I ran as fast as I could, heading back toward the palace. Just imagining Hime-sama saying my name again there, I couldn't stop my legs from moving.
Maybe it was all because I felt that I could distance myself from the conflicts of the palace after being driven out from there.
And because she was there, asking the King to make me a part of the palace, it went against what I had hoped would happen.
By the time I arrived in front of the palace gates, a large screen identical to the one at the guild had already been set up right in front of the crowd.
It was even about twice the height of an adult, truly incredible magic that I certainly couldn't create.
They were all trying to remain in their places even as the people behind them attempted to cause trouble by pushing those standing in front of them.
Dozens of guards were already standing firmly in front of the gates, keeping watch in case the situation got out of control and ready to deal with it using the swords whose hilts they were already gripping.
At this rate... How am I supposed to get inside?
People were pushing against one another, and I couldn't even see ahead as they continued trying to move forward.
On the screen, the King and several of his subordinates were still arranging the situation before listening to Hime-sama's opinion regarding me.
I still had a few minutes before they started. I still had one chance to stop her from doing that.
"Yukito-sama, I know a way to get inside. But it's quite risky," Yuu-chan said, putting an end to all the plans swirling around in my mind.
It doesn't matter. As long as I can get inside, I'll gladly follow your instructions. So, what should I do?
—
Isn't that incredibly risky? That's way beyond just "quite" risky! Are you crazy for asking me to do something like that?
"Are you sure you want to refuse?"
Yeah, yeah! It's better to try once and fail than to just stand here doing nothing.
I moved away from the crowd and turned into several narrow alleys according to her directions. I even passed through some rather disgusting alleys without hesitation.
Before long, when I finally made it out of the last alley, I arrived at the other side of the palace.
There wasn't a single guard watching this area as I looked around in every direction. There was only a fence stretching out before me, surrounding the entire palace grounds.
Yuu-chan, what should I do now?
"Yukito-sama, try looking down at your feet."
Beneath my feet, there was a circular pattern. There was a small hole in one part of it. Wait... Isn't this the entrance to the underground sewer?
...
I slipped my hand into the small gap and pulled on the cover with all the strength I had until it finally came loose.
It was so difficult that I nearly lost my balance after managing to open it.
I took a brief look from above to see what was down there before climbing in.
There was nothing but darkness below, with small lamps installed along the upper part of the walls to provide light.
I swallowed once, then slowly descended the rusty iron ladder toward the bottom.
As soon as I reached the bottom, the soles of my feet immediately touched the damp surface of the tunnel. An unpleasant smell drifted into my nose, though it wasn't strong enough to make me cover it with my hand.
Although it had looked dark from above, I could see several meters ahead from down here. Perhaps because the water level was quite low, I was able to see clearly.
"We just need to climb the other ladder up ahead. Come on!" Yuu-chan said.
Crak, crak.
The sound of water splashing against the soles of my shoes accompanied every step I took. Even in the darkness that seemed endless, I continued walking despite the eerie atmosphere.
I didn't think there were any monsters living in these sewers, but considering that I was in this world... wasn't there a possibility?
Ah, there it is—the ladder.
I stopped in front of the ladder leading upward, wondering what awaited me above.
Well, who knows until I go up there?
I tightened my grip as I climbed each rung, trying not to slip because of the damp surface.
Tok, tok. I knocked on the cover a few times to see what would happen. But no one walked by or tried to open it from the outside.
I pushed against the cover with my right hand, my dominant hand. I kept pushing until I could feel sweat slowly running between my elbow and wrist.
I pushed until there was enough space for me to get out without having to move the cover completely aside.
When my head finally emerged, I examined my surroundings.
The opening led to one of the rooms inside the palace, perhaps one of its storage rooms.
There were countless cabinets and boxes piled up here. No wonder I had managed to get out without anyone noticing me.
Using both hands as support, I pulled myself out. I decided not to close it yet—perhaps it would prove useful later.
Yuu-chan, help me get to the throne room, I asked her.
——
"Alright, everyone, it's time to begin the discussion between Their Majesties and one of their daughters, Sephira Hime-sama."
"First, Hime-sama may say whatever she wishes."
The atmosphere in the room was completely silent. Everyone watched with curiosity and composure, as they were witnessing a situation they rarely had the chance to see.
Hime lowered her head to her father, then looked up with calm eyes that nonetheless held unwavering determination.
