Ending Conditions of the Princess and the Knight

The owner carefully packed the purchased items and placed them on Claude’s shoulders, the shopkeeper tossed in something else. It looked like a small tin of gunpowder with a wick.

“Since you bought a lot, this is a bonus. You can use it like a flashbang in dark places.”

“Oh, is it like a flash grenade? Blinding the enemy’s eyes?”

“No, are you saying that everything is a weapon. It’s just something you can use like fireworks or the like. Since you came with a man and a woman, I’m giving it to you.”

“If you were going to give something, you should have given two. There are two people here, why give only one?”

“The viceroy always seems shameless no matter when you look at him. And you shouldn’t say such things in front of a lady. You’re so ignorant.”

The owner looked at Claude with a slightly pitiful expression and then quickly ushered him out, telling him to leave if he was done.

Curious about the sound that came out each time they shook it, Taeri and Claude took turns shaking the cylinder. It made an interesting sound, as if there were tiny grains of sand or small balls inside.

“Have you ever done fireworks? I’ve watched them several times.”

“I haven’t even watched them.”

His response was somewhat sulky, as if he was still a bit annoyed.

“Oh, right. Of course, you must have been busy as the viceroy, to sit in that position at your age. Or maybe you were just doing mundane tasks and accidentally became a hero.”

Nonchalantly spoken but strangely hitting the mark, Claude stopped in his tracks. The princess seemed to know quite a bit about himself, but he didn’t know anything about her. He couldn’t help but feel the need to ask.

“Then why did the princess only watch? Why didn’t you participate?”

“For similar reasons. I didn’t have time to play because of work.”

Turning pro at a young age, she started socializing early.

One might think that playing games as a profession would be enjoyable, but in the world of professionals, there is no such thing as play. Moreover, she had lived without knowing what rest was, as she sought to escape from her grandparents’ watchful eyes and stand on her own.

I’ve been working harder and harder, putting in more effort than I’m capable of, because I knew it would be a short-lived career.

The rewards were worth it. I became an internationally recognized gamer and made a decent amount of money. But I never thought I’d end up like this.

Taking her luggage from Claude, she held out the cylinder in her hand.

“Even though I didn’t ask for it, you bought it for me, so I won’t pay for it, even if it’s shameless.”

“I didn’t expect anything in return.”

“Instead, I’ll give you this. At least you can take a look.”

Since he had obtained the service using his own money anyway, it was a bit awkward for him to claim ownership.

Claude hesitated and didn’t accept it right away.

“Wasn’t it something you wanted?”

“I was just curious because it looked interesting.”

“That’s what you want.”

She forcefully put it in his hand, and he held it and examined it closely. His gesture was like that of an innocent puppy, and she almost burst into laughter at his lack of manners.

“Take it. Let’s work hard together like diligent cow.”

Cow? The words sent a chill down his spine, but Taeri responded with a smile full of absolute trust as a gesture of gratitude.

Even if he occasionally acts badly, he wouldn’t do something extremely terrible. And even if he does, at least during their time together, it won’t happen. That’s the protagonist’s setting.

“Well then, see you later.”

Today was the moment when she first waved her hand and turned around, suggesting they part ways here. She energetically lifted her foot, but wondered why she wasn’t moving. It turned out that Claude was firmly holding onto the edge of her sleeve near the elbow.

“Why?”

“……”

“Do you have something to say? If you’re thinking of changing your mind and asking for the money back, that conversation has already ended. Actually, I don’t have any money. I gave it all to Bridget earlier.”

“It’s not about that.”

He parted his lips and repeated the action of pressing them together, then dropped his worried eyebrows. What Claude said in a cautious tone unexpectedly turned out to be a request.

“Although it may sound presumptuous, please don’t go anywhere just because you acquired a weapon. Stay in the hotel quietly. When the schedule is set, I’ll come to escort you.”

“Why would I go anywhere?”

“It’s dangerous to go into the forest alone.”

Huh? Was he worried about that? Was he afraid I would boldly enter the monster’s lair alone?

What was I thinking? I thought he was going to say something extremely serious. I removed the piece of clothing he was holding onto and brushed it off.

“You’re doing it again. You’re going to say those motherly things again.”

“Motherly…?”

As Claude, it was an expression beyond his imagination. Who is whose mother…? He clenched his fists tightly.

* * *

The mana barrier served as the frontline defense of the city where the wizards had fought a miraculous defensive battle against the monster rampage. Currently, it acted as the boundary dividing the Black Forest and the old town.

Beyond the barrier was the territory of the forest, a hellish zone where monsters devoid of reason roamed. Due to this, the area nearby was not a suitable place for human habitation. But there were rare individuals seen living sporadically.

Most of them were those who couldn’t enter the city, either escaping from somewhere or hiding to avoid pursuit.

The old fortune teller was no exception. Once the thriving keeper of the royal treasury, he took advantage of a moment when the castle in the forest fell under a curse. He stole the key to the castle’s treasure vault with only a few pieces of silverware and ended up becoming a condemned criminal.

