Once the decision was made, time was of the essence.
Riding in a carriage with Yuzuriha, who was still frozen in shock, we headed to the Duke’s mansion. As she finally snapped out of it and started processing information, Yuzuriha scolded me.
“Wait a minute! Aren’t you being too nonchalant about this?”
“What’s the matter?”
“You should know! Trying to rescue the princess by storming the royal castle is basically a suicide mission!”
“But Yuzuriha asked me to do this suicide mission, right?”
“W-well, yeah, but…”
Well, I can understand Yuzuriha’s perspective.
Why did I nod along to a request that essentially said, “Go die”? That’s probably what she’s wondering.
And my simple answer to that is:
“It’s easy. If a friend’s in trouble, you help. That’s all there is to it.”
“Wha…?”
“If you thought I considered you a friend, ”
“So, that’s ……! That’s !”
“was that just a one-sided? Well, that’d be a bit lonely, but…”
“No, that’s not true!
Yuzuriha denied it so loudly that the duke’s carriage shook.
“You’re the best friend I could ever have, the only one I trust with my back! Don’t you dare belittle yourself, even if you wanted to!”
“What? No, that’s too much of a compliment…”
“How can that be? You’ve helped me so much in the past, and now you’re giving me back more than I could ever ask for …… How much more can you make me fall madly in love with you, you stupid idiot!”
“Uh, well, okay.”
I feel like I got scolded for a crime I didn’t commit, and there might have been some eird remarks, but there’s no time to dwell on that now.
Either way, Yuzuriha’s energy is back, and that’s what matters.
We’re heading into a dangerous situation,
and if we’re not pumped up, we won’t make it out alive.
…Let’s think about what to do if the research doesn’t yield any results and it turns out to be a life-threatening situation.
7
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
With the hidden blueprints of the royal castle, secret escape routes, and the location of the sewers provided by the Duke’s family, we guessed the likely location where the king and princess were imprisoned. We estimated the enemy forces and started planning the rescue mission.
While working on the operation, I heard an unexpected revelation.
“Hey, haven’t you met the princess before?”
“What? Where?”
“I guess I never told you. Look, it’s Toko, the headmistress of the Royal Strongest Knightess Academy. She’s my childhood friend, my best friend, and also the princess of this country.”
“What!? Seriously!?”
“I was planning to tell you sooner, but with everything going on…”
I had no idea.
At some point, I must have had some interaction with the princess of this country.
Of course, she wouldn’t remember a commoner like me, but…
“In that case, we have even more reason to do something about this.”
“Of course. It would help if you said that. I’m counting on you.”
“I can’t just stand by and watch someone I know get killed.”
“…You used to, uh, never mind. This isn’t the time to bring that up. Forget it.”
While staring at what looked like an impeccably confidential diagram, I exchanged opinions with Yuzuriha and her father, the Duke.
“Hmm…”
“What do you think, can we make it work?”
Yuzuriha looked at me with a mixture of hope and anxiety, but it’s tough to say.
The situation is undoubtedly grim.
If worse comes to worst, the enemy can just ditch Toko and escape, causing chaos. They can create an opportunity to escape during the confusion after blowing up the royal castle, then come up with a new plan. So, until the last moment, we need to delay the disposal of Toko by the enemy.
On our end, losing Toko means game over.
We lose Toko, Yuzuriha is probably out of commission for a while, and during that time, if the enemy country currently at war with us attacks the capital, the country is done for.
Yuzuriha nodded, seemingly regretful, after hearing my explanation.
“You’re right… Just attacking and capturing the royal castle would be a cakewalk with just you and me…”
“Well, it would be much easier than endlessly fighting in the Ogre’s Great Forest, I suppose.”
Midway, Suzuha, who came directly from the knight school, joins us.
For me, personally, I didn’t want Suzuha to participate in this rescue plan. After all, it’s too dangerous. But…
“Brother? Of course, you wouldn’t exclude me, right?”
