Chapter 11 : Still a child

After defeating all the intruders who raided our home, I immediately untied the ropes binding Erina’s body.

Fortunately, she appeared unharmed.

If we returned home now and called for help to have these men apprehended, this incident could be resolved without further issue.

Yes, I thought everything would be neatly settled.

“Oh, you idiot!!!”

–BAM!!!

No sooner had I freed her than Erina struck my head with full force.

As my skull reverberated from the blow, she began shouting at me in a fury.

“Are you out of your mind!? Fine, you came to rescue me alone, but why on earth did you bring Rona!? You saw the state of our house—it’s a wreck! These were armed intruders with swords!”

“Calm down, Erina. You saw it too—Rona was born with incredible strength…”

“Born with strength or destined to save the world, she’s still a child! A child! And from what I saw, you even told Rona to rescue me! Do you think that’s what a father should do!?”

“It was to respect Rona’s wishes…”

“Respect!? Sending a child to face armed intruders is something you can brush off with respect!? When a child wants to do something dangerous, you stop them! Letting her do whatever she wants is wrong!”

–Slap, slap.

Erina turned me around and struck my back with her palms.

I silently endured the stinging pain.

It was rare for Erina to be this angry, which meant I’d been reckless and made a grave mistake.

“You haven’t changed one bit from the old days…”

As I quietly accepted her anger, she stopped swinging her hands, her voice now trembling with bitter reproach.

“Always rushing into danger alone, never caring for your own safety… Do you know how much that worries the people watching you? Back then, maybe it was different, but now there are people who’d grieve if something happened to you. If you realize that, be more careful.”

“…I’m sorry, Erina.”

“It’s always just words with you…”

Her voice trailed off as she ran her hand down my back.

The faint trembling in her touch suggested her emotions hadn’t yet settled.

Or perhaps it was fear from what had happened.

She’d lived a life far removed from such violence, after all…

“Mammy!!”

As I grappled with these heavy thoughts, Rona came toddling toward Erina.

Erina, noticing her, scooped Rona into her arms and gently patted her back.

“There, there, Rona… Mommy was so worried, wasn’t she?”

“Yup! Okay?”

“Yes, Mommy’s okay.”

Erina’s reply was brief.

But despite saying she was fine, her expression wasn’t bright.

Even though the situation seemed resolved, something still troubled her.

“…Rona.”

With that look, Erina spoke to Rona.

“Did you want to save Mommy?”

“Yup! Did I do well?”

Rona answered confidently, tilting her head.

Her wide, sparkling eyes clearly showed her hope for praise for saving her mother.

–Tap.

But instead, Erina lightly knucklebonked Rona’s head.

As Rona clutched her head in shock, Erina’s voice trembled as she asked.

“Rona, do you know why Mommy knucklebonked you?”

“…Huh?”

“Because what you did was wrong. Facing danger is for parents, not children.”

Her embrace tightened.

She was so displeased that Rona had come to rescue her, fearing that if anything had happened to Rona, her heart would have shattered.

“Rona, you don’t need to understand everything yet. Someday you will, but not now. So… Mommy wants you to realize how wrong it is to recklessly jump into dangerous situations like this.”

As Erina continued her scolding, tears welled in her eyes. Rona, held in her arms, stared at her quietly.

With the innocent desire for praise, she seemed to be processing the reprimand in her own way…

“Nona, did wrong?”

After a moment of thought, Rona cautiously asked, as if sensing something was amiss.

Her expression was the gloomiest I’d seen since we met her.

Yet no tears fell from her eyes. Instead, she reached her tiny hand toward Erina’s tears, as if unwilling to see her mother cry any longer, as if it pained her more than her own sadness.

“…No, I’m sorry.”

Had Rona’s gesture softened her anger?

Erina, retracting her earlier scolding, apologized and hugged Rona more deeply.

“I’m sorry, Mommy was only thinking of herself. You did it because you were thinking of Mommy. I said harsh things even though you helped me.”

“Nona, did good?”

“Yes, you did well. Thanks to you, Mommy is safe. Thank you, Rona.”

“…Hehe.”

Rona, finally hearing praise, beamed brightly.

Erina set her down, stroking her head gently as she spoke kindly.

“But next time, please don’t act like this. Mommy doesn’t want you going near bad people.”

“Okay! Got it!”

“Hehe, good. Shall we go home now? Since you were so brave today, I’ll make pudding as a reward.”

“Yay~! Pudding! Puddiiing~!”

Rona’s joy and Erina’s smile, calming her unease, warmed the moment.

Watching them from a few steps away, I felt relief wash over me and prepared to follow.

Yes, I thought, this kidnapping ordeal had finally been resolved.

“W-Wait!!”

A sudden shout from behind made me tense, and I quickly turned toward the source.

There, on the ground, was the leader of the intruders, glaring at us.

His hand clutched his groin, his face etched with pain, yet his gaze was fixed on us.

How could he still have such resolve after losing something so vital to Rona’s full-force headbutt?

“Hero… No, Hero!!”

As I stood in shock, the leader called out to Rona with a strained, desperate voice.

“If you truly pursue justice, take my hand, not theirs!!”

“What are you talking about…!?”

Erina, incensed, tried to interrupt.

“This cannot go on! If humanity is to be saved, things cannot continue like this!”

But his frenzied voice refused to be silenced.

The sincerity in his words carried a resolve even I couldn’t easily dismiss.

“Hero! Humanity now faces an all-out war against the Demon King and his followers!”

With that conviction, he spoke.

Of the cause he pursued…

Though I saw his ideals as misguided, he believed in them wholeheartedly, pouring his all into his plea.

