Chapter 153

Chapter 153

In the end, I couldn’t find any telltale clues that might lead me to the Demon Lord .

Despite talking to both the villagers and those involved in the temple’s renovation, I still ended up empty handed .

Ending the day and coming back to the fort with my shoulders slumped, I decided to do my best tomorrow .

But seeing the snow that blew along with the heavy howling wind across the earth had left me standing dumbfounded in a daze .

Today’s weather report: Heavy Snowstorm . It was said to be a rare sight even in a remote region this far north .

O’ God, did this little lamb do something wrong?

“Needless to say, you are prohibited from going outside today . ”

The man who stood beside me at the window while conversing in a clerical tone was none other than Vice-Commander Isaac Walter .

His expression was that of a Noh mask, but despite that, I somehow felt relieved hearing him essentially tell me ‘Don’t be a burden . ’

Don’t worry .

Even I, who is infamous for being reckless, have no desire to stupidly venture out in the middle of a snowstorm .

“Yes, I plan to quietly stay inside for today . ”

“Then all is well . ”

Vice-Commander Walter replied simply as he shifted his gaze from the window back to me .

“The commander won’t return until tomorrow, so if you have any questions, feel free to direct them to me . ”

“Is the commander perhaps not on duty today?”

“It seems his wife has suddenly fallen ill . ”

“Eh!?”

When I raised my face in surprise, Vice-Commander Walter merely shared with me a brief glance .

His eyes swam away for a moment, but he eventually dropped his line of sight and let out a sigh .

“I’ve heard before that her health tends to worsen under rough weather . It is something that happens quite often, so I wouldn’t worry about it too much . ”

“Is that so…”

It was true that many people were more prone to fall ill during bad weather . In fact, in my previous life, I often get headaches whenever the air pressure changed .

Is she really all right…? I’m a bit worried for her . Would she be able to withstand the cold that’s attacking her weak body?

Once we’re done with this Demon Lord stuff, I’d like to ask Wolf if he could take a look . Maybe she simply had a frail body that no doctor could cure, but I would still like to consult him anyway .

“Once everything calms down, let’s go visit her . ”

I was unsure if he realised what I was fretting over, but Sir Leonhard suggested what I was thinking all the same . I nodded in agreement, and seemingly without thinking, he reached over to ruffle my hair before suddenly stopping . Maybe he did so because of our time pretending to be siblings . After remembering he was no longer “Brother” at this moment in time, he carefully retracted his hand .  Cute! What is this? I can’t- My vocabulary engine just malfunctioned .

“As long as you are within the walls of the fort, you are free to go wherever you wish . Please call for me if anything happens . ”

Vice-Commander Walter continued while ignoring our recent exchanges .

It’s fine being told to do whatever we want, but to wander around the place when people are working is a bit… I wonder if I can read a book quietly instead? What if…

“If there’s anything I can help you with…”

“No, thank you . ”

My modest query was shot down in seconds .

Of course . I knew it .

As I stood there letting out a dry laugh and completely being dismissed by Vice-Commander Walter, he glanced over towards Sir Leonard with a look that told me he had something in mind .

“Commander Olsen, if you’d like, how about overseeing the soldiers’ training? There are a handful of young men kicking up a fuss these past few days saying they want to meet you . I would appreciate it if you were to instruct them with strict guidance and teach them what the real world tastes like . ”

“I don’t mind, but…”

Sir Leonhard turned my way with his brows furrowed as if he was troubled on what to do . Being my escort, he probably thought it would be impossible to leave me all by myself .

That was when I thought of it .  A wonderful plan that would let Sir Leonhard carry out his missions and satisfy my wishes at the same time .

“I also wish to go . ”

“No, you cannot . ”

My request was rejected again in a matter of seconds, and I didn’t know why .

Sir Leonhard’s brows furrowed even further as he told me no straight to my face .

“It may be a mock battle with blunt swords, but even a hit from a single swing can still hurt . It is too dangerous . ”

I absolutely don’t wanna lose this chance of witnessing Sir Leonhard being cool, but I also understand how overprotective he can be . When he’s like this, getting him to agree won’t be an easy task .

“While Commander Olsen oversees the training, I shall be with Her Highness . ”

“…You will?”

I was stunned . I didn’t expect Vice-Commander Walter of all people to be the one to back me up .

“But since I also have my own duties to perform, Her Highness shall remain with me in my office . Is that acceptable?”

“Of course . ”

With that exchange, Sir Leonhard was now heading towards the training grounds . As for me, I stayed with Vice-Commander Walter in his study .

His clean and neatly organised study matched up with his strict personality . There was little furniture: a bookshelf, an office desk, and a reception set . But curiously, it didn’t feel bare .

“Please make yourself comfortable . You can read any books on the shelf as you please . ”

Vice-Commander Walter glanced over my way, who was still in a daze, and picked up a pile of documents laying on his desk . He then started running his pen across it silently without paying me any concern .

Looks like he intended to really leave me to my own devices . It’s easier this way, anyhow .

I approached the bookshelf and scanned the titles of all the lined up books .

