In other words, she would stay and protect me while taking into consideration the possibility that I wouldn't deliver on my promise. She not only had a strong sense of duty but was cautious as well.
Actually, I had considered that very possibility myself, depending on the circumstances. That's why I'd purposefully used phrases like "helping to the best of my ability," which could have many interpretations. Had I stumbled upon an unexpected treasure in this young adventurer?
I decided to test her a little further.
"So, Lynphia, what do you plan on doing if I were to break my part of the deal?"
"I'd leak information that would be disadvantageous for you to the factions of other candidates for the throne. I'd get them to save my village in exchange for that information."
Sebas and I exchanged a look.
This girl was an A-class adventurer who could handle herself in a fight and a fairly capable negotiator as well. She'd been able to make a living as a solo adventurer, so she must also be smart and informed on a variety of topics.
I couldn't leave Finne under Elna's protection forever. Elna had her own duties to attend to. From that perspective, Lynphia was the perfect person to fill that spot.
In all honesty, I got the impression Lynphia was better suited to the Imperial Guard than Elna, both in terms of personality and ability.
"And what if I said no deal?"
"That's fine, too. I'll just take my story and my proposal to the other candidates. I'm sure they'd agree to help me once I tack on the tidbit that you refused."
"Hmph."
So she could see the whole playing board, too. The fact that she remained unfailingly cool even under this tightrope walk of a conversation was also an impressive point.
If I said no now, Lynphia would be in a dilemma. There was no guarantee that the other candidates would offer the same conditions that I had. She seemed sure that they would get on board, but I knew she was bluffing for emphasis. And yet, she didn't flinch, and she didn't attempt to placate me.
That was because she knew. She knew that I was testing her.
"What do you think, Sebas?"
"I think it would be a waste to turn down an offer of cooperation from such a powerful ally. But then you'd have to resolve the conditions surrounding the village, of course."
"One pro and one con... Well, that's it, then. It's not like I have much of a choice, anyway. Lynphia, I accept your proposal. You'll help me, and I'll help you. Deal?"
"Deal. But why do you say you don't have a choice?"
"Because my brother is a total do-gooder and so is our biggest supporter, Duke Kleinert's daughter. They'd both be furious at me if I refused and would try to help you on their own. So it's best if I agree to help you myself in the first place."
"...I wasn't expecting that. You have a pretty poor reputation, of being incompetent and unambitious. The lazy and foolish prodigal prince. The Insipid Prince whose twin brother got all of the good qualities and left you with none. That's what people say about you. But talking to you now, I get the entirely opposite impression. You're neither incompetent nor lazy. You're actually Prince Leonard, aren't you."
Lynphia looked at me with a hint of suspicion in her gaze, which I returned with a bitter smile.
I'd been so caught up in the complexity of the situation that I'd completely forgotten about pretending to be incompetent. Now I really couldn't afford to let Lynphia go.
"Don't worry. I'm definitely Arnold. Well, I guess we have a deal, then. Partners?"
"...Partners."
Lynphia and I shared a firm handshake over our promises.
9
A few days later, as preparations for our departure were steadily moving along, I paid a visit to the supreme archduke's manor. I wanted to personally give my thanks for them hiding and protecting Finne.
"What's going on, Arn? Aren't you really busy these days?"
"I'm not all that busy. I'm letting Leo take care of everything."
Elna met me at the manor's entryway. At my reply to her greeting, she put her hands on her hips and heaved an exasperated sigh.
"There you go again... Leo's going to get overwhelmed if you keep foisting everything off on him."
"I'm well aware of the proper dosage of work I can foist on him. Besides, it's fine. He's the type to go looking for more work if he's ever without something to do, anyway."
I'd arrived at sharing my workload with Leo being the optimum solution after years of personal experience.
Still, Elna looked upset. It was probably less about me bothering Leo than about my slacking off.
"That's a clever explanation, but I know your main motivation is just to make things easier for yourself."
"A younger brother's purpose in life is to make his older brother's life easier," I replied cheekily, and Elna sighed again.
It was a typical light conversation between us. Once the small talk was over, I looked Elna in the eye and brought up the real reason I was here.
"Are you free later?"
"Why? Are you going to ask me out on a date? If so, your technique needs a little more finesse."
"Yeah, something like that."
After proudly mocking me in her usual manner, Elna froze at my reply. She remained frozen as her face got redder and redder. She was way, way too expressive with her emotions.
"I thought I'd invite you out to eat, to thank you for looking after Finne. What do you say?"
"O-oh, right! It's in repayment, then! Th-that makes perfect sense!"
"Geez, what did you think I meant? So, are you free or not?"
"Um...sure, I'm free. I think some count is coming over, but I don't need to be here."
That poor count, being stood up just when he thought he was finally getting a chance to meet the supreme archduke's daughter. That had to feel like hell.
"It's just lunch. At least meet with the count later in the evening."
"I'll decide who I meet and who I hang out with, thank you very much. I was actually just thinking I wanted to go walk around the capital again. Come with me."
"No, really, let's just do lunch—"
"You're supposed to be thanking me, remember? I'm going to go get ready. Wait here."
Not bothering to listen to me, Elna headed back inside with a grin on her face. I halfheartedly reached out to try and stop her, but after grasping nothing but air, I let out a long sigh. I'd planned on just lunch, but this would probably turn into a full-day outing.
I was kept waiting for a full thirty minutes. I assumed most women would take some time getting ready to go out, and it's not like waiting was particularly painful. However, it was unusual for Elna. Normally she'd have been ready rather quickly.
"Okay, I'm ready now."
Eventually, Elna came jogging up to me.
She was wearing a white blouse and a red miniskirt, along with a small black hat. The style suited her, and I thought she looked beautiful, but she would definitely stand out.
As I was contemplating my impression of her, I realized something. Elna's hat was a magical tool.
"Do you have a plan to keep from drawing attention to yourself?"
"This hat is imbued with recognition obstruction magic. No one will know that I'm an Amsberg."
Nice. It seemed the supreme archduke had his share of magic tools.
Of course, even with magic to block recognition of Elna, that wouldn't prevent her from standing out in a crowd. There was nothing she could do about her good looks. It was just like Elna to not even realize that about herself. Oh well, I figured.
"Well, let's get going. Where do you want to go?"
"I want to visit all the places that mean something to me. I haven't had the opportunity to relax and walk around the capital lately."
"I doubt anything's really changed, but okay."
Discussing our plans, we set out into the capital.