The sound of crying from somewhere nearby caused both mine and Selian’s heads to turn simultaneously. In the direction we looked, a young girl was walking along the street, sobbing all alone. Passersby glanced at her occasionally, but none of them approached her directly.
“Just a moment.”
Leaving Selian standing still behind me, I approached the little girl. She continued to cry loudly, seemingly unaware of my presence. I squatted down to match her eye level and spoke to her.
“Hey there, little one?”
“Whaaa!”
Despite my attempts to converse, she appeared heartbroken and kept crying. To soothe her, I placed my hand on her head.
“Why are you crying so much? Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”
“Sniff…”
As I gently stroked her head and continued addressing her calmly, she seemed to calm down a little, blowing her nose and stopping her crying.
“What’s the matter?”
Seeing that she was ready to respond, I asked her again. After blowing her nose a few more times, she replied in a stuffed-up voice.
“Mommy…”
“Did you lose your mom? Where did you part ways?”
“Huuuu…”
At the mention of her mother, the girl seemed on the verge of crying again. After managing to soothe her, I couldn’t let her start crying again.
“Come on, come on. Be a good girl. Stop crying, okay? What’s your name?”
“…Cindy.”
“That’s right, Cindy. That’s a pretty name. But it doesn’t suit you when such a pretty girl is crying, does it? Come on, stop your tears and tell the sisters what happened. Why were you crying?”
“I was with Mommy… and she disappeared…”
Indeed, as expected, Cindy seemed to have gotten lost. If she had stayed put after getting lost, her guardian would have likely returned to find her. However, by the time we found her, she was already walking around.
“Well, we’ll help you. Let’s go look for your mom together.”
As I extended my hand toward Cindy, she hesitantly but adorably placed her small hand in mine. I wiped away the tears pooled in her swollen eyes and stood up.
“Hey, El? Even if the guards will find her, we might cross paths with her guardians. It might be better to not interfere…”
“Hmm? No matter what, I can’t just leave the little one crying. Though I’m sorry to the captain who gave me a ticket, let’s come back and see another time.”
“It isn’t really for that reason…”
“Then let’s go see if any reports have been made.”
Despite Selian’s hesitation for reasons unclear, I took Cindy’s hand and headed toward where the guards might be. We made our way to the nearest lookout post, where sure enough, two guards were standing on duty at the entrance. Though it’s improper to judge someone by their appearance, I approached the one who looked a bit friendlier.
“Hello.”
“Is there something you need?”
Unlike the time I repaired the city boundary and was suspected, the guard questioned me kindly.
“Have there been any reports of lost children?”
“Please wait a moment.”
I lifted Cindy’s hand slightly while asking, and the guard speaking with me went inside the post to check. He must have gone inside to see if there had been any reports or to inquire at other posts.
After waiting briefly, the guard returned.
“There has been no separate report to our unit. Do you have a description of the child’s guardian? I’ll instruct the patrols to search accordingly.”
As I described her mother’s appearance, which Cindy had told me about, the guard immediately reported it to his superiors through a crystal ball.
“In that case, we’ll take care of the child. Thank you for your diligent report.”
“Alright, just stay here. The uncles will quickly find your mom. Go inside and wait for a bit, okay?”
As I let go of Cindy’s hand and tried to hand her over to the guard, she turned around instead and hid behind my legs.
“Cindy?”
“No, I want to stay with you. Do you not like me?”
“Ah…”
Though her sudden behavior made me a bit flustered, the one who sighed deeply was not me. Glancing to the side, I saw Selian uncharacteristically holding her forehead and exhaling deeply. For some reason, Selian had been behaving strangely since a while ago.
“Miss Cindy? Please don’t do this and stay with the guards. Stop fooling around now.”
Selian spoke to Cindy in a voice that was somehow more irritated than usual. But Cindy hid her body even further from Selian, retreating behind me.
“I don’t like that sister…”
“Ah…”
Another deep sigh from Selian. Deciding to set aside checking on Selian’s condition for later, I focused on convincing the stubborn Cindy.
“Come on, Cindy. Don’t be like that. Your mom will worry if you keep insisting.”
“Huuu…”
As I tried to persuade her, Cindy’s teary eyes began to well up again. If I continued, she was going to cry loudly like before, so I had no choice but to relent. It would be rude to cause trouble for the officers here if she started crying.
“Alright, alright. Cindy, let’s wait with me until your mom comes.”
Upon my surrender, Cindy instantly brightened her expression, as if she had never cried at all. She then grabbed my hand and led me along.
“Haha… Then we’ll come back later. Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“Not at all. If we receive news, we’ll bring the child’s mother here.”
I reluctantly let Cindy lead me around wherever she wanted. We watched the fountain in the square spraying water, enjoyed the performances of a street band, and even stopped at a café to buy a drink each. She seemed to be having the time of her life, the fact that she was separated from her mother seemingly no longer an issue. During all this, Selian remained a step behind me and Cindy, following us for some reason.
“Oh, so Cindy, are you visiting Pelches with your mom?”
“Yeah! I insisted on coming because there was something I really wanted to see even though it was forbidden!”
Cindy joyfully replied while holding her strawberry juice. While it was unfortunate that she got lost shortly after coming for sightseeing, I secretly hoped that our time together would overwrite those bad memories with happy ones.
“That’s great. Where? Let’s make it our last stop before we leave.”
The sun was setting. At this time, Cindy’s mother would more likely be waiting at the post by now.
