Chapter 30: Princess Mia... Is Kidnapped!

It's not hard to work through the logic and realize the king would be reluctant to send his precious Diamond Legion into battle... but to figure all that out in an instant? Truly, Mia, you never fail to impress...

His respect in her renewed, Sion glanced at Mia, who wore a vacuous smile as she waved at the departing merchant. There was no glimmer of intelligence in her eyes. No aura of acumen. If he had to describe her current expression, it would be...

Never mind. Why use the word when I know it to be untrue? But I must admit, this has been an enlightening experience. I've heard it said that the wise lion hides its claws, but this is the first time I've seen that saying in action...

He studied her face.

I see... So this is the mask she wears to feign daftness. She does it so well.

"Thank you very much. Please give Muzic my regards."

"Will do. Hope you find your friends, young lady."

Mia gave the merchant a few more enthusiastic waves before turning to Sion.

"By the way, it's good and all that we've reached a town, but what do we do from here?" she asked with a wide-eyed expression so devoid of thought that, even knowing it was an act, it could still have fooled him.

"Let's see... Preferably, we first meet up with the others."

In preparation of an event like this separating them, they'd decided on a rendezvous point beforehand. According to the merchant, it would take them another half day by wagon to reach that predetermined spot.

"Fortunately, passenger wagons stop here on a regular basis, but..." muttered Sion with a hint of dismay.

"My, Sion," said Mia, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "Are you broke?"

"I'm not broke. It's just that Keithwood usually handles all the matters concerning money."

"My!"

She brought a hand to her lips in an exaggerated gesture of astonishment before giggling.

"You're such a child. Fortunately, one of us at least is responsible enough to handle money."

She crouched down and promptly proceeded to pull down her white socks, revealing the peachy skin of her calves, onto which six silver coins were glued — three on each leg.

"What... are those?"

"Emergency funds. I tried putting them in my shoes, but that made it terribly uncomfortable to walk."

The attempt had almost given her blisters. It was extremely unpleasant.

"Okay... but why there?"

"So it's hard for people to steal, obviously!"

The idea came from past experience. When she'd been captured by the revolutionary army in the previous timeline, they'd stripped her clean of everything valuable. They even took the bag of gold coins she'd so carefully hidden.

"I-I don't have anything else on me! Honest!"

"Oh yeah? Jump for me then."

Jangle jangle.

"I hear them jangling, you filthy liar. Hand them over already! Come on!"

She'd never imagined coins could be discovered in such a fashion.

Who would have known a method like that existed... I mean, it was pretty clever, but still! That got on my nerves!

She still remembered the belittling grin the soldier had worn as he prodded at her to jump. Just thinking about it made her angry.

In any case, that's the last time I'm going to fall for such a humiliating trick! I need a place that won't make a sound... A place they didn't check before but is still easily accessible... It has to be inside my socks then, right?

The statement that she was devoid of thought was therefore technically untrue, because she did, in fact, from time to time engage in a tiny bit of thinking. To her further credit, she'd even collected coinage from neighboring nations to ensure she could make a smooth escape when the revolution happened. Ludwig, bless his deluded soul, had thought she was looking into the gold content of foreign currency to deepen her geopolitical understanding and spent a good few days appreciating her studiousness. He was dead wrong, of course, but the point is, Mia actually had the forethoughtto bring Remno currency with her.

To be honest, I really wanted to give one of these to Muzic as thanks... thought Mia as she ran her fingers over the coins in her hand with the tenderness of a mother caressing her children.

"Do you think these are enough to pay for our trip?"

"Always prepared, aren't you?" said Sion. He peered at the silvers she held and frowned, uncertainty creeping into his voice. "That's... probably enough, I think."

They were, after all, the Prince of Sunkland and the Princess of Tearmoon. Neither had the foggiest clue what the average market rate of a wagon ride was supposed to be. In Mia's case, her emergency escape plan had involved bringing Anne and Ludwig along, so she hadn't bothered to personally look into the detailed costs of travel.

"May I leave the negotiations to you?" asked Mia.

"Yes, please. Otherwise, a lady will have paid my way while I stood around doing nothing, and that's not very gentlemanly. Do let me have my moment in the sun."

Despite his bravado, his confidence was clearly lacking. Mia found this rare display of vulnerability surprisingly endearing.

Hehehe... So, Mr. Perfect, it looks like you have your weaknesses too.

She watched from behind as he approached the driver. Then, all of a sudden, she felt a pair of arms lift her up.

"Huh? Wha— Mmmfmm!?"

An oddly moist cloth was pressed over her mouth. She flailed her limbs in the air, but a sweet aroma soon entered her nose, and her mind began to fog.

"Hurry up, before the other kid comes back."

She distantly felt herself being carried away as her addled brain tried to make sense of her situation.

M-My... Does this mean... I'm in trouble?

"Mia?! Hey, you! Damn it!"

Sion's voice echoed, but it sounded so far away...

Then everything faded to black.