“To prepare for this fight against those vile, cruel beings, humanity must unite! What’s needed is a leader with unyielding will and cold judgment to rule all equally. But the one destined to lead now is a mere weakling, utterly unfit! For humanity to unite, that person must be cast aside, and the one I follow must take power! For that, we desperately need the support of someone like you!!”

His trembling hand reached toward Rona, his face still contorted with pain.

He must have resented Rona for causing that pain, yet he suppressed it, continuing his earnest appeal.

“Hero! If you lend your support, my leader can ascend to the Emperor’s throne! So please, take my hand!! For the sake of humanity’s salvation!!”

All for the greater cause.

Even if his path was flawed, his sincerity was undeniable, even to me.

The authority he served must be equally steadfast in their convictions…

Yes, if someone swayed by his words stood here, they might have taken his hand and joined his cause.

“…Huh?”

But Rona, despite his impassioned plea, only stared blankly.

As if he hadn’t anticipated this, the leader’s voice trembled with confusion.

“Hero. Did you not hear me? I’ll say it again. If this continues, humanity will fall! If you truly seek the greater cause…”

“…Ooh?”

“Hero?”

Only then did he seem to realize something was wrong.

As if to drive the point home, Erina asked Rona softly.

“Rona, did you understand what he said?”

Rona answered, her smile utterly innocent.

“Don’t know!!!!”

“Don’t… know…?”

The leader’s face collapsed, as if the world had crumbled.

Erina looked at him with pity, pointing out what he’d overlooked.

“…I told you. Before Rona is a Hero, she’s a child.”

No matter how great her strength, she’s still a three-year-old.

She doesn’t yet know right from wrong, the danger of the Demon King Army, or why she must face it. She lacks the knowledge and experience to understand.

To preach a greater cause to her is as futile as talking to a wall.

Right now, Rona’s mind is likely filled with thoughts of the pudding Erina promised.

“Mommy, pudding!”

“Yes, let’s go eat pudding~”

With that, Rona and Erina turned away from the leader, heading out of the cave.

I lingered a moment, glancing at the fallen leader.

“Ugh, sob…!”

A man—perhaps no longer a man—clutching his groin, weeping bitterly.

He’d paid a heavy price for his crimes.

Leaving the rest to the law, I started to leave the cave when I noticed Erina standing still at the entrance.

“Erina, what’s…”

“So, you were here after all.”

My breath caught.

That voice.

Unable to ignore it, I froze as a familiar figure emerged from among the knights blocking the cave’s entrance.

A blond man, wearing a small crown symbolizing Imperial lineage and a commanding red fur cape.

His narrow gaze seemed to pierce through anyone it met, exuding a chilling intensity.

“Well, it’s good to see you again, Logan Smith. I hope you haven’t forgotten me in our time apart?”

“Your… Highness…”

“Heh, I’m glad you remember.”

Crown Prince William Fernandes.

Stunned by his sudden appearance, I watched as he alternated his gaze between me and Erina, a sly smile forming.

“I actually visited your home again on some business… but it seems an incident had turned the place upside down. So, I followed the traces here, only to find, astonishingly, that the culprits I suspected were all subdued and lying on the ground.”

His sharp gaze glinted.

With intrigue, as if testing me.

“That was your doing, wasn’t it?”

“…Yes.”

“And the ringleader back there, you dealt with him too?”

“…”

If he’d tracked us here, there was no point in hiding it.

I nodded silently, and he smiled wider, clapping his hands.

“Impressive. Just as I expected.”

Clap, clap, clap echoed through the cave.

As I watched him warily, Crown Prince William closed the distance, continuing.

“To single-handedly take down elite soldiers, whose quality is nearly unmatched in the Empire—truly the bearing of a battle-hardened warrior. Seeing such clear proof of the information I’d gathered makes it all the more rewarding.”

Investigation… He already knew about my past and identity.

Hiding anything from him was likely futile.

Feeling my tension double, I tried to shift the topic, glancing at the scattered intruders.

“…Are you saying, Your Highness, that you know who these men are?”

“Of course. And because I know, I feel a bit sorry for you.”

With a wry smile, he patted my shoulder, his tone tinged with bitterness.

“I’m sorry you got caught up in this. On behalf of my uncle, I apologize.”

Uncle. From the Crown Prince’s perspective, his father’s younger brother—the Emperor’s sibling.

That explained why these men were so devoted to their cause.

Yes, someone second only to the Emperor in the Empire would have the authority to speak of justice.

And with such a strong sense of justice, they’d naturally find the first heir before me—the Crown Prince—unacceptable.

“Honestly, my uncle’s followers are always so extreme. Someone like you should be treated with respect.”

Despite their hostility, Crown Prince William brushed off the situation lightly.

With a wave of his hand, his soldiers nodded and began cleaning up the scene.

“Now, I’ll leave the cleanup to my retainers… We have important matters to discuss, so let’s move elsewhere. I’ll ensure you’re treated well, so please cooperate.”

He turned, signaling with his eyes.

As I hesitated, Erina cautiously took my hand.

“Darling…”

Her anxiety was understandable.

This was a man whose power we couldn’t oppose, soon to rule the Empire.

“…Papa.”

Rona’s face darkened, as if sensing the same unease.

Looking at them, I gripped Erina’s hand firmly and began to follow the Crown Prince.

“It’ll be okay.”

A hollow reassurance, without any basis.

“It’ll surely be fine.”

Perhaps, to prevent another incident like this, entrusting everything to him was the best option—a thought bordering on resignation.