“It’s fine. I’ve already seen everything.”
“Really? Then let’s go back soon. Your mom must have been waiting for a long time.”
“Yeah!”
Fortunately, Cindy didn’t resist this time. Since we deliberately stuck close to the area, getting back to the lookout post wasn’t far.
“Hello.”
“Oh! You’re the young ladies who reported earlier, right? I’ve been informed. The child’s mother is inside, please go in.”
The guard I spoke to earlier must have been relieved by someone else. Following the guide inside, a woman quickly stood up from her spot and approached us.
“Oh my, thank you so much. I don’t know how to repay such a kindness…”
I expected her to be delighted upon seeing Cindy, but instead, she bowed deeply to express her gratitude to us first. Cindy nonchalantly stood beside her mother, watching us curiously, as if this was a routine for her. Indeed, considering how she shed false tears and threw tantrums earlier, it seemed Cindy was quite the experienced mischief-maker.
“No, it’s alright. Seeing you reunited like this is more than enough.”
“In that case, we’ll leave now.”
We followed Selian, who left first to avoid receiving an actual reward. The outside was already growing dark.
“Ultimately, we missed the play. I really feel bad for the captain. I’m sorry, Selian, I know you wanted to see it too.”
She was excited when the captain handed over the tickets and set the time, and there was no doubt that she was eagerly looking forward to today’s play. But my stubbornness led us to miss it. Of course, it was unavoidable since we found a lost child, but it was naturally regrettable for her.
“…It can’t be helped. It’s already passed, and there wasn’t much I could do either.”
“Then, how’s your schedule tomorrow? Not sure if there are any seats left, but if we come early, we could probably get some…”
“I’d like that.”
Selian answered before I even finished speaking. Seeing her enthusiasm, I couldn’t just sit around. I’d need to secure two tickets early tomorrow morning, before they sell out.
“Could you wait just a moment?”
On the way back to the academy, passing the fountain in the square, I stopped her. I pulled out something I had been carrying in my pocket, unsure of when I should give it.
When we were shopping for clothes earlier, I secretly purchased this black ribbon for her. I won’t deny that it matches my personal tastes.
“This is my gift for you.”
Selian widened her eyes, alternating her gaze between my face and the hand I extended. Then, a bright smile spread across her face. Instead of taking the ribbon, she lifted her hand and began untying the one that was already tied in her hair, her shimmering blonde tresses cascading down.
“Would you tie it for me instead?”
I moved behind her, taking her soft hair with one hand and deftly tying the ribbon with the other.
Selan didn’t have a mirror, but it was as if she could see everything as she excitedly touched the ribbon with a wide smile.
There’s nothing Selian wouldn’t suit, but her current appearance, even better than expected, made me feel gratified as I watched her pleased expression.
“Alright, shall we go?”
“Yes.”
Unlike earlier when she walked a step behind me, Selian now walked closely by my side. But it seemed walking side by side wasn’t enough for her as she soon linked arms with me, clinging onto me. I could feel Selian’s chest brushing against my arm and thought about letting go, but her strength was unmatched and she didn’t budge. I could feel my face heating up, but thankfully, the sun was still partially out, casting a sunset glow that hid my blush.
With a slightly embarrassed but content heart, we continued our way back.
—
*
“Your Majesty! Didn’t you promise not to wander around alone this time?”
When the child’s mother exited the guard post, surprising words came out of her mouth, but no one turned to look at her. The area was already shielded by a barrier she had erected, ensuring complete soundproofing. No one could eavesdrop on their conversation through her barrier.
“Hmm? Oh yeah, that’s right.”
The woman, posing as a child, casually answered with an offhand response to the worries she voiced. Of course, Chief Royal Mage Isis was no stranger to the Emperor’s antics. She knew that there was no one in the city who could harm the Emperor, but allowing this behavior to slide without a word was unacceptable. After all, the Emperor is the Empire.
“…Well, how did it go, Your Majesty?”
“Originally, I was curious about the hero the Goddess had marked, but… keke…”
At Isis’ inquiry, the Emperor began laughing loudly, clutching their stomach. Though anyone seeing the Emperor like this would be shocked, to Isis who was always at the Emperor’s side, this scene was already all too familiar.
“For some reason, the candidate hero knew my identity, and her companion was quite amusing. It was worth coming.”
“…Then, let’s return and take care of today’s delayed work.”
The Emperor’s outings are no small matter. Even though the Emperor wields absolute authority, the ministers would never allow them to casually set off with just one person, especially to a far-off location without the protection of the knights. But this Emperor was special, not just because she was a woman.
“Stop making trouble.”
With those simple words, the Emperor silenced all dissent. Her decisiveness combined with the ever-present Isis and her magic made this possible.
A polymorph artifact, kept in the royal treasury for concealing her identity, was utilized, and the Chief Mage was mobilized to serve as her escort. Additionally, a double impersonating her appearance was performing her duties in the palace to maintain the illusion of her presence. Of course, this double was only for show and unable to make real decisions, so by now the palace likely had piles of pending matters from today.
“Normally, I would have postponed it until tomorrow, but today my mood is quite good. Let’s head back immediately and handle it right away.”
“…That was supposed to be your duty in the first place, Your Majesty.”
At the Emperor’s reply, Isis drew a large magic circle in the air, illuminating the surroundings with a dazzling light. But still, no one turned to look.
And when the light faded, the two figures were gone as well.
