Chapter 35: Pieced-Together Team

Prinshitt’s expression was far heavier than Ileil had imagined.

Ileil had not asked the question to deliberately make things difficult for the princess.

She recalled the breakfast last week in the reception room, when she and Gro had sat with the princess’s group.

Even Gro had subtly raised the same issue to Prinshitt then.

Everyone else seemed to already know why the princess lacked proper strength.

Only Ileil had remained completely in the dark, like an outsider.

She simply could not understand how Prinshitt had ended up in such an awkward position.

“These are all Father’s requirements.”

Prinshitt lowered her eyes and spoke briefly.

“Father sent me to quell the heretic unrest in Renn Town… precisely to temper me.”

“I see.”

So it was all the king of Aressto’s arrangement.

In that case, Ileil had nothing more to ask.

In her impression, a princess like Prinshitt should have been doted on by the king.

The thought made Ileil involuntarily recall her past entanglements in Aurean, the magic nation south of Aressto, with a certain count’s daughter.

Before becoming a witch, Ileil had been handsome and tall.

That young lady from Aurean had fallen for the male Ileil at first sight.

She had used every possible means to pursue her.

If Gro and the count had not jointly stopped the young lady’s outrageous behavior, Ileil feared she would have truly been pinned down and dragged into the boudoir as a plaything.

Every time she remembered it, Ileil broke into a cold sweat.

In contrast, Prinshitt…

Not only did she have to rise at dawn every day to practice swordsmanship, she also had to rush about constantly chasing clues about the heretics.

Although Prinshitt possessed little ability, Ileil had seen how seriously she worked.

To be fair, aside from that first meeting when Prinshitt had stubbornly insisted Ileil was a witch—which had annoyed her—Prinshitt herself was not someone Ileil disliked.

Originally Ileil had thought Prinshitt and that Aurean young lady were birds of a feather, doomed never to understand each other.

But after a week of interaction, her impression of Prinshitt had changed somewhat.

……

“Your Highness… I only want to say—we had best not act on our own.”

Ileil gazed into Prinshitt’s crimson eyes and continued.

“If I remember correctly, Renn Town’s church is in the eastern suburbs.”

“I worry you will encounter danger.”

“If the enemy comes in force, I fear I cannot guarantee your safe withdrawal.”

“You are the princess of Aressto; behind that identity, countless eyes may be watching you.”

Prinshitt knew Ileil was thinking of her safety…

Yet listening to those words, she only felt unwilling.

The princess fell silent for a moment, her eyes flickering slightly.

Ileil’s words were like a key, prying open a long-sealed box in her heart.

……

Two years ago, the scene of Prinshitt’s coming-of-age ceremony flashed through her mind.

In the resplendent banquet hall, she had worn a gown studded with pearls while her brother placed the silver crown of adulthood upon her head.

At that time Prinshitt had been like a flower in a greenhouse.

She had believed such happy days would last forever.

Until…

Raging flames surged in through the stained-glass windows, guests screaming and scattering in panic.

Her brother had shielded her behind him, drawing his sword to confront the witch laughing wildly before him.

“You still have strength to fight back? As expected of Aressto’s designated heir—Shugus Viseral.”

The powerless Prinshitt could not even understand what the woman creating flames was.

Until her brother’s figure was swallowed by the fire and the black-haired witch’s laughter echoed beneath the dome.

“What a touching sibling bond…”

The witch’s silver hair flowed like liquid mercury in the firelight.

She walked unhurriedly toward Prinshitt.

“Next is you, incompetent princess.”

……

……

“—But I must go, Ileil.”

Prinshitt spoke softly, yet her tone allowed no refusal.

“I cannot abandon valuable clues simply because there is risk.”

“Can’t do anything with you.”

Ileil looked at the princess’s stubborn eyes and sighed helplessly.

“Your Highness, if you insist on going to the church to find that nun, let me fetch more manpower.”

“More manpower?”

Prinshitt looked puzzled.

“You mean…?”

“Go to the mercenary group and call a few people I’m on good terms with to join us. Is that all right, Your Highness?”

“…….”

Prinshitt was silent for a while.

She knew Gro’s mercenary group contained many Kastit people from the north.

To Prinshitt, those former invaders of Aressto were nothing but robbers; she held not a shred of goodwill toward them.

Yet in the current shortage of hands, she had no luxury of choice.

“…….Fine.”

After a brief internal struggle, Prinshitt agreed.

“Then there’s no time to waste. Let’s set off.”

……

After brief preparations, Ileil brought the princess and the cat-eared priest to the mercenary group’s temporary camp.

At the camp entrance, an old soldier with a face full of scars was dozing with a pipe between his teeth.

Hearing footsteps, he narrowed his cloudy eyes.

“Yo, isn’t this Ileil? Heard you kid hooked up with a princess again like that time in Aurean. How do you still have the mood to come back?”

“Marcus.”

Ileil tossed over a silver coin.

