After leaving the imperial capital branch of the demi-human guild, I got into a carriage with Fiene.
Fiene is wearing a cloak for disguise.
Seeing this, I fell into thought.
"Is something wrong?"
"Fiene... are you okay with small children?"
"Um... d-do you mean your own children!?"
Fiene asked, looking somewhat nervous.
I wonder what kind of misunderstanding she's having.
"No, no. I mean, are you okay with regular small children playing around?"
"Oh, I see... in that case, I'm fine! I mean, it's not that I'm fine with my own children or anything!"
"I understand. Can we make a quick detour then?"
"Huh... a detour?"
"Yeah, I thought I'd go see an old acquaintance."
Saying that, I told the servant our destination.
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The imperial capital is centered around the Imperial Sword Castle, with a vast town spreading out in a circular shape.
The town is divided into several layers, with the outer layers being home to the poorer residents.
I headed to the outermost layer, where there was a small sword dojo.
"Where are we?"
"It's a dojo run by an old acquaintance. He teaches swordsmanship to the children in the outermost layer for free."
"For free?"
"Most people in the outermost layer struggle with money. The quickest way out is to get strong. But they can't afford to learn swordsmanship. So people from the outermost layer teach them various things for free."
As I explained, I peeked into the dojo through the window.
Fiene followed my gaze.
Inside,
"Take this!"
"Ahchooo!"
"Whoa!"
"Smack!"
"Idiots! Hey! Cut it out! Just because the sticks are soft doesn't mean you can go wild!"
"...Bullying?"
"No, they're just playing around with the kids..."
In the dojo, a man was being beaten up by several children.
He had bright brown hair and eyes, and a scar from his cheek to his neck, giving him a somewhat tough look. However, seeing him surrounded by children softened that impression.
His name is Guy. He was a childhood friend I used to play with a lot.
Now he works as an adventurer and takes care of the children in the outermost layer.
"Teacher, there's someone outside!"
"Hah! No one falls for such a cheap trick! I'm not looking!"
"Ah, you're rolling your eyes... It must be one of your acquaintances!"
"I'm not rolling my eyes because you're stupid!"
"I'm not stupid!"
"Then take a look!"
"You brats... Fine! I'll look!"
Guy's eyes met mine as he looked our way.
He widened his eyes in surprise, but the children behind him were grinning.
It might not be unpleasant, but it's not exactly fun.
One day might be manageable, but dealing with those overly energetic kids almost every day would be exhausting.
In the end, Guy gave each of the unruly children a punch to make them behave before coming over to us.
"Hey! Al! Long time no see!"
"Yeah, you look good. Guy. So... is this okay? They're overwhelming you, aren't they?"
"It's fine, it's fine. Don't underestimate the kids in the outermost layer!"
"I guess that's true..."
The children are a bit younger than Krista.
They're at the age where they're full of energy.
Only boys are in the dojo. The girls might be learning elsewhere.
"But what brings you here suddenly?"
"Well, I was just wondering how you were doing. I haven't seen you in a while, so I was a bit worried."
"Same as always! We're tougher than you guys! We won't go down easily!"
Saying that, Guy showed his arm.
It's the arm of someone who wields a sword. It's toned, but packed with necessary muscles.
He has a few more scars. Even though Guy is a B-rank adventurer, he's probably close to A-rank, but he's not overwhelmingly strong.
"You look good. I'm relieved. But isn't this a sword dojo? This looks more like play."
"It's fine! It starts like this. Attacking the opponent, getting hit back, and feeling pain. That's all they need to learn. Not everyone will become adventurers. Those with talent or dreams will eventually think for themselves. Then I can teach them the finer details."
"Like you?"
"Exactly! Don't underestimate the people from the outermost layer. We don't need formalities like nobles. What we need to teach the kids is that attacking will get you hit back, and that it hurts. Once they understand that, they won't attack recklessly. Pain is something they should learn early. Otherwise, they might end up like the sneaky nobles who bullied you."
"Gido... Yeah, he's a typical example of someone who grew up without knowing pain."
As I chuckled, Guy gestured for me to introduce Fiene.
I muttered, "Ah," and covered Guy's mouth with my hand.
Then I told Fiene to show her face.
"Okay."
"Mmm, mmm!!?"
"Alright, be quiet. There's no point in coming incognito if you're going to make a scene."
As expected, Guy tried to shout in shock.
He probably wanted to yell "Princess Cyan!"
"Wh-What kind of trouble did you bring...!?"
"I didn't bring any trouble. I just came back from a job with Fiene."