Eyes that would continue moving forward even if those around her rejected her wishes, including her own family.
"Your Majesty, I object to the decision you have made regarding Sahiko Yukito, one of the people we summoned alongside Kageya Kuro-sama," she said.
"Continue," the King replied shortly.
That cold response made Hime flinch slightly, yet she remained standing there, even though her hands trembled a little.
"Since my older sisters are unable to attend, I will go straight to my request to Her Majesty the Queen and His Majesty the King."
She took a deep breath before speaking once more.
"Despite Sahiko Yukito's refusal, including the insults he directed toward us, I propose that Your Majesties grant him a place in the palace as a member of the royal forces under Charlotte's command."
"Hime! His Majesty already offered him a place here, and yet you still insist even after he himself rejected us. Have you gone mad?" her mother asked.
"Besides, why are you so determined to bring him here? With a status no different from that of an ordinary commoner, I would not hesitate to cast him out again, even if it were my own daughter making the request," the King said, causing Hime to fall silent.
Hime bit her lips and tried to speak, even though her voice had briefly failed her.
"N-no... I do not think so, Your Majesty. Precisely because he is a commoner, why don't we allow him to stay here? The people may see that we have shown kindness to someone just like them."
"Wouldn't that increase the people's trust in us? In their eyes, we could appear more favorable, and perhaps erase the rumors that continue to spread among them."
Hime's practical proposal caused the King and Queen to quietly discuss her words. She had presented an excellent argument, one convincing enough to make it seem as though she was doing all of this for the palace rather than for herself.
"Very well, Hime. In that case, I shall allow him to return," the King said, making Hime smile.
"Make sure that once you bring him back, that man's attitude reflects the respect he should show toward us as the royal family."
Hime lowered her head once more in gratitude that her proposal had been accepted.
One of the King's most trusted men, who served as his right hand, stepped forward and presented Hime with a sheet of paper along with a bottle of ink.
The King had deliberately prepared it as a contract: if Yukito were to cause any trouble in the future, Hime would bear full responsibility.
Without hesitation, Hime took the pen and began writing her agreement as a mere formality.
Bang!
——
Upon arriving at the unguarded doors of the throne room, I burst inside without sparing a thought for where the guards who normally stood watch had gone.
As soon as the doors opened, my eyes went straight to Hime-sama, who was standing in the middle of the room. She was writing something on the paper that someone had placed before her.
The loud sound of the doors swinging open instantly drew everyone's attention to me, including Kuro, who stood behind the Queen.
Even the guards positioned around the edges of the room froze at the sight of me.
No one shouted insults at me. They all simply fell silent as I walked forward and stopped beside Hime-sama.
"Please forgive my insolence, Your Majesty! I truly regret doing something that I never should have done!" I shouted while lowering my head so that no one could see my face.
"I sincerely regret it now that I've had time to reflect on my actions. I beg you, please accept my apology!"
Hime-sama stared at me in surprise, and Their Majesties seemed equally taken aback by my sudden change in attitude.
"V-very well, if that is what you wish... Just make sure you serve well as one of our soldiers—"
"Once again, I apologize for that matter. I refuse to accept it. Instead, I will leave this place of my own free will," I replied quickly.
"But before that..." I raised my head.
"I ask for permission to take her outside for a moment!"
Without hesitation, I grabbed Hime-sama's right hand and ran out of the room with her.
"Guards! Don't let him escape!"
"Y-Yukito-san?! What are you trying to do?!" Hime shouted as she could do nothing but follow me.
Without looking back, I answered while running.
"Forgive my rudeness, Hime-sama... But for now, I'm taking you out of here!"
——
"Hah... Hah..."
Yuu-chan, where's the exit we can use now? I can't take Hime-sama through that sewer. She'd definitely be disgusted with me.
"Leave it to me!"
For the time being, we hid from the guards chasing us by staying inside the storage room where I had first emerged.
Hime-sama, who had been forced to run behind me, was now sitting in front of a cabinet, breathing heavily.
I wanted to talk to her and clear things up, but I didn't want to say anything until we had escaped the palace.
"Hime-sama, are you able to stand?" I asked, already extending my hand toward her.
She took my hand and stood up as I helped her. The moment she was back on her feet, I carelessly let her step out of the storage room because I had lowered my guard.
T-this is bad—
"Ssh! Calm down. They might spot us," she said, gesturing for me not to shout.
Huh...?
