In the audience chamber of the royal palace, the king, the third princess Morena, and many nobles were present.
After the other audiences had concluded, and just as the final person, the girl in question, was left, Morena sat beside the king, and preparations were complete.
Initially, they considered having a private meeting in a separate room, but to avoid any trouble, they decided to introduce the girl to everyone, as they intended to place her in the princess's circle and make use of her in the future.
"Viscount Ascam and his daughter, enter!"
At the usher's call, the viscount and his daughter, Priscilla, hurriedly entered the audience chamber.
They proceeded forward and knelt on one knee, bowing their heads.
The two were elated.
Yesterday, a messenger from the castle had suddenly arrived, saying, "The third princess wishes to invite the daughter of the Viscount Ascam to the royal palace and would like to be friends with her."
A friend of the princess.
Not just a connection to the royal palace, but a powerful link that could even reach the prince or the king directly. There was even a possibility that the prince might take a liking to her.
Though it was unclear where she had been noticed, it was possible that the fourth prince, who had just entered the academy this year, had requested it.
Thinking about this, the two of them began to dream bigger and bigger.
"Raise your heads."
At the king's words, the viscount and his daughter, Priscilla, raised their heads with sparkling eyes.
The king looked at the third princess, Morena.
However, Morena had a puzzled look on her face and said nothing.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"Ah, yes, who is she?"
"Huh? The daughter of Viscount Ascam is right there."
"Eh, I don't know who she is..."
The attendees began to murmur, sensing some kind of mistake. The viscount and his daughter were bewildered.
"Where is Bergl?"
"He, he left the waiting room in a hurry after going there."
The king's question was answered by a guard with a troubled expression.
"Your Majesty, may I speak?"
"Huh? Baron Bonham, very well, you may speak."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
At the sudden request for permission to speak, the king allowed it, thinking the baron might know something.
Baron Bonham then asked Priscilla, the daughter of Viscount Ascam.
"Miss, where is your mother now?"
"My mother is at the Ascam family's capital residence..."
"Hmm... Then, is your beautiful blonde hair inherited from your mother?"
"Yes, that's right..."
Priscilla answered, though she didn't understand the meaning behind the question.
"My wife has been friends with the daughter of the Ascam family since her days at Ardrey Academy. When we received news of the birth of a daughter twelve years ago, my wife and I visited the Ascam family. The baby we saw then had silky silver hair, inherited from her mother...
And the mother passed away in an accident three years ago. I found this strange..."
"That's not one of ours!"
Suddenly, Priscilla shouted loudly.
"A daughter from a previous marriage is unnecessary in our Ascam family! That's why I banned her from using the family name and expelled her from the family! And yet..."
The viscount hurriedly tried to cover Priscilla's mouth, but it was too late.
"Perhaps it is the father's right to treat his daughter as he wishes, but in this case, there is a problem," Baron Bonham continued.
"Earlier, I said, 'My wife has been friends with the daughter of the Ascam family since her days at Ardrey Academy.' This means the viscount is a son-in-law, an adopted son. The only one who carries the Ascam blood is the daughter of the previous wife, who was expelled."
"Usurpation!"
"Family takeover! The lowest act for a noble!"
"A crime worthy of the death penalty!"
The audience chamber erupted with accusations.
The viscount's face turned pale.
"What do you have to say, Viscount Ascam!"
The king's voice was stern. Everyone fell silent, waiting for the viscount's explanation.
However, the viscount remained silent, refusing to answer.
After a tense silence, the door to the audience chamber opened, and a knight entered.
"Oh, Bergl! What has happened!"
At the king's words, Bergl took a letter from his pocket and explained.
"I went to the waiting room where the girl was supposed to be, but I found an unknown girl. Suspecting a mistake, I rushed to the school she attends.
It turns out the girl has been missing since this morning, and four letters were left behind.
Three were ordinary letters to classmates and teachers, but the one addressed to her close friends contained detailed information. I borrowed this letter on the condition that I would return it, as it might be useful."
"Tell me the contents."
The king ordered, looking at the letter in Bergl's hand.
"Yes. In summary, it says that despite being banned from using the family name, someone is calling her by it and trying to take her to the royal palace. If that happens, she will be killed like her mother and grandfather. She is running away but will live happily in a small town, so not to worry."
"Killed like her mother and grandfather?"
The king's voice rumbled, and Baron Bonham answered.
"The previous Viscount Ascam and his daughter were attacked by bandits, but it was the only such incident in the area. Moreover, it happened to the previous viscount and his daughter, a rare combination.
My wife suspected foul play, but without evidence, she couldn't accuse another family. She still harbors resentment..."
The viscount's face had turned white.
"Lock those two up! Send a detachment to the viscount's residence immediately and arrest the second wife. Reinvestigate the case of the previous viscount and his daughter. Anyone who has been negligent or taken bribes will be considered an accomplice.
The Ascam territory will be directly administered by the king until the legitimate successor is ready to take over.
Bergl, find the legitimate successor. Follow the girl; a half-day's delay shouldn't be a problem. Use as many people as you need. Protect her at all costs, and treat her with respect.
Everyone, move!"
The king's swift orders sent the relevant personnel rushing out of the audience chamber.
The nobles, surprised by the king's decisive action, felt a renewed respect for him, though none noticed the king's inner turmoil.
After all the nobles had left the audience chamber:
"Father, that person..."
"Don't say it..."
In response to the third princess's question, the king held his head in his hands.
(Please, Bergl, find her...)
Twelve days later, in a provincial city of a country far from the kingdom.
A building with a sign depicting a shield, crossed spears, a sword, and a staff.
...It was not a blacksmith or a weapon shop.
It was the "Hunter's Guild."
A single girl stood before it.
The pouch she carried contained three gold coins, which she used to buy a jacket, trousers, leather boots, and a leather chest plate.
She also purchased a cheap, used sword from a barrel.
Ordinary swords would break easily when she used them seriously, so she had to modify it.
She bought a slightly shorter sword due to her build and had nanomachines collect iron sand from the riverbank to process it. Iron sand is the raw material for Japanese swords and high-quality tamahagane.
She gave simple instructions for the sword's creation, bypassing the usual craftsmanship.
(Make it hard to break and hard to bend. The edge should be normal. I'll leave the uniformity of the material and the optimal carbon content to you! And if you can use mithril, adamantite, orichalcum, or any other amazing metals, that's fine too! But it should look like a normal sword!)
And thus, the mysterious sword was created.
Its true nature was unclear even to the girl herself.
She didn't make everything from scratch because imagining the hilt and scabbard and preparing the materials seemed too difficult, and she wanted it to look normal.
She was ready to hunt monsters.
The girl opened the door to the Hunter's Guild and walked in.