And now, in the backyard of his own shack, in the middle of a small garden that looked like wild boars had trampled it, he was pouring out curses of all kinds.

“What the hell! Which thief pulled out all my lettuce!”

It was unbelievable. The carefully nurtured lettuce and carrots were all pulled out and gone. Even if you take bean sprouts from a worthless fool, they still think they’re a fountain of oil. Who is this thief who ekes out a living near the barrier, stealing crops from a criminal’s backyard. Who exactly is the person deserving of death?

Crawling on his knees, digging into the ground tirelessly, he searched for anything, but ended up completely empty-handed.

“Oh my! You son of a broken hand! Die after eating shit! Eat and die!”

As if the empty garden itself became the thief’s mocking face, the fortune teller trembled his chin, spat on it, cursed, and stabbed fiercely with his moss-covered staff, roaring like a whale.

It was so eerie and unbearable that the waiting guest in the shack would be scared just by witnessing it.

“It seems like someone has taken my precious lettuce. It becomes useless then. If you take someone else’s belongings lightly.”

She was a young lady wearing a beret, and he had discovered her wandering around near the barrier and lured her by offering a cheap fortune-telling session.

If he had heard rumors about a certain princess in a beret who had who punched a hole in the marble of a popular wine bar, he would never have agreed to this, but unfortunately, this is the village near the wall. It was a place where rumors from the city didn’t reach quickly.

Judging solely by the axe hanging from her waist and the revolver holstered on her hip, the fortune-teller assumed she was just an ordinary hunter and grumbled curses as he entered the tent. It was hard enough to make ends meet, but he had to make a living.

“You must have worked hard to survive. Even thieves come to this place.”

“I don’t care who the hell they are, but touching someone else’s things will get you killed!”

“Of course, according to the thief’s words.”

Contrary to her sophisticated face, the sociable woman responded warmly, accepting the scolding without complaint. Even before speaking, she had the sense to take out a silver coin and place it on the table.

Oh, today’s guest is a big shot. Setting aside the unpleasant feeling, the fortune teller slyly chuckled and rubbed his dry hands together.

“Alright, what kind of fortune-telling do you want?”

“Can you just give me a simple fortune?”

“Well, well, it’s not a good sign when a young girl starts talking about fortune telling. Since earning money is my priority, I certainly won’t refuse!”

“Is that so?”

The fortune teller raised an eyebrow slightly, but upon closer inspection, it seemed like he was right. She had never been interested in astrology or tarot readings before. She didn’t worry about the future. But the situation had changed, and her life had become twisted like a pretzel, so lately, she sometimes felt the desire to seek even an imaginary god.

“That’s right, I’m a bit desperate.”

“If the customer feels that way, it’s good. I’m good at reading cards.”

Dozens of cards appeared out of nowhere, floating in mid-air. They could have just been laid out on the table, but being a former magician, the showmanship was definitely impressive.

“Draw five cards. You should be careful…… Hey!”

“I’ve drawn them all.”

Despite being told to be careful, Taeri stretched her arm and grabbed all five cards at once, throwing them down.

The fortune-teller wanted to scold her for her careless attitude, but in an instant, he found himself raising the corners of his mouth at the artificial smile of the woman, without even realizing it.

“Read my fortune, fortune-teller.”

“Why is such a young thing giving orders so arrogantly…”

He felt an unnecessary chill. Despite trying not to succumb to that vague pressure, the fortune-teller’s hand obediently moved according to the command as he flipped the first card.

“Let’s see. You…… Oh, it seems you are the Moon trapped in a tower?”

“Is that a good thing?”

“Don’t ask such a stupid question. I can’t tell which one of you is a maggot by looking at this. Maybe the tower that imprisons you is bad, or maybe you are the bad guy in the tower.”

“I am a very righteous person.”

Well, there are people as shameless as this. Without any hesitation or consultation, the cunning fortune-teller immediately flipped the next card. It depicted a man with a noose around his neck, a condemned man, and as soon as he confirmed it, the old man chuckled and clapped his hands.

“It seems you are indeed a bad person. The second card shows your current expectations. Do you want to break the tower? Do you want to escape from the tower? Well, for that, you will need a massive sacrifice and trials!”

“What an utterly unlucky prophecy.”

“It’s the truth!”

Taeri pouted her lips and quickly jabbed the fortune-teller, urging him to read the next card.

“The third card shows things you do not wish for.”

“Why are only bad things coming up in succession? I just wanted to hear a simple fortune. Wealth, health, business luck, things like that.”

The fortune-teller examined the two cards he had previously opened, along with the third one, and pondered, exaggerating the size of his eyes as he spoke.

“Oh, oh. How pitiful! Now I see, you must be someone who hates being alone.”

“No, I enjoy the solo life. I don’t feel lonely or anything.”

“It’s not that you dislike loneliness, right? It’s the guilt of being left alone that you dislike, isn’t it?”

At that moment, for a very brief moment, Taeri paused. It was a fleeting pause, as if she had taken a quick breath.

And soon, a smooth and even smile brightened her lips.