“What happened in the camp recently? Tell me everything you think is valuable.”

“Ahhh… so generous.”

The old soldier nimbly caught the coin and grinned, revealing uneven yellow teeth.

“But sorry, I don’t have anything to tell you right now.”

“I can only say Gro just left with a group and isn’t in camp.”

“That crazy woman Alyssa was up all night tinkering.”

“Kaze seemed to run into trouble during night patrol; he was carried back before dawn.”

He suddenly noticed Prinshitt’s golden hair beside Ileil; the pipe nearly fell from his mouth.

“Wait, this lady couldn’t be—”

“Shut up, Marcus.”

Ileil signaled the princess and Lily behind her to follow.

“Consider that silver coin from earlier as hush money.”

As they crossed the training ground, several sparring mercenaries stopped their movements.

These newer members, unlike veterans Marcus and Kaze, did not know Ileil’s original identity as a man turned witch.

They simply saw three young, beautiful girls walk past.

One whistled frivolously.

“Good morning—cute Ileil. Oh, and two beautiful ladies… interested in a drink with me later?”

Diagnosed as sexually frustrated.

When Ileil’s cold gaze swept over, the mercenary instantly fell silent.

It seemed Ileil’s prestige in the group was quite high.

Watching Ileil, the same age as herself, navigate the chaotic mercenary group so effortlessly, Prinshitt felt an indescribable emotion.

“First tell me—where is Kaze?”

Ileil asked loudly.

The man obediently pointed to a gray tent at the camp’s edge.

“He’s been lying down ever since returning from patrol last night.”

…………

Inside the gray tent hung the scent of calming herbs.

When Ileil lifted the curtain, Kaze lay supine on a simple cot like a weary bear.

The burly mercenary barely opened his eyes at the sound, voice hoarse.

“Damn… Ileil? Why are you back?”

“Stop talking; your voice sounds like an old cat whose paw got stepped on.”

Alyssa’s voice came from the tent corner.

The female mage’s deep brown hair was tied carelessly as she prepared a steaming potion.

“I already told you not to copy Gro’s sleep schedule.”

“With your body this overexerted, you deserve to be exhausted flat.”

Alyssa walked over with the medicine bowl and unceremoniously pried open Kaze’s mouth to pour it down.

Kaze choked and coughed violently.

He struggled upright.

“If you’re looking for Gro, sorry—he’s not in camp at all right now.”

“I’m not looking for Gro. I simply came to find you.”

“Find me?”

Kaze looked surprised; he seemed to recognize the princess beside Ileil.

“Wait, golden hair, red eyes… is this young lady next to you Her Highness Prinshitt?”

Alyssa glanced at Prinshitt, then turned to Ileil.

“So, Ileil, you brought Her Highness here specifically to tour the mercenary group’s sorry state?”

“Nothing like that. I’m just reminding Gro to repay the favor he owed me last time.”

“I need manpower now to assist Her Highness in the investigation.”

“Now? Afraid you’ll be disappointed.”

Alyssa raised an eyebrow at the weak Kaze.

“With this wreck who can’t even hold a medicine bowl steady?”

“If I have to say, it should be fine now.”

Kaze stood up indifferently.

“Slept about three hours—shouldn’t be a big problem. I don’t want to owe this kid Ileil a favor.”

Kid…?

Prinshitt felt a strange twinge at the term.

She had heard Gro call Ileil that and assumed it was merely Gro’s verbal habit.

Now it seemed otherwise.

It appeared everyone in the mercenary group quite liked calling Ileil “kid.”

Although everyone had witnessed Ileil’s combat ability, her appearance was that of a textbook beautiful girl.

Just how had Ileil become associated with the word “kid”?

Still, important matters first; Prinshitt decided not to pursue the detail for now.

“Then I’ll be troubling the two of you, Miss Alyssa and Mr. Kaze.”

Prinshitt cleared her throat.

She suddenly felt somewhat fortunate—the teammates Ileil found at least looked quite normal.

“When do we set off, everyone?”

She tried to adopt the bearing of a team leader, but Alyssa clearly did not buy it.

“Within five minutes. If we’re going, don’t dawdle.”

Alyssa answered briefly.

She had already neatly tied her hair and tucked seven or eight potion vials at her waist.

“Plan the time; reach that little church no one visits before noon.”

Kaze rolled his shoulders; his bones let out a crisp crack.

“Then let’s go.”

Lily curiously poked at the bottles on the female mage’s waist.

“Um, this lady… may I ask? What is this potion for?”

“Improved holy water.”

Alyssa swatted away the cat-eared priest’s hand.

“Little kids shouldn’t touch randomly; this can be used against evil entities.”

She glanced at Ileil and continued.

“For example, like the living corpses we encountered last time—this can deal with them.”

“I see.”

Ileil answered faintly.

Ugh…… ignored again.

Although Lily very much wanted to declare she was already an adult, seeing the fierce-looking Alyssa, she dared not speak another word.