"Now's our chance. Yukito-san, follow me. I know a shortcut out of the palace," she said.
I simply nodded as she suddenly took the lead. Countless questions swirled through my mind, but despite that, all I could do was quietly follow her.
We entered another room, then passed through a small door that led to a rather cramped underground section of the palace. There was only a narrow path wide enough for a single person to walk through.
Hime walked ahead of me without seeming annoyed or bothered that I had suddenly dragged her away from there. Could it be that she was setting a trap for me right now?
... You idiot!! I completely forgot that was a possibility—
"Yukito-san, earlier... why did you choose not to join the palace? As someone who was summoned, I think it's better for you to stay here than to struggle desperately just to survive in the city."
"I don't understand. Why did you do that?" Hime asked, breaking the silence between us.
... The reason, huh?
"I just don't want to deal with people who hold status, especially people from the palace. That difference in status reminds me of the bad things that happened to me in the past," I replied.
"Eh, that's all?" she answered briefly.
Compared to her, I was the one who felt even more surprised that she considered my reason so trivial.
"W-What's wrong with that?! Everyone has their own problems, don't they?" I replied, trying to defend my answer.
Oh, right... Earlier, she had said something that left me confused.
When she said that I might be able to help her solve something, it really left a huge question in my mind.
I mean... what could a princess possibly want from an ordinary summoned person like me? Was I going to become her personal servant? Or did she simply want me to become her slave? Those thoughts kept swirling in my head like a whirlpool.
—
After spending several minutes in that underground passage, the two of us climbed a few flights of stairs back to the surface. And once I stepped outside, I was surprised by where we had ended up.
We were already in the palace courtyard, a place with no special guards stationed around it. On the other side, I spotted a small door, just large enough for one person, not far from us.
After I emerged, Hime-sama pointed toward it.
"Yukito-san, you can leave through there," she said.
After she had helped me escape and tried so hard to bring me back into the palace, how could I not return the favor?
She was the first person to speak to me after I arrived in this world. At the very least, I had to help her with whatever it was she had mentioned before.
Once again, I grabbed her hand and repeated what I had done earlier in the throne room.
I pulled her toward the door, opened it without difficulty, and brought Hime-sama out with me to the safe place Yuu-chan had shown me.
—
The two of us were led into a narrow alley different from the one before, though it was still near the main road outside the palace gates.
I let Hime lean against the wall as she caught her breath, while I looked at her with a deep sense of guilt.
Then she looked back at me with eyes that clearly showed her displeasure.
"Yukito-san, are you kidnapping me right now?"
I frantically tried to deny her conclusion, waving my hands as if acting out several explanations.
"That's not it! I just wanted to repay you for what you've done... I thought that perhaps you really needed my help with a personal matter," I replied.
"Then couldn't you have talked to me properly while we were still inside the palace?" she asked, and her words struck me because she was right.
"I-I'm sorry..." I replied.
"Hah... Yukito-san, if you treat other women as recklessly as you treated me, they'll all end up hating you, you know. Understood?"
All I could do was lower my head once again.
"Understood, Hime-sama," I answered quietly.
"It's fine. I can forgive you because you said you wanted to help me. But before that, I'm going to call Charlotte over here—"
—
As she was about to walk past me, Hime-sama unknowingly stepped on some wet food scraps that had been discarded in front of me. Caught completely off guard, she slipped and nearly fell onto the street.
And somehow, the direction of her fall was straight toward me. Her face, filled with surprise from slipping, was about to collide with mine, which was equally startled by the sudden turn of events.
Before her body could knock me down along with her, I realized that her lips were dangerously close to my face. Instinctively, I moved as quickly as I could to avoid them.
But unfortunately, the point of impact shifted from my lips to my cheek instead.
Bang!
The two of us fell to the ground together, though I could see her immediately trying to get back up.
In contrast to Hime, who stood up right away, I couldn't get up because my back hurt.
All I could do was look up at her from my upside-down view as she ran off, leaving me behind to bring Charlotte back.
Without realizing it, my hand had already reached my right cheek, which somehow felt warm after the fall.
That means... her lips really did touch my cheek just now, huh?
Rather than feeling embarrassed, I found myself absentmindedly rubbing my cheek, hoping that the warmth lingering there wouldn't disappear too quickly as I struggled to stand up, only to fail.
My back felt stiff whenever I tried to force myself up. Well, I could just wait for Hime-sama to return and help me stand.
I hope she comes back...