Still chatting with Amyu and the others, Fiona frowned momentarily, then turned to face the young man, clearly forcing a smile.
“My, good afternoon, Hiltzel.”
Hiltzel. That was a name I had heard before. Hiltzel Urd Alegreif was the first prince of the empire and Fiona’s older brother. Picking up on that, Amyu and the others immediately stiffened up. As we all fell silent, Fiona continued with a cold smile.
“How is your health? Please, don’t push yourself too much.”
“Fortunately, I’m feeling quite good today. I very much wanted to attend this party,” said Hiltzel.
I had heard rumors that the first prince was wise yet had a poor constitution. It seemed that was true.
Fiona turned her attention to the woman standing next to Hiltzel. “Now, that’s unusual. Elysia is accompanying you today?”
The woman didn’t respond, only giving a slight nod. She was younger than Hiltzel—perhaps only two or three years older than we were. Though she wore a stern expression, her features were striking. In contrast to the prince, her lustrous golden hair immediately drew one’s eye.
“For the daughter of Duke Madias, I thought it would be good for her to make an appearance every once in a while,” Hiltzel said. “I’d look a fool if my own fiancée constantly rejected me.”
“I see. Still, don’t overexert yourself. I’m sure Elysia is quite busy as well.” The woman gave a small, uneasy nod in response to Fiona’s smile.
She was apparently the first prince’s fiancée. It was unusual for the daughter of a prominent noble family to be as unaccustomed to social gatherings as she seemed to be.
“I won’t ask her to do anything unreasonable,” the prince said, paying no mind to his fiancée’s behavior. “I find her more lovely when she keeps to herself like this. More importantly...” With little preface, Hiltzel turned to Amyu. “You mustn’t keep this party’s hidden guest of honor to yourself, Fiona. Won’t you introduce me to your friends?” he said, looking straight at Amyu.
It was then that I realized the Hero was his reason for approaching us. Despite how weak he looked, he was surprisingly bold. While everyone else was keeping their distance, he had spoken to us without any fear of the ogre holy knight. Even now, he appeared relaxed and composed.
Amyu shot an uncertain glance at Fiona.
“Keep her to myself?” Fiona said to her half brother, looking deeply offended. “I was simply waiting for someone brave enough to approach.”
“Then it would seem I’ve earned the right.” Without waiting for an introduction, Hiltzel extended his left hand to Amyu. “It’s nice to meet you, Hero Amyu. I am Hiltzel Urd Alegreif. Despite my condition, I am an imperial prince.”
“Umm... Yes, I know. I’m Amyu. It’s an honor to meet you.” Amyu shook his hand as she gave her uncomfortable greeting.
“Forgive me for using my left hand. My body is too frail to let go of this cane, you see,” Hiltzel said self-deprecatingly. “I must say, I didn’t expect the legendary Hero to be such a lovely girl.” Hiltzel was a handsome man, not taking after his father, the emperor. Though there was no way it was possible, his looks combined with his frailty made him seem almost like an elf.
Amyu seemed to have frozen up before him.
“I heard you were entrusted with handling the rebel army,” Hiltzel said, darkness washing over his expression.
“Y-Yes. That’s right.”
“To think His Majesty would bring the Hero into a quarrel between humans. I cannot fathom what he’s thinking. I simply can’t believe this is the proper course of action. Are you truly not afraid? Even with the strength of the Hero, facing an army tens of thousands strong alone must be frightening. If you wish, I could petition His Majesty on your behalf so that you may still refuse.”
“N-No.” Despite being overwhelmed, Amyu shook her head. “I want to be part of the empire’s strength. And I’m not alone.”
“Of course,” Hiltzel said as though unsurprised by her response. “I heard that the Hero had reliable companions. They said a certain mage managed to quell the largest stampede in Rakana’s history in the blink of an eye.” Hiltzel turned to us, his eyes fixed on me behind his dark glasses. “Might that be you, Seika Lamprogue?”
I silently stared back at the prince. I couldn’t glean anything from the gentle smile on his lips. How much does he know? Why did he approach Amyu and me?
“Yes, it was me,” I quietly replied, lowering my eyes for a moment. Then I returned his smile. “I am Seika Lamprogue. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Prince Hiltzel. I’m honored that one hailed as the imperial family’s best and brightest knows my name.”
“Of course I know it. You’re the savior of a city. Count Lamprogue is an expert on magical studies, but I never imagined such a prodigy would be born to his family. Tell me, what sort of magic did you use?”
“I’m ashamed to admit that the rumors have taken on a life of their own,” I said, shaking my head. “Though my name spread because I roused people up a bit, I was but one of many who fought that day. The magic I used was sadly all quite ordinary.”
“Oh, is that so?” Hiltzel’s tone sounded disappointed. “Come to think of it, I did hear some rather far-fetched tales mixed in. Something about you felling a monster the size of a dragon with a single strike, as I recall.”
“Those fanciful rumors are a headache for me as well. No one person could quell a disaster of that scale single-handedly. If there were any saviors, it was the people who gave their lives for their comrades, not me.”
“Right you are. I shouldn’t have needed you to tell me that.” The prince scratched his cheek with an awkward smile.
Somehow, I made it through that. Internally, I was sweating profusely. I hadn’t expected carelessly using my real name to have such far-reaching effects. I was known to the imperial family of all things now. I was frustrated with my own stupidity. That said, because I had done something so far beyond the pale, it seemed to have caused the credibility of the story to drop. You never know what’ll end up working in your favor.