“…As your brother, I’d rather have you stay at home, you know?”
“Why? Even I can be surprisingly useful, you know? Against regular soldiers, I could easily annihilate a whole division with my bare hands.”
“This time, the goal is to rescue Toko, so causing too much chaos… well, maybe it’s fine.”
Decision made.
I rapidly formulate the plan in my mind and propose it to Suzuha and Yuzuriha.
As Yuzuriha listens to my explanation, understanding gradually appears on her face.
“I see. So your plan involves splitting into a rescue team and a diversionary force. But…”
“Yes. I will head into the sewers to reach the interior of the royal castle for Toko’s rescue. And Suzuha and Yuzuriha will create an incident for diversion at the same time. If there is commotion outside the castle, they won’t go as far as disposing of Toko. If the Duke’s family could assist with the diversion, it would be appreciated.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you, Duke. Now then—”
“Wait a minute!”
Yuzuriha panics.
“I’m going with you, Suzuha big brother!”
“No, you can’t.”
“Why not!?”
“The direct heiress of the Duke’s family can’t swim through the sewers.”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Honestly, I want Yuzuriha in the rescue team.
But in my position, I can’t bring myself to say that.
It’s only natural. What commoner could tell the Duke’s daughter, “Go dive into the sewers”?
However, if there’s a hidden escape route for the royal family, it should be heavily guarded. So, to infiltrate without being detected, the sewer route seems like the only option.
─The key point here is that if Yuzuriha-san brings it up herself, then there’s no problem.
Of course, I initially deny it, but in the end, I’ll let Yuzuriha-san’s enthusiasm convince me.
And I’m confident that Yuzuriha-san will definitely bring it up on her own.
So if she mentions it again, I’ll reluctantly agree to let her accompany us.
Currently, things are going according to the scenario I envisioned in my head.
I inwardly chuckle at how things are unfolding.
By the way, Suzuha is not suited for this.
She has this tendency that, in the dark or when left alone, for some reason—whether out of loneliness or fear—I don’t really know, she unconsciously talks to me, rubbing her body against mine.
In a normal battle, it’s not much of a problem, but in an infiltration mission, it could be fatal.
“How dirty you get in the sewers doesn’t matter! I want to rescue Toko, and above all, I want to protect your back! So, I’m going with you!”
“That—”
“It’s unsightly. Yuzuriha.”
As I start to say “That,” for some reason, my sister Suzuha interjects with a provocation. What’s going on?
“Do you understand, Yuzuriha-san? My brother is saying──we’re frankly just dead weight.”
“Wha!?”
“Why are you even surprised along with my brother…? Hmph, I can see right through everything my brother is thinking, being his little sister.”
With a smug expression, Suzuha speaks to Yuzuriha, who clearly hasn’t seen through anything.
“My brother says this: ‘Can you keep up with my infiltration speed? Can you ensure your own safety when surrounded by formidable enemies? ──Do you possess the suitable skills to stand by my side as a partner?'”
“U-ugh… When you put it that way…”
“Hey, I didn’t say anything like th—”
“Big brother says it like this, ‘Don’t let me speak, Suzuha and Yuzuriha should, at most, perform a diversion. Develop the appropriate skills as my partner, and then we can go together.’ And…”
“…I understand. It was a foolish statement for me to say that I want to go with Suzuha-kun’s older brother. Let me take it back.”
“Wai─”
I was about to hastily offer an explanation when I felt a tap on my shoulder.
When I looked back, there was the duke, staring straight at me with tears streaming down his face.
It was, in a way, like that.
It was the expression directed at a young person whose parent is willing to become a sacrifice in place of their beloved daughter.
“I’m sorry… Don’t die.”
Behind the Duke’s words, there was an undeniable relief that he wouldn’t have to send his daughter into a dangerous situation.
At that moment, I made a unilateral decision to infiltrate the royal castle alone.
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