“He dropped something.” Rentaro-kun picked up an object fashioned like a four-leaf clover. She recognized it as the squire’s signature hair ornament. “Do you think we might’ve wound up inside the story?” Rentaro-kun said it as if he were joking, but I could see sweat drops starting to pour down his face.
I had an inkling of why that might’ve been.
“If we really are inside Circlet Love Story,” Rentaro continued, “and if that boy really was Sir Kamakuru’s squire…then won’t the story go off the rails if he doesn’t meet Sir Kamakuru?”
I nodded even more fervently. The squire was a very important character in Circlet Love Story, and his absence would change the plot significantly.
“H-hey, it’s not like we know that for a fact.” Rentaro-kun fell into thought. “Oh, I know! If this really is the world of Circlet Love Story, then Sir Kamakuru and Princess Io should show up in a bit!”
So we hid in a nearby bush before the group of bandits woke up, keeping an eye on the situation. Before long, Sir Kamakuru and Princess Io really did appear. Thus, to ensure consistency with the story, Rentaro-kun put on the hair ornament and acted like the young boy who had run away.
The rest of us aimed to be mere bystanders, making sure Rentaro progressed through the plot safely. However, things weren’t quite so simple…
An Excerpt from Circlet Love Story:
“A True Knight”
The princess was incarcerated and would face execution before long—for a crime she had not committed, of course. Unfortunately, those who wished to frame her had fabricated some damning-looking evidence. My plan was to rescue her forthwith, conceal her identity, and resolve the situation.
“How do I sneak into the castle, though?”
Given that the princess was locked away under strict surveillance, infiltration seemed nigh impossible.
“Is Sir Masa here?” a voice called out. “The knight who needs help?”
When I turned around, I found the elderly knight alongside an unfamiliar lady knight. “She attends the neighboring country’s third prince,” he said, gesturing to his companion.
It made sense why she’d be here. I had heard whispers that this prince sought the princess’s hand in marriage. Doubtless, he had his reasons for wanting to rescue her. What will happen now that our ranks have swelled, I wondered.
“Though the castle’s fortifications are formidable, there remain one or two holes. Like that one. See?” The woman pointed at a hole that did indeed appear to lead into the castle.
“Only a dwarf would be able to traverse a hole that size,” I said.
“I may not be anything as special as a knight, but I do have one unique skill I’m proud of,” she said, before letting out a high-pitched whistle.
A rat came running out of the hole and rapidly climbed up to the lady knight’s shoulder. It let out a little squeak.
“I see,” I said. “So you are a beastmaster! The rat is your servant!”
“I’ve been having this little one toss sleep bombs at my targets. It even swipes keys for me.”
With her rat-training skills accounted for, I had no qualms about asking for her assistance. Unless our opponents had deployed mechanical mice weapons from the ruins of an ancient civilization, I was certain that this would work.
“I’ll stay here, just in case there’s a problem. What about you, sir?” she asked, addressing the elderly knight.
“I, too, ask that I remain on the sidelines.” This was a logical decision. If he and I were both captured, the princess would be without allies. “It is up to you to carry the day.”
I nodded firmly. At the moment, I was unaware of what he truly meant by those words, however.
Nom, nom, nom.
“I’m stuffed.” The maids were talking in their sleep. I snuck in quietly so as not to disturb them.
“Princess, I have come to rescue you! I apologize for my tardiness!”
“My knight?!” The princess looked terribly shocked when she saw me open the door.
“First, let us hide you away in a different country! In the meantime, I shall work to improve the situation here!”
“What do you mean, ‘improve’?” The princess’s eyes closed with sorrow. “I grew up being told that I was the unwanted child of a mistress. That I was unneeded. That I would never find a good match. My elder brother’s subordinates have even poisoned my meals because he did not want me as a sister.”
The princess had many enemies within the court, yet there was almost no one she could call an ally. Throughout her entire life, she had not a single soul she could call a friend. She lived a lonely existence, trapped in the castle. Alas, such was the miserable truth.
“This incident started because a faction opposed my marriage proposal, one I had not asked for. If my life has no value, then I would rather—”
I cut her off before her frail voice faded entirely. “Your life does have value! It has value to me! My most cherished wish has always been to protect you, Princess!” I shouted without a moment of hesitation.
“But I am not royalty now, just a mere criminal. You are my knight no longer. Even if everything were to work out somehow, I would eventually be married off to someone in a different country.”
“None of that matters to me.” The princess’s eyes widened at my curt reply. Indeed, I was not her knight at present. She was correct in that regard, which meant we could converse as equals. “I will decide who my lord is, even if no one has given me orders. When I decide upon my master, I follow them anywhere, be it another country or the ends of the earth itself. And…” I drew the sword at my hip. “You alone are my liege.”
I knelt, bowed my head, and offered my sword to the lady I served. Silence stretched for what felt like a terribly long time.
“Yes…! My knight!”
When the princess took my sword, I became her knight in the truest sense.
“I’m glad to see you back, Sir Knight! This way should be safe!”
When I escaped from the castle with the princess, my squire guided me through the back streets. For a while, the three of us ran. Then, we stopped abruptly, startled.
Someone loomed ahead of us. She appeared to be nothing more than a prim and proper maid at a glance. Yet, there was something strange about her. I sensed there was something she kept close to her chest. As the princess’s knight, this perception came naturally to me.
“You ought to have finished your work for today, young miss. And yet, your uniform is as clean as ever, almost as if you are declaring that you do not, in fact, work at the castle.”
“Heh heh. You really would have been daft if that had gone over your head.” The voice belonged not to the maid but to a young girl who had just appeared after her. The maid promptly took her place behind the girl, who had a peculiarly seductive air about her.
“Who are you?”
“Would it ring a bell if I said I was one of the Four Heavenly Monarchs?”
“You hail from the empire?! Then you must be the empire’s foremost tactician!”
The empire was known for attacking other nations out of greed and ambition, and their forces were led by four generals known as the Four Heavenly Monarchs. The sole female member of the group was known as a cunning leader.
“I have something that you need,” the tactician general said somewhat theatrically. As she spoke, the maid approached, holding a leather bag.
“Do you not fear my blade?” I asked the maid, whose eyes were firmly shut tight for some inscrutable reason.