The coming-of-age ceremony proceeded exactly as Luciana had expected.
Though monsters were creatures deeply hostile toward humans, even they had no choice but to tuck their tails and retreat before an army of this size.
In short.
It was unbearably boring.
‘A Northern noble ought to kill monsters with nothing but their own sword.’
She knew. She knew that Yegor had taken these measures because he was worried about her.
But knowing a fact and understanding it were two different things.
Luciana tried to calm the heat stirring in her heart.
Making a name for oneself was important, but it was only because of one’s house that one could shine brightly.
She knew well that she should not overextend herself when she was to become His Highness the Crown Prince’s bride.
...She knew, but.
“Are you bored? Why do we not go over there as well?”
“...You certainly have some nerve.”
Had it shown on her face?
At Hans’s words, Luciana obediently turned her horse’s head.
This man, who had now become her attendant. She had nearly driven him away after even dueling him.
Their first meeting had not been particularly good, yet...
“Could you call it sociability instead? Take that away, and I have nothing going for me.”
And yet here he was, smiling as he approached her without hesitation and chatted so easily.
He was a peculiar person, very different from the Northerners.
“Am I bored? As you said, I am. No matter how vicious Northern monsters may be, they still know to value their own lives.”
Luciana readily agreed.
He was now her personal attendant. Nothing good would come of continuing to push him away.
“Lady Luciana, I do not know much because I am from another region. Is it better if you catch a larger and stronger monster at a coming-of-age ceremony?”
‘Ah, is that so.’
At his question, a soft, hollow breath escaped her.
She was lamenting how far this situation was from the purpose of a coming-of-age ceremony as she knew it, as well as the North’s honor.
At most, she would get to pick off the small fry the army had driven toward her.
‘Perhaps people from other regions cannot understand it. The Northern coming-of-age ceremony, or the honor that changes according to the danger posed by the prey.’
Luciana wore a faint smile.
As someone who walked the path of martial arts, and as a Northern noble obligated to protect the people of her territory.
How could she explain her desire to prove herself through words?
If she dared define it, perhaps she could call it romance.
-Your life does not belong to you alone. Please do not forget that you are engaged to His Highness the Crown Prince.
In that moment.
An odd displeasure swept through Luciana’s body, as though ice water had been poured down her spine. The desire that had briefly flared up also died away, leaving only ashes, the instant she recalled Yegor’s words.
But it was not her attendant’s fault.
Luciana calmed her emotions and answered.
“Yes. ...However, with this many troops accompanying us, even a vicious monster would be scared off and run away before it even tried.”
Only the slightest lingering regret scattered with her sigh.
Luciana laughed bitterly at herself for being foolish enough to cling to a regret she could not let go of.
“You never know. There could be a monster that does not fear this great army and attacks us.”
“I wish that were true.”
Luciana shook her head at her attendant’s ignorant words.
She knew better than anyone that it could not happen.
Though she had never experienced real combat, she knew much about monsters from the stories her father and brother had told her, as well as the books in House Speda’s library.
“Do not worry so much. We might discover a dungeon that is a monster nest, might we not? We can go into their base and wipe them out! It is only a hypothetical, but that would make for the greatest coming-of-age ceremony.”
But when the eyes meeting hers sparkled with hope and faith.
For the first time, Luciana realized that faith alone could be comforting.
Whether it was herself, her family, or her friends.
She had never experienced such a feeling, since none of them were the sort to add unnecessary words unless they were needed.
It was not bad at all.
A softly swelling sensation warmed her heart.
It was unfamiliar.
At that moment, part of Luciana’s mind was suddenly brushed by something from her political studies.
-A sycophant’s tongue is truly sweet. One cannot help but be drawn in. You must be wary of it as well, my lady.
Her tongue reacted immediately.
Before she could even make a judgment, harsh words leaped from her lips.
“Enough. I do not believe in such miracles.”
“.......”
Silence fell.
An unintended cruel remark.
After hesitating, Luciana quietly closed her mouth.
‘...It was a proper rebuke for an insolent attendant.’
But why was it that she thought it was not necessarily a bad thing?
***
‘As expected of the chilly duke’s daughter.’
I shrugged and looked around.
Still, Luciana’s helm had returned to face forward. It seemed she had recovered some of her spirits.
Right. That was the Luciana I knew.
The sight of her drooping her head did not suit her at all.
Then.
Something unusual caught my eye on the snow a short distance away.
‘It was worth coming here.’
“Lady Luciana, do you see that?”
“See what?”
Leaving her behind as she regarded me suspiciously, I climbed down from my horse and searched through the mound of snow that rose in a small hump.
“...?”
“Wow, there is a whole pile of it. This.”
As someone approached from behind, I held out my hand without warning.
A clump of silver fur, resembling her hair, sparkled in the sunlight.
“That is....”
“Oh, you recognize it. Well, how could you not? The owner of this glossy white fur is obvious.”
“Of course. It belongs to a Diawolf.”
Interest lit Luciana’s eyes.
There were many vicious monsters in the North, but a few were considered particularly representative.
The Diawolf was one of them.
“I heard that the livestock of residents outside the walls have recently suffered losses in this area. Was this the work of those creatures?”
“It seems likely.”
Seeing Luciana’s serious face, I recalled the Diawolves I had encountered in the game.