Mia woke to the sensation of being shaken.

"Mmm... Hm?"

She slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was hazy, so she moved to rub her eyes... only to discover her arms wouldn't budge. They remained behind her, firmly bound at the wrists with rope that dug into her skin and made her wince. With no other option, she kept blinking until she could see clearly before taking a look at her surroundings. She didn't recognize the room. It was large, but the dusty floor wasn't enjoyable to lie on.

"Wh-Where am I?"

"Hey, you're awake."

A voice sounded overhead.

Why am I— Oh! I remember! Someone caught me and...

Memories of the attack on their wagon resurfaced in her mind.

Don't tell me... Did I run right into those assassins?

She tensed at the thought, but the two figures who appeared were boys only a little older than her. They looked to be about sixteen or seventeen and were the kind of ordinary kids you'd see walking around in most towns.

Hm... Maybe not, she thought, relaxing again.

"Hey, miss, you got any money on you? Gold, silver, whatever is fine. Judging by what you're wearing, you must be from a family of merchants or something, right? You probably have some jewelry and stuff..."

His words immediately evoked visions of her capture by the revolutionary army during the previous timeline. She recalled the man making her jump on the spot and hearing the clinking of coins. She also recalled the downright humiliating way he'd looked at her, as if she was daft beyond belief.

"No, I don't."

She would have crossed her arms, but they were still tied behind her back, so she settled for turning her face away.

"Really? All right, why don't you try jumping for us then?"

"Hmph. Fine. Watch me."

She got up and gave the boy a smug look before hopping a few times on the spot. Obviously, they heard nothing.

Hah, silly children, thinking you'd get me with such a simple trick. Do you really think I'd hide important things in a place where they'd make noise—

"The shoes and socks then. It's the first place little kids think of when they want to hide things. Better check there."

"What?!"

Alas, any idea that came out of her head was doomed to be mediocre at best, and her plan was foiled within seconds. To add insult to injury, they'd called her brilliant hiding spot "the first place little kids think of." It was downright humiliating. Again.

The kids paid little attention to her mental anguish as they pulled her shoes off, stripped her of her socks, and checked both. They found nothing, of course, as the coins had already been given to Sion.

"Seriously? We drew a blank? Damn it."

"Well, I guess if you really think about it, no one's gonna let a kid like this keep any money."

"I told you so! Hmph! Serves you right!" exclaimed Mia in a pitiful attempt to save some face.

"Cheeky little kid... We should sell you to a slaver— Ow!"

There were two sharp thwacks, and the boys wailed simultaneously in pain.

"You two! Do you think it's funny to pick on someone so young?"

Behind the boys appeared a girl who was about the same age as them. She ran one hand through her shoulder-length hair as she let out an exasperated sigh. In her other hand she held a well-worn shoe that had probably been on her foot before it was employed for a different purpose.

"L-Lynsha, um... We just thought, if we scared her a little, she might cough up some cash..."

The boys' hasty excuse earned each of them another smack on the head.

"Jem's order was to bring the girl to him, right? So stop standing around and get on with it already."

"G-Get on what?"

She gave them a flat look.

"What, are you going to carry her there like a sack of potatoes? There should be a wagon out there we can use, so go get ready. There are preparations we have to make before the big moment, and we need manpower. Go check on that side of things too."

"Fine. Don't let her get away though."

After watching the boys reluctantly make their way outside, Lynsha turned back toward Mia.

"So... Who are you supposed to be?"

"I'm..."

Mia took a moment to consider her answer. Even she could see that blurting out her true identity was going to put her in danger. The more she thought about it, though, the more she felt like she was in plenty of danger already.

I mean, they did say something about selling me to slavers...

The thought scared her a little, giving her brain the kick it needed to get its gears spinning.

Wh-What's the correct answer here?

She looked down at the floor and mulled over her options. A brief silence ensued. Lynsha let out a sigh.

"Not gonna tell? Whatever. Fine by me. If anything, it'd be a little worrying if you actually started blabbing in a situation like this..."

She proceeded to pull a knife out from her pocket.

"Don't move."

"...Huh?"

Mia's mind went blank. She simply gaped at the sharp point of the knife as it neared, rose, and fell.

Shiiick!

The rope around her wrists fell severed to the ground.

"Eh? Uh... Huh?"

She held up her hands, closing and opening them in stunned disbelief. She lowered them to find Lynsha looking at her.

"Hey, do you think you can stop this revolution?" The girl's expression was serious. "If you can... Please. Save my brother."

There was a desperation in her voice, almost as if she were appealing to anyone willing to listen.

"Stop this revolution? Save your brother? Whatever are you talking about?" asked Mia as she nursed her reddened wrists.

"There's no time. We have to leave. Put your shoes on and come with me. We'll walk and talk."

Mia did as she was told, following Lynsha out into a shadowy alleyway.

"Where are we?"

"One of the bases of the underground revolutionaries. This is a pretty rough neighborhood, so stay close to me."

