say anything, she was handed bread and the leftover cold soup. Crishet felt like dying of embarrassment over this, but thinking, I can’t help what I’m given, she somehow managed to eat it all without complaint.
The day before the last day of their journey, during which she had been treated with such consideration—the incident occurred at dusk.