They did not possess enough strength individually to overwhelm a knight, but there was a reason Diawolves had such a terrible reputation.
Each individual was only slightly stronger than an ordinary wolf, but their true strength came from the pack.
Moving systematically around their leader, they tormented the local vigilantes and picked only the innards from livestock such as sheep. Their notoriety was well known among Northerners.
‘How many times did I even do that subjugation quest....’
The North had few quests related to reputation, so I had probably hunted them hundreds of times to grind it out.
“You found it well, even in the snow. Since it is the same color, it cannot have been easy to distinguish. Did you inspect the ground while riding a horse?”
“Ah ha ha, I have good eyesight.”
A sharp, suspicious gaze swept over me.
It was not as though I were a Mongolian, and there was no way my eyesight was sharp enough to notice such a subtle difference.
This was entirely thanks to the Status Window.
[Item, ‘Diawolf Fur Clump,’ acquired.]
The moment I thought that patch in the snow might be silver, a marker saying there was an item appeared. I had doubted it, but it turned out to be exactly what I thought.
‘Of course, I was the one who suggested going to the Diawolves’ main habitat.’
[Related Quest Issued.]
[Search the Diawolf Den]
[Gather more Diawolf Fur Clumps.]
[1/3]
Fur clumps were everywhere. Completing the quest would be easy.
As a sacrifice for a coming-of-age ceremony that would save Luciana’s pride.
There could be no better target than Diawolves, which had consistently harmed the North’s residents.
But Luciana was skeptical.
“In any case, this is good. If we follow the trail, we will be able to catch them.”
“You are being optimistic after finding only one clump of fur. How would we track them with a clue this thin?”
“......”
“Besides, that stuffy old man would never permit it.”
Hm. That was true.
‘Yegor, who considers Luciana’s safety above all else, was bound to oppose it.’
He would say something like, ‘Diawolves? It is too dangerous. Leave them to the soldiers.’
I grinned and whispered to Luciana.
“Then let us go by ourselves in secret.”
“...What?”
Luciana’s eyes widened.
“We do not have to go around with the soldiers. Were you not the one saying that tradition was important?”
“...Hah. I did not expect to hear those words from a Westerner like you.”
A Northern coming-of-age ceremony had to be borne entirely alone.
She had said that herself while grumbling about it, but had she taken it as a provocation?
With an unhappy expression, she lightly tapped the hilt of the sword at her waist.
“At my position, there are many things I must consider. My house’s honor, the concerns of those beneath me.... It is the same even now.”
Luciana got down from her horse, brushed aside the snow, and found more Diawolf fur.
Her neat hand stroked the clump of fur.
“I do want to go.”
Her true feelings scattered into the frigid wind.
“But I must live up to the duties placed upon me, as well as the expectations and concerns others direct toward me.”
I lowered my eyes as I watched her.
Luciana had always been that way in the game, too.
The same was true of when she challenged the Protagonist to a duel to secure her engagement to the Crown Prince.
Her house always came before her individual desires.
‘...It was only that the end was not a good one.’
“What would you do in a situation like this?”
As though testing me, she suddenly asked such a question.
I met her eyes and shrugged.
“I would do whatever I felt like.”
“...What?”
“Hearing people out is one thing. There is no reason I have to follow everything they say. Even if it is an elder’s advice. It is a coming-of-age ceremony that only happens once in your life, so you should enjoy it however you want.”
It was advice I meant sincerely, having once argued with my parents over my future career.
In the end, I had found a decent, stable path in chemistry, which had good employment prospects, just as my parents had said.
“Otherwise, you will surely regret it later.”
‘The lingering regret of wondering what would have happened if I had pursued the game development I loved. It remains with me even now.’
I was certain.
If she went back like this simply because she was to become the Crown Prince’s bride, regret would surely remain in a corner of her heart as well.
“You are presumptuous for an attendant. Your words are only flowery.”
I shrugged once more.
Contrary to her cold rebuke, there was less anger in her voice and a trace of liveliness had returned to it.
After a while.
“...I have decided. Lead the way.”
“You mean....”
“You must prove those flowery words of yours, must you not? Hurry and guide me to the prey, as an attendant should.”
Including the clump she had just found after dismounting, the count was exactly right.
[Diawolf Fur Clumps 3/3]
[Quest Complete]
[The location and information for the related dungeon, ‘Diawolf Cave,’ will be provided.]
“Yes, I will do as you command!”
“Shh. Your voice is too loud. Do we not need to slip away from them without being noticed?”
There was no longer any worry on her face.
In its place were only relief, excitement, and unwavering resolve.
Stealthily and swiftly.
No one noticed the two horses slipping away.
***
“Yegor! The duke’s daughter has disappeared!”
“As expected, she went through with it.”
The old attendant of the ducal house let out a long sigh.
The duke was like that, as was the young duke, and now even the duke’s daughter.
“Coming-of-age ceremonies are never quiet.”
“Should we not search the area at once?”
At the guard’s question, he smiled.
“There is no need to hurry. I have taken all the necessary measures. A signal will come soon.”
Yegor recalled the instruction he had given Hans before they set out for the coming-of-age ceremony and felt relieved.
“Never take your eyes off the duke’s daughter. And if anything happens, fire this signal flare into the air.”
“Yep! You can trust me!”
Unaware that he had entrusted a fish to a cat, Yegor waited only for the signal flare that would never rise.