"O-Okay—" Mia paused in the middle of nodding. A frown creased her brow. "Wait... Revolutionaries? Um, if you don't mind my asking, by 'revolutionaries,' would you happen to be referring to the people currently causing a lot of commotion here in Remno?"

A few seconds passed before Lynsha nodded.

"Yeah, our comrades. We threw in with their lot." Her voice was weak. "My big brother... He's the one in charge."

"In charge? Huh? Y-You mean your brother is the leader of this revolution?"

Mia was starting to have second thoughts about following this girl.

"They talked him into it." She spat out the words like they were bile. "He got roped into this whole thing. It's not for him. He just talks up a storm when he's at the tavern. He can't lead a revolution."

Lynsha proceeded to tell her story. She and her older brother were born nobles, but their family fell on hard times. Her brother had been attending school at the royal capital, but familial decline forced him to move with them to a town in the countryside. At first he'd tried to make the best of the situation and start anew as a craftsman. However, the job proved demanding, and it didn't take long for him to begin complaining up a storm. Relentless physical labor left him drained day after day. Soon the tavern became his only reprieve, and he looked forward only to grumbling loudly over a mug of ale.

One day, he was approached by a man he didn't know.

"Hey, buddy. I've been listening to you, and I gotta say, you speak the damn truth. At this rate, this kingdom's headed straight for the gutter. What do you say we gather a few comrades and do something about it?"

The man introduced himself as "Jem" and, with sweet words and a disarming smile, pushed Lynsha's brother to take up a central role in the revolution. A naturally talented orator, her brother gradually built up an organization around his new purpose. As his sibling, Lynsha came to be seen as a member of the revolution as well, though she'd never made any formal commitment.

"I refuse to call that lot an 'organization.' It's just a gathering of whiners with too much time on their hands. It's that Jem guy who keeps stirring them up."

"Um... May I ask a question?" At this point, alarms were going off in Mia's head. "Why are you telling me so much about the internal workings of the revolution?"

An unnerving smile crept across Lynsha's face as she turned toward Mia.

"That Jem guy said you're a danger to the revolution and that we have to capture you at all costs. I figured the flip side of that is that you have the power to stop the revolution and break up this crazy gathering. Am I right?"

She gave Mia a searching gaze, who responded with a nervous chuckle.

"O-Ohoho, you greatly overestimate me. Wh-What can a child like me possibly do?"

"Really? You looked pretty calm when they were harassing you back there. Even now, you're still keeping your cool. That's not exactly how I'd expect a child to behave."

"Erm..."

She had a point. Compared to the revolutionary army in her alternate past — or heck, even the Sealence Forest incident from a bit ago — her current situation wasn't really scaring her much. Both the girl and the two boys from earlier looked at worst like a few school kids playing hooky. Unlike the soldiers of the last revolutionary army, they weren't pressing blades against her neck with bloodshot eyes full of hatred, nor did they exude the manic, murderous aura of Captain Dion. Honestly, these kids were downright cuddly in comparison.

Okay, come on. Keep it together, Mia. These are not your friends. You have to be cautious around them...

She exhaled slowly and put on what she thought was a very serious face. Then she began to think.

I wonder if I should assume this Jem person belongs to the same group as those people who attacked our wagon.

They were, after all, just about the only people who could possibly figure out where Mia had ended up after falling out of the wagon.

I think there's a real chance they know who I am.

Unless they knew she was the Princess of Tearmoon, they had no reason to target her. She'd be just some random girl otherwise. Granted, just because she was the Princess of Tearmoon didn't mean she had any way to stop this revolution...

Either way, it seems like a good idea to assume this man Jem knows who I am. Which means... Ugh... I'm getting some serious sugar cravings...

She promptly threw in the mental towel. The thinking she'd just done — however little it was — was nonetheless already causing her feeble mind to overheat.

I want some ice candies!

Just as her thoughts were beginning to veer drastically off course, an angry voice pulled her back to reality.

"Hey! Lynsha! You little cheat! Are you trying to take all the credit for yourself?!"

One of the two boys who had been guarding her had returned. Lynsha bit her lip.

"Don't be silly," she said, trying to put on a brave front. "Also, you sure came back early. Did you finish all the preparations?"

She glared at the boy, hoping her trembling voice didn't betray her. Her glare, however, soon turned into a frown, because the boy...

"W-Well, actually..."

...scratched his head and shuffled nervously in place. The next instant they heard, "Ah, so we've arrived. You're hereby dismissed," which was followed by a blunt sound of impact.

"Oof!"

The boy crumpled, revealing another boy behind him.

"Ah! Sion!"

"My apologies. Searching for you took longer than I would have liked. I was lucky to find this fellow wandering about. I asked him very nicely to show me the way here."

The dashing figure of Sion Sol Sunkland gestured at his victim with the blade of his sword, his all-too-gracious smile suggesting that however he'd convinced the boy, it was probably not as nicely as he claimed.