Chapter 41 : Archer Barnaba (1)

I decided to go see Instructor Cled to calm my complicated mind.

He said he would teach me how to properly utilize my beastman martial arts, and I thought training was the best way to clear my thoughts.

‘Did he ask me to bring a bottle of alcohol?’

Asking a minor to run an errand for alcohol… Well, in terms of mental age, Cled and I are almost the same.

I stopped by a shabby bar in my usual outing clothes. Because it was a space where many rough people gathered, the gazes directed at me didn’t seem very kind.

“…One bottle of alcohol, please. The cheapest one.”

The man with the nasty look glanced at me, ignored me, and continued doing his own thing.

“Excuse me, can’t you hear me?”

“Oh, come on, it’s hot as hell, and my luck is so bad…”

“…What?”

He frowned deeply and spoke to me firmly.

“Go somewhere else. Our shop doesn’t serve blacks. Don’t you see that?”

Looking at the sign he pointed to, I saw a picture of a Sarkas with a red X drawn over it. The black-painted Sarkas probably meant people with black hair, like me.

‘I thought a capital city like Semal would have less discrimination, but it’s still the same.’

Come to think of it, the street vendors I encountered seemed conscious of the gazes around them, so they didn’t make any particular gestures, but they didn’t seem to welcome me very much.

‘…I’ll leave because I’m dirty.’

I didn’t want to cause any trouble, so I turned to go to another store.

“It’s been a while, Spirit Master.”

A female voice I thought I’d heard somewhere blocked my way. From the face revealed after taking off the hood, I could confirm her identity.

“…Your Highness!?”

At my words, the people around stopped talking and all looked this way.

“Shh! It’s a secret that I came here!”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

After a while, when the inside of the store became noisy again, she approached the bar owner. She called him to place an order in an awkward tone of voice.

“Ahem, excuse me?”

“Yes!”

Unlike when dealing with me, he was very disciplined.

“Could you give me one bottle of the most expensive one?”

At the mention of the most expensive one, the owner’s eyes widened.

“In that case, this 30-year-old Drosia is the best!”

At her request, the owner brought out the alcohol with a friendly smile. The princess turned the received alcohol around and examined it carefully.

“It’s certainly good alcohol. But…”

“…But?”

She pointed to the sign with her finger.

“Creating an atmosphere of discrimination based on hair color has been prohibited by law for five years.”

Cold sweat poured down the owner’s head like rain.

‘He’s flustered, that bastard.’

“I, I have no idea why something like that is still hanging there. I was going to remove it right away! Hahaha! What are you doing, take it down immediately!”

He ordered an employee to take down the sign on the spot.

“It’s good to see you comply with the law.”

“Of course, people should live by the law.”

Law my a*s. He should care more about the hygiene of the store.

“Shall we go, Spirit Master?”

I left the bar with her, who seemed to be in a good mood for some reason.

“What brings Princess Isabel to a place like this…?”

I was surprised by my unexpected encounter with her.

“On weekends, I often walk around the city in this outfit. My father is worried about me going out because of what happened last time, but I’m the type who can’t stand being cooped up.”

The last time must be referring to the kidnapping incident by Julius. Come to think of it, I had to tell her about Julius’s end.

“…Your Highness. Julius…”

“I heard. He died as a monster.”

“You knew.”

It was an incident of that magnitude, so it seemed that the academy had delivered the news to the imperial family.

“There’s a lot to say about him, but it doesn’t feel good to mention this and that about someone who’s already dead. I have to thank you, but even ten mouths aren’t enough. Thank you so much.”

It seemed like she was also relieved to hear the news of his death.

“But is it okay for you to walk around a dangerous place like this alone? Even if it’s you, you’re a member of the imperial family…”

“I never said I came alone. My newly hired escort has been aiming at Saya-nim’s head since earlier.”

“What!?”

I was surprised and looked around, but I couldn’t see anyone who seemed to be aiming at me.

“Put away your bow. Chris.”

‘Where is she looking…?’

Her gaze was directed much higher than I thought. After a while, someone lightly descended from a tree.

“I apologize, Spirit Master. It was my duty, so I had to be cautious.”

The boy who greeted me was a young knight with gray hair and a delicate face. To be precise, it was ash-gray hair, close to black.

