After the carriage came to a halt, Sir Osvalt offered me his hand, and a word of advice. “The Volcanic Miasma Zone is all the way over there. I guess we can’t get any closer. Watch where you step, all right?”
“Thank you. Yes, I will. The area where the explosions occur is half an hour away by foot, but if we don’t keep our guard up, we could be seriously injured.”
In the Volcanic Miasma Zone, one wrong move could lead to death. Last time, a brief lapse of judgment had gotten me seriously injured. I knew how dangerous the path ahead would be.
Even Mother Hilda still bore the scars of her visit to the area. On reflection, I regretted the risk I’d taken. It was unduly careless.
“I observe an atypical rate of explosions. I can hardly believe that Lady Philia and Lady Mia made it out alive.”
“You can see them, Himari?” said Lena. “I can only hear them. I can’t see a thing.”
“We ninjas undergo training to hone our senses. If we don’t detect potential dangers swiftly, we could lose our lives.”
I expected nothing less from Himari. We were some distance away, but her eyesight was impeccable.
The loud bangs, occasional quivers in the atmosphere, and abnormal mana were my only means of estimating the location and size of the explosions.
“What do you say? Can you pick up anything from here?”
“Yes. I’m more than close enough to carry out some observations. Could I stay here for a while?”
“Of course. Just tell me what you need. I can get it for you.”
“I’m fine. You don’t need to worry. A notebook and pen are all I need.”
I took out my pen and paper and began to form some hypotheses. How could I stabilize the unstable mana? If I created a device that could do so, how could I set it up inside the Volcanic Miasma Zone?
If I deployed a number of small devices, it would take a long time to install them—but a smaller number would probably have to be on the larger side. That would make transporting them even riskier…
“Prince Osvalt,” said Leonardo, “it appears there’s some sort of commotion over that way.”
“Hey, you’re right.”
I followed their gazes and spotted soldiers questioning some nearby townspeople. What had happened? The soldiers appeared to be showing them a piece of paper.
“Shall we investigate, Sir Osvalt?”
“Sounds like a good idea. Are you done with your work, Philia?”
“Yes. I’ve made a note of all the necessary information, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Okay. Let’s try to find out what’s going on.”
Sir Osvalt nodded at me, and we headed toward the soldiers.
As with the incident at the ruins yesterday, trouble seemed to await us at every turn.
“Hey, what’s all this fuss about?”
“Prince Osvalt! I-I’m so sorry you had to see this! It’s just—”
The soldiers turned to face us and quickly straightened up. Sir Osvalt cut them off.
“Drop the formalities. Just tell me what caused the commotion.”
“Yes, Your Highness. A few days ago, a group attempted to enter the Volcanic Miasma Zone without permission. They were caught in an explosion and emerged with severe injuries. We apprehended them—but then…”
I could hardly believe my ears. Some people were utterly irresponsible. Not that I was one to talk…
The fact that they’d entered without permission was concerning, too.
“What happened then?”
“Sorry. We planned to interrogate them after treating their wounds, but, well… All of a sudden, they vanished into thin air.”
“You mean they escaped?”
“I’m so sorry! We’re not trying to evade responsibility. We’ll accept any punishment, no matter how harsh!”
“That’s not for me to decide,” said Sir Osvalt. “Well, that explains why you were questioning people.”
The injuries from a magical explosion could range in severity, but they were unlikely to be minor enough to allow the intruders to get away. Someone must have helped them escape. That was the logical conclusion.
The soldiers had probably made the same deduction, so there was no need to bring it up. The primary question was—
“What do you make of this, Philia?” asked Sir Osvalt.
“I’m curious about the intruders’ objective. Everyone knows how dangerous it is there. If they ventured into the zone on purpose, their goal must have justified the risks.”
I had an inkling of their intentions. After all, I’d entered the zone for the same reason.
“Th-their goal? Oh, yes. One of the intruders said something about a Moontear Flower—but who knows what that means.”
Sir Osvalt and I exchanged glances and nods. “Philia…”
“Yes. It sounds as though my suspicions were correct.”