There were a wide variety of categories, from books on military strategy and tactics to things such as maps, history, and medicine . However, it looked like entertainment-oriented books like novels were nowhere to be seen .

As I was sliding my index finger across the spines of the books, I suddenly found one I was interested in and stopped my finger on it .

The one I pulled out had a different cover colour than the others . It was merely a bunch of paper crudely sandwiched between even thicker paper, all held together by strings pierced through holes made in each layer, just like that . It was the work of an amateur rather than that of a skilled artisan’s .

I hesitated on opening it, fearing it might be someone’s diary or important reports .

“I did say you can read any books that you wish to read . ”

Words were thrown my way as if my feelings were completely transparent to see . However, when I looked back towards the Vice-Commander, his eyes were in fact not directed this way .

His gaze remained on a piece of document in his hands .

“It’s a collection of folktales from the northeastern region of Nebel . I don’t know if it will entertain you, but if you’d like, please help yourself . ”

“Folktales!”

Heh~! Now this looks interesting .

I wanna compare this to a map, or maybe history books would be good too .

“I will gladly read it!”

As I was excitedly pulling out various maps and history books from the shelves, I felt a gaze on me . Looking back over my shoulder, Vice-Commander Walter, who couldn’t take his eyes off his work a moment ago, was now staring at me .

I was left feeling a little perplexed when he stared at me with a mixture of surprise and confusion .

Eh? He told me I could read whatever I want, right? So what’s with that weird look he’s giving me?

Is it a social etiquette thing? Should I have read the atmosphere like when they ask for pickled vegetables in Kyoto? No, no, no, I don’t know what you’re talking about . I’m reading this because you said I could! If I’m not supposed to, then you should’ve said so from the start! Hmph!

I shelved my thoughts while making excuses in my heart . I couldn’t possibly say them out loud, and was having cold sweats running down my back .

“S-Should I not have…?”

When I squeezed that out in a shaky voice, Vice-Commander Walter snapped back to his senses as if a switch had been flipped, shook his head, and said, ‘No, it’s nothing . ’

“Like I have said earlier, you can read whatever you wish to read… Your pick was just a little unexpected, is all . ”

“Unexpected?”

“Frankly, I reckoned you wouldn’t actually want to read it . I didn’t think the contents would be of interest to a princess . ”

Ah, I see now .

So he means that I can read it, but it wouldn’t be something that I’d find interesting anyway and wouldn’t?

“Personally, to me, I think it is something very fascinating . ”

“…What do you intend to do with all those maps and history books?”

“Folktales often reflect regional characteristics and historical backgrounds in the forms of lessons being passed down, so I thought it would be interesting to compare them . ”

Although I answered him honestly, my voice became smaller as my answer dragged on . I noticed this while I was saying it .

‘Is it really weird to enjoy stuff like this, after all?’ I thought .

But it wasn’t my hobby or anything .

It’s just that I have to use this to help me find the Demon Lord, you see! Honest!

…In my previous life, I was the kind of highschool girl to wander around a city with a map in hand . I was told by a friend that the hobby was a dying breed . However, there existed a sort of touring event with like-minded people, so I’d love to think I wasn’t the only one left .

Vice-Commander Walter kept silent for a moment .

“Please wait . ”

He said and then headed for the exit . He looked back over once more and demanded, ‘Please don’t leave this room until I come back, understood?’

It has been a few minutes since .

Vice-Commander Walter eventually returned with various materials in both hands . A bunch of paper was placed in front of me, where I had been waiting on the edge of a sofa seat .

He arranged the documents besides me on the desk, who was now completely baffled .

“What I have currently is rather crude . These here are detailed copies of the stories . They have been roughly categorised by region . The numbers on the right refers to specific elements multiple tales were based on . Written on this paper over here are the number notation and their corresponding subject, so please cross-reference them . ”

I held my breath, amazed .

It was a short explanation, but despite that, it was so clear and concise! Or so my thoughts wandered off .

When I peered closely at the Vice-Commander’s face, although he was still as expressionless as ever, I could feel a slight shimmer in his eyes .

He didn’t seem to have noticed my gaze and proceeded to open another big sheet of paper that was folded into a square .

“This map shows the locations of the numbers assigned to each subject from earlier . If you wish to know more about the terrain, please refer to this . It’s full of my handwriting, so it’s just for my own convenience, but if you don’t mind…”

“T-Thank you very much!”

I was dumbfounded, but when I eventually managed to say my gratitude, his gaze finally met with mine .

I remembered his reaction very clearly .

It’s that . A person who had finally found a comrade in arms who shared the same niche hobby . A nerdy hobby at that . You rarely ever meet someone like that, so you’ll be so happy and end up speaking very fast . Also, you would want to tell them that you’re also obsessed with this stuff, but ultimately won’t say it because you’re afraid you’ll overwhelm them . I get it . And once you’re done talking, you’d return to face them and get all embarrassed . I truly get it .

“…I will take my time carefully reading all of it . ”

I said with a smile, and Vice-Commander Walter only gave a small nod in return .

Although he was still as expressionless as ever, I think I could see some red on his cheeks .