Who Could Have Loved the Monster Princess? - Chapter 30
Not long after I parted ways with Ken, I ran into my dad.
“Oh? Dad?”
“Yen.”
“Where are you going?”
“I thought it was past time for you to come back, so I came out.”
Dad had come out to greet me.
“Isn’t it pretty late for a lady to be out on her own?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
It was a dangerous time for a lady to be traveling alone. I wasn’t sure why he was bringing her up out of the blue, but it made sense, so I agreed.
“I was worried about you, young lady, so please come home earlier next time.”
“Yes… huh?”
Oh, so he was talking about me? Me, the person who used to wander alone in a land filled with demons ever since she was ten?
Dad looked at the flowers in my arms and realized I must have been late bringing them home.
“Are these flowers for your mom?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Arina wouldn’t want you to be in any danger, so it seems late, just come back right away.”
“Okay.”
I answered, even though I didn’t quite understand what he was talking about. It felt like an awkward situation, and my dad, after entering the house and seeing me in a well-lit place, grabbed my shoulders with a stern expression.
“Yen, why are you dressed like that? What happened?”
The clothes I originally went out in were difficult to put on because the strings were tight, so I tied them just enough so they wouldn’t fall off. But I was wearing a coat over it and held the bouquet of flowers close to my chest, so it didn’t look as sloppy.
“I was just out picking flowers… Dad, why are you acting like this?”
“…As long as nothing happened.”
Seeing my dad calmly accepting it made me feel confused. However, that wasn’t the end of it.
“But now that you’re an adult, you have to be careful. You never know who might have a black heart.”
“Black heart? What do you mean by black heart? Huh…?”
“I can’t believe the day has already come when I’ll be saying this to Yen….”
Dad seemed to be deeply moved as he reflected on how much I’ve grown.
But I was in shock. Was he serious? I don’t remember being told to beware of demons, let alone someone with a black heart. I know I should be careful, but there’s no way that black heart warning was directed at me.
Thanks to my dad’s shocking demeanor, I completely forgot about who Ken might be concerned about.
***
After seeing off Belienne, Ken didn’t return home. Instead, he headed to the residence of his former comrade, High Priest Sean Onra.
Ken arrived at Sean’s house well past midnight. Although all the lights in the house were off, the door opened as Ken stepped into the front yard, as if Sean had foreseen his arrival. A young man wearing a thin tunic came out.
Sean Onra was the youngest High Priest having been inducted at the age of five when he received his divine power after facing the gods. Even at the age of twenty-three, he still held the title of the youngest High Priest.
As a High Priest with the ability to see everything with divine foresight, Sean wasn’t surprised to receive an unannounced visitor.
“What has caused you to seek me out, warrior? What change in circumstances brings you here?”
“What happened to Belle at the coming-of-age ceremony?”
“I can’t even begin to tell you.”
Ken didn’t deny those words. As a trusted hero, the imperial palace is where those who falsely accused him of treason reside. For Belienne, who frequently moves in and out of that place, facing trouble might be a daily occurrence. So, telling him everything that happened there might indeed be difficult.
But for Ken, who had watched her from the sidelines, this is anything but ordinary. Lately, Belienne had visibly been in a slump, and it started around the time of the coming-of-age ceremony.
Sean tilted his head. “She’s disheartened because the curse hasn’t been lifted.”
“Curse?”
Sean lightly clicked his tongue.
“To put it more directly, at her coming-of-age ceremony, Darling was told ‘lizard head is disgusting,’ and on top of that, ‘can you imagine living with a reptile like that.’”
Ken stiffened. The first sensation he felt was a chilling cold. He barely managed to speak, feeling as if all the blood drained from his body.
“She heard… those words?”
When Sean nodded, Ken felt hot again, this time burning from head to toe.
“Assholes,” said Ken.
Sean repeated the word “assholes,” and moved slightly away from the door.
“Come in. This might take a while. And I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
“Do you know that there will be an imperial-sponsored tournament soon?”
“I didn’t .”
Ken didn’t know about such things and wasn’t interested.
“I thought so. In this upcoming tournament, they will choose a new lord of Bittern.”
“They’re choosing a lord through an imperial tournament?”
That would be quite an inferno that was about to unfold. After the war, the nobles redistributed the territories they had lost, engaging in a scramble like mice fighting over fallen crumbs.
“There are still many Bitterns who could inherit the title,” said Ken.
Sean jerked his chin toward his house. “One is here too.”
Ken glanced around the dark interior. In the shadows, he could hear the soft, steady breath of a child.
“I want to give Bittern to Darling, but I need the warrior’s magic stone.”
If the request involved a magic stone, that would be easy. Ken always had more than enough magical power.
“Alright.”