"Working with Princess Cyan!? How dare you, Al! I can't forgive this!!"
"Wait... it's... painful..."
"Shut up! Feel the hatred of all the men in the capital!!"
"Gi... give up..."
"Sir... Al is about to faint..."
"Ah, right. But it's okay. He's always on the verge of death, so he's surprisingly tough."
Guy instantly put on a cheerful face and released his grip on my neck.
This guy...
He's really full of himself.
As I thought that, one of the children peeked out of the dojo and ran over to Fiene, hugging her.
Ah, kids at that height are always looking up.
"Beautiful lady!"
"Hey! You! I'm jealous!"
"Hehe! She smells nice. Hey, are you the teacher's girlfriend?"
"Hehe, what do you think?"
Fiene, who was hugged, didn't look annoyed. She stroked the child's hair and said that.
The child, happy to see her smile, clung to Fiene even more.
Seeing this, Guy clenched his teeth in frustration.
"Jealous of a kid...?"
"Shut up! You wouldn't understand how I feel!"
"Come here!"
"Kyaa! Um..."
"It's fine. Play with her."
"O-Okay!"
It seemed Fiene wasn't entirely against it.
She quickly entered the dojo and started getting along with the children.
Seeing the children cling to Fiene, Guy started trembling with jealousy and fear.
"Aaaaah... what should I do... if I don't stop them soon, I'll be beheaded... but I want to see Fiene smile at the children... aaaaah... what should I do... I'm so jealous..."
"Decide whether to be jealous or worried about yourself."
"Probably more worried. I don't want to be beheaded."
"You just strangled a prince. Do you realize that?"
"You're fine. If I applied the law of disrespect to you, Elna would be the first to be caught. So it's okay."
"What kind of logic is that..."
But, this is why our relationship has continued even now.
When we were kids, it was one thing, but as adults, we started to be more aware of our positions.
Even if I was mocked, a prince is still a prince. That's why many of my childhood friends have drifted away.
In that sense, Guy is a valuable presence.
"Memories... Elna was a good rival."
"Two hundred losses and you still call it a rivalry?"
"One hundred and ninety-seven. Don't get it wrong."
"Do you have a thing for that number..."
When we were kids, Guy was like the leader of the outermost layer.
He would come to the middle layers and cause trouble. That's where I met him and Elna.
I think it started when we hid Guy after he stole bread from a bakery. Then Elna found out and beat us both up.
After that, Guy saw Elna as a rival and kept challenging her, only to lose every time.
But that experience made Guy stronger. People from the outermost layer are tough. They never give up.
"So? What's the real reason you came? You didn't just come to check on me, did you?"
"You're sharp. Actually, Leo is investigating the refugee problem in the southern border. I wanted to ask you, as a former refugee, if discrimination is still strong in the border regions."
Guy is a refugee.
His parents were refugees, and he grew up in a discriminatory environment.
That might be the source of his rebellious spirit.
That's why he aimed to be an adventurer, unrelated to being a refugee. Even after the emperor recognized refugees as citizens, discrimination against refugees persisted in the capital for a few years.
"Of course. It's been eleven years since the emperor declared refugees as citizens, right? For me, it's still only eleven years. That's not enough to eliminate discrimination. Especially the nobles' mindset hasn't changed. They've been educated that way."
"...I see. I'm relieved to hear that."
"Relieved?"
"In the southern border, there have been kidnappings targeting refugee villages. If nobles aren't involved, it's not a big enough issue for Leo to handle. But if discrimination is still prevalent and nobles are involved, it's worth Leo's attention. He can solve it, and it's a problem that only he can handle."
"You're still biased towards your brother. Maybe you see him as the crown prince, but people like him are rare. The reduction of discrimination against refugees in the capital is due to him promoting former refugees. He's special... he was special."
"Maybe... but Leo has the same blood as him."
"You do too, right?"
"I'm fine. I am."
As I said that, I chuckled.
In the dojo, Fiene was playing happily with the children.
I brought her along thinking it might be a good break for her, and it seems I was right.
"Ah, right. One of my students is in the castle now. Say hello if you see her."
"Student?"
"A very talented girl. I recommended her for the knight training at the castle. She should be living there and training now."
"Really? What's she like?"
"She's a girl, but she's very noisy. Extremely noisy. You'll see. She's very noisy."
Guy's face was smiling as he said this.
He must really like kids.
In the end, after spending quite some time playing there, Fiene and I left.
This is a bit off the main story.
I wanted to include it somewhere, but this seemed to be the only place.
Everyone loves Princess Sandra, oh, I mean, Krista's story. m(__)m