Episode 14: The Blood-Stained Princess ③ – The World as Seen by the Eyes of the Divine Bow I – Reminiscences –
――――Up until the day the “hero” came to take me away, I was spending my days in the Elven Kingdom, a land with little contact with the outside world, feeling bored.
The Elven Kingdom, said to have existed since the age of the gods, is located deep in the forest, and is promised a life of self-sufficiency and plenty, receiving the blessings of the earth in abundance.
A father who leads the people as a leader, a kind mother, and a sister who is said to be a great beauty, with a gentle personality that strongly reflects my mother's kindness. Surrounded by a loving family, there was surprisingly little for me to do as the second princess of the Elven Kingdom.
I love my family more than they love me, but it's a rather luxurious problem to have if all of your family members are exceptionally talented.
All I do is patrol the forest every day.
Because of my immense magical power, which is unique to elves, and my natural sense as an archer, I was chosen to be the bearer of the legendary 『Sovereign Lunar Bow』, which is handed down in the Elven Kingdom. I have defeated powerful monsters that have appeared in the forest, but those are very rare occurrences.
A day ago, a month ago, a year ago, they were all the same in that they were boring, unchanging days. That's why, even now, I can still remember the sights of my travels clearly if I close my eyes.
I had heard that the Demon King had been rampaging outside the country for some time.
Along with the revelation from the goddess to slay the Demon King, I was also chosen by the “Divine Bow” and I was confident that there was no archer in this world better than me... For me, who already used the Sovereign Lunar Bow, the “Divine Bow” was just another technique I could use.
However, I was curious about the hero and Celestial Knight who were supposed to come and pick me up, so I waited excitedly―――― The visitors were a kind-looking boy with blond hair who could still be called a young boy and a somewhat languid young man with black hair and brown eyes.
Both of them had reasonably good-looking faces, but they were plain and unremarkable, and they didn't seem strong, so I was disappointed that they were the “Hero” and the “Celestial Knight”.
At the same time as the two of them arrived in the country, a messenger arrived with the news that 『Luqur-anesama had been kidnapped by the Demon King's army』, but the hero boy, who had yet to introduce himself, dragged the Celestial Knight along and ran off.
When I came to my senses, I wondered if they were stupid. Are these idiots? I chased after them in a daze, but they were surprisingly fast and I couldn't catch up. ……I heard later that it was the Celestial Knight's physical strengthening magic, though it's pretty amazing that it's faster than flying on the Sovereign Lunar Bow.
When I finally caught up with them, the hero was firing rapid shots from the “Holy Sword” in the middle of the Demon King's army, which was moving across the plains. The light of the holy sword flew about, and the demons were blown away.
Behind him, the Celestial Knight was running while protecting Luqur-anesama... I think he was probably complaining to the hero, I'd probably want to complain too……I thought. There were also some strong monsters in the army, but the Celestial Knight, who was holding my sister, was blocking the attacks that he couldn't defend against with his own body and was defending my sister to the death, so my sister didn't get a single wound... but arrows and swords were sticking out of the Celestial Knight's back and arms instead.
"Hmm, so those are the hero and Celestial Knight. ……Well, they're not bad."
With these thoughts in mind, I fired supporting fire to blow away the horde of monsters from the perimeter, creating a path of retreat.
After rescuing my sister and annihilating the Demon King's army, I finally got to introduce myself when I returned to the Elven Kingdom... The hero was injured, but the Celestial Knight was completely riddled with wounds, and even now I can't help but laugh when I remember how my sister healed the Celestial Knight's wounds with her healing magic while she introduced herself.
The boy hero introduced himself as Alberic, and the Celestial Knight who protects such a hero introduced himself as Raoul, so I also introduced myself as “Falty the Divine Bow”.
When I looked at him up close, the hero seemed gentle and cheerful, and he didn't seem like the type who would be suited to battle, giving me a warm and friendly first impression.
