30

I decided to head back to my room after messing with Surtr.

But then—

"Arc!"

The princess called out to me.

Tch.

This is the worst.

Absolutely the worst.

She's the last person I want to see right now.

But she already spotted me, so there's no point in running.

"What do you need?"

I forced a smile as I spoke, hoping my face wasn't twitching.

"Hout-chan is missing!"

Huh?

Who's Hout-chan?

Oh, right—that kid who was tagging along with me earlier.

"What should we do…?"

She's asking me, but honestly, I don't care. I just met that kid today, and he obviously hates me. I'm also exhausted from dealing with the princess. I really don't feel like humoring her anymore.

So I cut the conversation short and headed for my room.

Heh heh.

I'm a noble, after all.

Why should I go searching for some random kid? I'm a count. Let the royal guards handle it.

I walked into my room.

"Arc."

"Whoa?!"

I jumped.

It was Camilla. She startled me. Why is she here without knocking?

"What is it?"

"I'll show you where the girl is."

Huh?

Why?

I have no idea why she's assuming I'm going to look for Hout. I never agreed to that.

"There's no time. If we don't hurry, the girl will die."

Oh, really. Sounds serious.

"All right, Camilla, I'm counting on you."

"…?"

"I've got important things to do here, so I'll be staying put. Go rescue Hout or whatever his name is."

"Is that really more important than saving the girl?"

"Obviously."

Why do I need to go? I have something far more urgent—taking it easy in my room.

Rescuing the girl <<<<<< Resting.

Camilla paused for a moment, like she was thinking it over.

"I understand."

She bowed politely.

"Oh, right. Take the princess with you. She seemed worried about that kid, too."

"Do you want me to bring Lady Magisa…?"

Camilla tilted her head.

"What about it?"

"No… never mind. Understood."

She bowed once more and left the room.

What are the princess and Camilla getting wrong here?

They seriously think I'd go help? That's such a misunderstanding.

I live only for myself.

And what I really want right now is some sleep.

Okay then.

Time to rest.

◇　◇　◇

Following Arc's "instructions," Camilla set out with the princess and Surtr to rescue the girl.

She had assumed Arc would come along, since she was certain he'd do something to save the kid.

But she was wrong.

Still, if it's only rescuing one child, Camilla can handle it by herself. That's probably why Arc told her to go.

Even so, two things still nagged at her.

First, Arc said there was something more important than saving the child. If he's staying behind in town, it might mean something big is going to happen there.

Camilla trusts Arc completely. She believes there's no way anything could really harm him. Actually worrying about him would feel disrespectful to her.

Second, Arc specifically told her to bring the princess to a dangerous place. Why would he do that?

But thinking about it, maybe the town is even more dangerous. That would explain why he wanted the princess away from it. Camilla doesn't know the exact reason, but for now, she'll focus on her mission.

"So, Camilla, how do we find Hout-chan?" the princess asked, having joined up with her and Surtr.

"We'll use this."

Camilla showed them the "Slave Chain."

This item has two functions. The right-arm shackle is for combat. The left-arm shackle is for finding and restraining someone so they can't escape.

All living beings have some magic in them. With the Slave Chain, Camilla can track a person's magic once she's memorized it. If the target is too far away, there won't be any response, but in this situation, they're likely still close.

Camilla let the left-hand chain dangle, and sure enough, it pointed in a certain direction.

All they had to do was follow it. Camilla led the way, with the princess and Surtr behind her.

They ended up in a forest.

It was oddly quiet—never a good sign. Probably all the animals sensed danger and fled.

"…"

No one spoke. Everyone knew something wasn't right.

They ran for a few minutes—

"Kyahhhhh!"

A girl's scream echoed through the trees.

Magisa froze in shock, Surtr drew his sword, and Camilla used body-strengthening magic to dash ahead, leaving them behind as she hurried toward the scream.