“Chris Barnaba of the Semal Archer Corps.”

I was mesmerized and accepted the handshake he offered.

“…I’m Saya.”

When introducing myself to others, not having a last name is like indirectly indicating my status. That’s why saying only my name is something I can’t get used to, no matter how many times I do it.

“So you were Saya-nim…! I knew about you because the Princess talked about you a lot.”

“She talked about me?”

“Of course. So much so that even in my dreams…”

“Chris. Let’s stop there, okay?”

Isabel said, hitting him in the side.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“He’s always so quick to answer…”

“You two seem pretty close?”

In terms of time, it hadn’t been long since Chris became the new escort, but it seemed like they had known each other for a long time.

“Did it seem that way? Chris and I are acquaintances. He was my archery instructor for several years.”

‘Archery instructor…?’

His age was at most around my age, but it was surprising that he was the imperial family’s archery instructor.

At the princess’s introduction, Chris scratched his face awkwardly.

“…Actually, I didn’t have a chance to talk to the princess. The previous escort was a very strict person…”

“That escort is you now, Chris.”

“Oh, that’s right. Haha…”

Looking at him laughing innocently, I wondered if he could really do his job as an escort properly.

“Oh, you use a crossbow, Spirit Master?”

Crossbow? Is he talking about my crossbow?

“Oh, this?”

Since he showed interest in my crossbow, I held it out to him.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen one so small. There are probably few people who make them because of practicality…”

Chris examined my crossbow and frowned slightly.

“It’s in very bad condition. Haven’t you felt that the string is a little loose lately?”

“…Come to think of it, I felt like the power was a little weaker…”

Because I had neglected it for a long time without proper maintenance, I didn’t pay attention to how the condition of the crossbow had changed.

“If you leave it to me, I’ll fix it and return it to you.”

“Really? Is that okay?”

“Of course. You’re Her Highness’s lifesaver, so I should at least do this for you.”

“You can trust him, Saya. When it comes to this, there’s no better expert.”

Since Princess Isabel said so, there was no reason for me to refuse. I nodded in affirmation and handed the crossbow to him.

“Thank you for trusting me. I’ll come to you in person this week to return the crossbow.”

“I’m more grateful.”

Just as I was about to say goodbye to the two, the princess stopped me and handed me a bottle of alcohol.

“Oh, you have to take this.”

“Your Highness, this is?”

“I bought it at the bar to give it to you. Seeing how you drank all night with my father last time, it seems Saya also likes alcohol quite a bit?”

‘30-year-old Drosia…?’

The alcohol she handed over was clearly a high-quality alcohol that seemed to be very expensive.

“Can I really accept this?”

“Please accept it. I bought it to give it to you, so I’ll be disappointed if you refuse.”

“T-Thank you, Princess Isabel.”

I came to buy a cheap bottle of alcohol and ended up getting my weapon repaired and receiving expensive alcohol. I wonder if it’s okay to accept all of this.

“I should get going now. It was nice meeting you, Saya.”

“Yes, me too.”

I also said goodbye to the two.

As I turned to leave them, Chris muttered quietly.

“Nice earrings, Spirit Master.”

“…?”

He left those words and smiled as he walked away. Why did he suddenly say that? Without knowing why, I fiddled with my earrings and watched the two disappear.

In the afternoon, when the sun was shining brightly, I went to Cled, who was sitting and sleeping in the shade of a tree, with alcohol.

“I brought the tuition, Cled.”

“Hmm…. Mmph.”

Even while snoring and sleeping, he wakes up immediately at the sound of alcohol.

“Let’s see what you brought.”

He snatched the bottle from me and checked its identity.

“……”

And then, he fell into a long silence.

What’s wrong? Didn’t he like it?

“Cled…?”

“…I’m touched.”

“What?”

Cled suddenly got up and hugged me.

“What are you doing, suddenly…!”

“Your passion has been fully conveyed, Saya!”

Why is he suddenly hugging me? It’s creepy…!

“…Wait, are you crying?”

“30-year-old Drosia…! In my whole life, I never thought I’d get to drink such alcohol.”

It’s hot, and he’s sticking to me—it’s annoying.

“Now, shall we start the lesson?”

Cled, with a shining light in his eyes and a clear voice, said to me.

Who are you?