To prevent others from risking their lives as I had, only a select few were aware that I’d obtained the Moontear Flowers from the Volcanic Miasma Zone. All the public knew was that I’d harvested a number of the rare flowers. It was hardly surprising that the soldiers were baffled by the intruder’s comment. The troubling part was that someone knew the truth and had attempted to sneak in.
“Here’s the report from our investigation into the incident, Your Highness. As soon as we’ve finished questioning people from the area, we’ll submit it to the palace.”
“Hmm…” Sir Osvalt skimmed the report. “The day before yesterday, you picked up three injured thieves. Their injuries suggested that they’d entered the Volcanic Miasma Zone unlawfully. Last night, right before you were about to question them, all three of them disappeared. Since they weren’t fit to move, they probably had an accomplice.”
The report was more or less what I’d imagined. The question was, who had helped them?
I also wondered how they had learned that a valuable medicinal plant, the Moontear Flower, grew in these parts.
“I should inform my brother as soon as possible.”
“That’s true. Now that you have the investigation report, you should send it to him right away. And don’t forget that the Moontear Flower has a connection to the kingdom of Girtonia, too.”
Half of the Volcanic Miasma Zone was under Girtonia’s dominion. Depending on the situation, this could become an international incident.
“Yes. It would definitely be wise to have this delivered to the palace right away. It’s a long way from here, though…”
Himari spoke up. “I believe I can perform this duty. I shall deliver the report to Prince Reichardt promptly and reliably.”
I had no doubt that she could transport the papers to the capital more quickly than anyone else, and, most importantly, she was trustworthy.
“I think it would be best to trust this to Himari, Your Highness,” Leonardo agreed. “Lena and I can continue to guard you and Lady Philia in her absence.”
Lena nodded eagerly. “I know what Himari’s like. She’ll whizz right there and be back before we know it.”
With the two of them around, we’d be safe. Besides, Sir Osvalt and I knew how to defend ourselves.
“Does that sound all right to you, Philia?”
“Yes. Let’s leave this to Himari.”
Sir Osvalt signed the report and handed it to Himari. “Yeah, this could be serious. Himari, get this to my brother. Of course, I’ll use the bracelet to explain the situation and tell him that you’re on your way.”
Himari’s face barely shifted from its usual dignified expression, but I could tell how happy she was. “As you wish, Your Highness. I shall ensure this report reaches him quickly. Now then, I’ll be on my way—”
Without a sound, she vanished from my field of vision. It was as though she’d been swept away.
I couldn’t imagine we had any reason to worry about her. She’d be handing Prince Reichardt the report before we knew it.
Lena yelped. “She’s always so quick!”
“Lady Philia, are you sure you want to carry on? Usually, something like this would prompt you to put everything on hold.” As Lena watched Himari disappear into the distance, Leonardo gave me an inquiring look.
Pausing my trip to investigate these intruders…
I had to admit, that idea of stopping to investigate this case had run through my mind—but one thing stopped me.
“You want to find out if there’s a connection between these intruders and the break-in at the ruins, right?”
“Sir Osvalt?”
“Intruders have trespassed in two forbidden areas within just a few days. It doesn’t take an archsaint to guess that something’s up.”
He’d read my mind. I couldn’t dismiss the incidents as a simple coincidence.
“I do want to enjoy our honeymoon,” I said, “but you’re right. I believe the two cases to be linked.”
“I thought so,” said Sir Osvalt. “And our next stop is another archeological site.”
“Exactly. What if there’s another clue waiting for us there?”
If we continued our tour of Parnacorta’s ruins, I might find more information to explain what the intruders were after. Our next destination was the Amalgoa Ruins, Parnacorta’s largest historical site, located near the Volcanic Miasma Zone.
“Let’s get going, then. Whew—this doesn’t feel like a honeymoon trip at all anymore.”
“My sincere apologies. I fully intended to relax.”
“You don’t need to apologize, Philia. This is typical of us,” laughed Sir Osvalt. “Come on, let’s go.”
With a smile, he extended his hand to me. I clutched it and climbed into the carriage.
As the carriage began to sway, I thanked my lucky stars for his kindness. He always put my feelings first.