I could have also called for backup from the duke, but if Jijinbou was a Banner of Seirin, like I’d already suspected, numbers alone wouldn’t be much of an advantage against him. So I’d chosen to go back to the mansion to heal Claudia first instead. I’d been fairly certain that as long as I raised her level, I could lift her curse. And even if Jijinbou tried to curse her again afterward, her higher level would give her more strength to resist. Therefore, I hadn’t planned to fight Jijinbou until Claudia’s safety was ensured and the effects of transferring my soul to her had passed. I’d never counted on him coming that very night. That was entirely my mistake. I should have warned everyone that he might attack the moment he realized his curse was gone.
Then again, even if I had, I doubt they would have believed that a single knight of Seirin could cause that much destruction, I thought.
“Er, when that man accused me, you didn’t suspect me even a little, Mr. Sora? As I said earlier, his reasoning was entirely sound. It very well could have been the case.”
“Not even for a second. It’s a little embarrassing to say this in front of you, but when I first met you that day in Claimh Soras’s stable, I found myself astonished by how amazing you were. And the more I’ve gotten to know you, the stronger that feeling has gotten. To be honest, when that old man disparaged you with that smirk on his face, it took all I had to not draw my blade right then and there.”
As I confessed my feelings, Astrid’s face grew redder and redder before my eyes. Beside her, Claudia elbowed her in the side with a grin.
“Wow, dear sister, Mr. Sora called you amazing! When’s the wedding?”
“Clau!”
The younger sister looked like she was in high spirits, while the older sister looked flustered. Meanwhile, their father wore a grim expression.
“Mr. Sora...if you’re going to court my daughter, could you at least wait until I leave the room?”
And thus, the curtain fell on my trip to the royal capital. I returned to Ishka afterward, just as planned. Of course, I could always return to Horus on Claimh Soras if need be.
After informing the duke of my departure at the dinner table the previous night, Claudia had been the first to react.
“Father, I want to go to Ishka with Mr. Sora!”
“What?” Perhaps he’d never expected to hear that from his younger daughter, because he blinked in surprise. “Why would you want to go to Ishka all of a sudden, Clau?”
“Why, as a hostage, of course,” Claudia said, blurting out that incredibly dangerous sentence with a cheerful smile.
I had no clue what she meant, but Duke Dragonaut must have understood her intent, because he made a face like he’d swallowed vinegar.
“Er, I’m sorry, but I’m totally lost. Could you please explain?” I asked. Based on what she’d said, it sounded like she wanted to become my hostage, but why?
“Mr. Sora...sometimes, depending on the situation, we nobles have to discard our personal feelings to perform our duties,” Claudia looked serious, so I had no choice but to stand up straight and listen. “You see, there’s a chance, however slim, that my father might cancel my agreement with you once you return to Ishka. For example...let’s say the empire uses this whole incident as an opportunity to invade Kanaria, but they say they’ll back out of the kingdom if we hand you over. In that case, His Majesty and Marquis Corquia wouldn’t hesitate to agree.”
“And your father would agree as well?”
“Of course not! He’d be against it, certainly. But father is as much His Majesty’s retainer as he is the head of the Dragonaut family. He can’t go against what His Majesty orders. So if His Majesty forces him to give you up, he can’t really refuse. Otherwise, he might be accused of treason, potentially causing his attendants, subjects, and family—hundreds of thousands of people—to suffer. And as the head of the Dragonauts, he couldn’t possibly make such a choice.”
As a duke, he had a responsibility to keep his family intact first and foremost. He couldn’t let feelings get in the way of a decision that affected those he had a duty to protect. So regardless of how he really felt about it, his hands would be tied, and he’d have no choice but to sell me out. That was what Claudia was essentially saying.
Honestly, I hadn’t expected this level of seriousness and foresight from her. “I see. So that’s why you’re offering to become my hostage.”
“Yes. This way, should my father ever betray you, you may do as you see fit to me in exchange.”
“Er...you just want to go to Ishka, don’t you?”
“Yes! Dear sister and I worked hard to come up with this plan together!”
Wow, now that’s a bright smile. And you were involved too, Astrid? No wonder it sounded so uncharacteristically logical for Claudia. Duke Dragonaut, too, was smiling bitterly at his daughters’ actions.
Then Claudia’s expression became serious again. “Honestly, though, I think having the second daughter of the Dragonauts by your side would be to your benefit, Mr. Sora. Not many people out there want to mess with our family, you see.”
“Yeah, I can imagine.”
Of course, taking Claudia with me would mean we’d be living under the same roof, which I had multiple reservations about, but she was right in that having her in my household would give me serious pull within the town. The guild wouldn’t be able to look down on me anymore, and the people’s hostility toward Suzume would soften as well, since she’d be living in the same house.
Still... I shot a glance at Astrid. Why would she help Claudia with this plan? If I had to guess, she was probably thinking that if Claudia was away from the capital, she wouldn’t get wrapped up in any more of the kingdom’s political strife. Now that she’d no longer be marrying the crown prince, she wasn’t likely to be the target of any more curses or assassination plots, but since the empire’s scheme had come to light and the curse was gone, it was also possible that the royal family would try to reinstate the engagement. Or, barring that, many other noble families might come to her with marriage proposals upon hearing that she’d recovered. Most likely, Astrid’s love for her younger sister drove her to shield Claudia from all of that. And perhaps after seeing a Shinsou user’s power for the first time, she was also thinking that should the empire or other hostile force attack the duke’s state once more, Claudia could continue the family bloodline if she was away in Ishka.