Even so, when it came to battle, he was reckless like before, so I wondered if this guy was really a hero. I was worried, but the words he said with a big smile while reaching out to me moved my heart a little.
"Nice to meet you, Falty. Let's all travel the world together! "
The phrase “traveling the world” was appealing.
While thanking him in my heart for taking me out of my closed world and the boring elven forest, I shook his hand back.
As Alberic was close to my height and age, we often did things together. I got tired of calling him by his long name, Alberic, every time, so I started calling him by the shortened version, “Al”.
Al didn't seem suited to battle. He had a kind personality, and he was a child who would do anything to prevent others from losing their lives, but when it came to his own life, he was completely oblivious.
On top of that, he was always trying too hard and had a tendency to be reckless, so I couldn't just leave him alone, and before I knew it, I was always worrying about Al during our travels, and I would always keep an eye on him, whether we were in a fight or not.
I still want to complain to the goddess about why she made Al, a child who likes to see other people smile and who loves to spend quiet time, carry the burden of being a hero. If she had made an elf swordsman, who was generally lacking in compassion and concern for others due to their long life, into a hero, they would have carried out the hero's duties in a businesslike manner.
Nevertheless, Al's kind side was something I liked about him.
Al grew up very quickly during the trip…… Humans, who only live for a tenth of the lifespan of elves, grow up very quickly.
The boy, who had an innocent face, had become fearless, and although we were the same height when we left, he had grown taller, and I had to look up at him.
Al, who had grown into a handsome man with a fleeting beauty that fell somewhere between boy and man, attracted attention wherever he went.
At the same time, the difference in our growth rates made me feel the difference between me, who will live for a long time, and Al, who will only live for about 50 years, was heartbreaking.
While traveling, I noticed Al as he gazed at the sparkle of the water glistening in the setting sun, lost in thought――― Maybe thinking about the lover he left behind in his hometown――― His profile was so beautiful that I could not help but stare in wonder.
I wanted to talk to him, but I couldn't find the words. I could feel my slow heart beat a little faster, and I knew that the time had surely come…… That was the moment I fell in love.
There were both good and bad things about the journey to defeat the Demon King, even so――― But even so, I saw a lot of beautiful things. There were so many things I didn't know while I was in the Elven Kingdom, and it was an experience that changed my values.
My parents seemed to be unsure whether they should be happy or scold me for this, but I'm glad I was able to see the world.
After defeating the Demon King and returning triumphantly to the royal capital, I was to return to the Elven Kingdom.
I thought that I could live with Al and the others for another 50 years or so until my time was up, but my parents insisted that I return to the country, and when they brought up the fact that I was royalty, I had no choice but to give in.
On the last night before I returned to my country, Al and I talked. ……It was a beautiful, starry night.
"Say, do you still like your childhood friend? "
I looked up at Al's face as I said this, and he looked genuinely surprised. That's the kind of person Al is! This man is so dense! I think he's probably the most oblivious person in the world.
When Al calmed down from his surprise, he closed his eyes and thought about the meaning of my words――― Then, with a clear and strong will, he looked back at me and answered.
"Yeah ……I'm sorry, Falty."
……As I thought. I knew it.
While sighing inwardly at the thought that he had rejected me, I had to smile wryly and think that if he had been the kind of guy who would have turned around and come running after me, I probably wouldn't have been attracted to him, which made me think that love was a difficult thing to deal with.
"I see. Well then, I hope you have a happy life. You went through a lot of pain and suffering, but you finally saved the world…… For that reason, you have the right to be even happier than the rest."
I returned to the Elven Kingdom with many precious memories and encounters, as well as the pain of a little heartbreak, all of which I had gained during my travels.
……Looking back on it now, I realize what cruel words those were. At the time, I had no idea that his childhood friend had already betrayed Al and was sleeping with another man.
One day, not long after I returned to my country, news of this reached the Elven Kingdom.
――――The hero is dead.
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Sousaku - 創作 - We Create! 