ch41-ch60 · 060-ch59

Chapter 59: Discrepancy

"Yes, it's true... I killed Satchio. At that time, I—left him there. I let him die."

"How dare you speak so shamelessly!!"

Green Knight Chartreuse, yielding to anger, swings her raised Emerald Star Sword straight down.

But two shadow blades extending from beneath Rokuro's feet cross and stop the sword just before impact.

"If only you hadn't tried breaking taboo to cross to this world, Satchio-san wouldn't have died! I will clear Satchio-san's regret—the regret of failing to stop you!!"

A whirlwind stirs around the caught greatsword, slashing at the Black Claws like a kamaitachi wind cutter.

But simultaneously, multiple Black Claws shoot out from the shadows again, forcing Chartreuse to jump backward to dodge them.

"It's true I left him and crossed worlds, but Satchio wasn't trying to stop me! We were both trying to cross through the mirror together!"

"That can't be right! Satchio-san... Satchio-san would never leave Blue Knight-sama behind and try returning to Limilaru!!"

"...!?"

Chartreuse swings the Emerald Star Sword horizontally from a distance. The blade wraps in wind, and the sword strike flies toward Rokuro as a wind blade.

"Black Wings!!"

Matching Rokuro's movement as he raises his left arm diagonally, the shadow transforms like a wing, wrapping around his body and deflecting the wind blade.

"Ugh!... As expected, Black Knight's shadow power. Even so... I will win!"

"Wait, Charru!"

Rokuro calls out to Chartreuse as she tries to stir up wind again.

"Calling me by my nickname to beg for your life, now that it's come to this!?"

"No! It's about the princess. Don't you know?"

'Princess'—hearing that, Chartreuse stops moving while holding her sword in a middle guard.

"What are you talking about? The princess... Blue Knight-sama Iris passed away fourteen years ago! After her beloved Satchio-san was stolen from you, she died in despair...!"

Chartreuse bites her lip, looking frustrated.

Currently, the only princess of Ceylo Kingdom is Sian, but Sian had an older sister.

The first princess of the Ceylo royal family, chosen by the Blue Bird and the Blue Knight. That was Iris=Ceylo=Uotermeer.

Naturally, Rokuro also knew Iris well.

But something about Chartreuse's story doesn't add up. There's a sense of unease—the timeline seems wrong.

'—What's this? Setting aside me and Satchio, why is the princess's death date being misreported to Charru? The princess was already dead before I crossed worlds...'

When sending an assassin after Rokuro, there would be no reason to conceal or change the date of Iris's death.

But for some reason, his instincts told him there was significant meaning in it.

"Listen, Charru! Satchio didn't intend to leave the princess behind. He was planning to take her with us!"

"To think you'd keep lying to the very end! The Prime Minister would never say such falsehoods!"

Without stopping, Chartreuse closes in again and thrusts with her greatsword.

Rokuro manages to deflect it using 'Black Wings'.

"Prime Minister!? You weren't sent by the Underz leader!?"

"How many people could possibly be able to give orders to the Seven Knights!"

The Seven Knights, who stand at the pinnacle of the Kingdom's knight order. In wartime it's one thing, but in peacetime, those who can command them are limited. That would be the King, the Prime Minister, or perhaps a direct knight commander at most.

'Prime Minister... Why would the Prime Minister conceal the princess's death?'

"Opening!!"

Not missing Rokuro's momentary confusion, the greatsword wrapped in swirling wind strikes Black Wings directly with a horizontal sweep from a middle stance.

"Gugh!"

Unable to deflect and taking the hit head-on, Rokuro is knocked back by the force, sliding across the ground.

He crashes into the green wall at full speed before finally stopping.

"Damn it...!?"

Rising immediately to one knee, what flies into Rokuro's eyes is Chartreuse, sword at the ready, closing in on him... and beyond her.

It was Ai pounding on the opposite wall, and a figure approaching from behind her.

"Ai!!!"

　　―　◆　―

"Papa!!"

Seeing Papa blown away with such force, I can't help slamming both hands against the wall.

Everyone else, who can't see inside, is surprised by my outburst, but this is no time for that. How I can see inside, or whether Papa's identity will be exposed—I don't have time to worry about that.

"Papa!!"

I call out again in a loud voice.

What should I do, Papa, if he's hurt... oh, he's moving, trying to stand up. Thank goodness, he's okay.

《Ai!!!》

Huh, this isn't the time to worry about me—need to focus on the lady right in front...

　　　CRASH!!

"Eh?"

Suddenly a loud sound behind me.

Startled, I turn around to see—wow, a black-haired lady standing really close! Oh, the beautiful person fighting with Papa who was together with us in the shopping district.

For some reason, she's reaching straight for me with her right hand—and Shudo-san is grabbing that arm. Eh, aggressively hitting on someone at a time like this?

"You... my hand blade..."

"Hoo, dangerous dangerous. I thought she wouldn't attack near Shirakawa-san's father, but she was watching for an opening. Pretty skilled. ...But, I'm not impressed with harming ordinary civilians."

While still holding the black-haired lady's arm, Shudo-san kept smiling the whole time.

But at the very end, he glared sharply.