Part 2:
The Miner Has the Princess Do
Whatever He Wants
AFTER THE BANDITS had been run off, Alan brought the girl back with him to his mountainside cottage.
“Thank you so very much!” The young lady with the beautiful golden locks—whose name, as it turned out, was Lithisia—bowed her head deeply to Alan. “I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am for what you did today!”
“Don’t worry about it. I just did what any miner would do.”
A miner would save his companions when they were in danger. How could he not save a young girl in her time of need?
“Sir, you’re a miner…? Not a knight?”
When Alan nodded his head in response, Lithisia’s eyes glimmered with glee. “I had no idea that miners were so strong or could use magic!”
“Magic?”
“Yes! That incredible spell you unleashed! What kind of training did you have to undergo to use something like that?!” Lithisia asked.
“Hrm? You mean the Wave Motion Shovel Blast? I just focus my energy into my shovel, is all.”
Lithisia was baffled by the miner’s response. Then it dawned on her. “Focus your…? Ohhhh, I get it! It’s a trade secret, isn’t it?”
“And anyway, it’s not magic, it’s… Well, whatever.” Apparently, the young lady had mistaken Alan for a miner who could use magic. He could spend his time correcting her, but it really wasn’t worth the time or effort. It’s not like she was hurting anyone with her incorrect deduction.
The real issue at hand was the girl’s identity. As it so happened, she was the first in line for the throne of the grassland nation, Rostir—in other words, a real-and-true princess. Respected and beloved by citizens all over the country, who affectionately referred to her as “Her Royal Highness.”
“I see…” Alan murmured after Lithisia explained this.
“Huh? You believe me?!”
“I see no reason why I shouldn’t.” She was beautiful, pure, and held herself in a royal manner. It was easy to believe she was a real princess.
“Thank you so much! I’m… I’m so moved!” Princess Lithisia began to tear up.
Alan decided to collect as much information from her as he could. This was his chance. “If possible, I’d like to ask you a few questions, Your Royal Highness.”
“R-Royal Highness? No, no, please, just call me by my name.” Lithisia waved her hands in a panic.
“That won’t do. You’re a princess and I’m just a miner.”
“But you saved my life! Besides, you’re older than me, are you not?”
“Yeah. I’m 1,011 years old this year.”
“Huh?” Lithisia looked like she had been hit with a brick, but she soon recovered, looking a little embarrassed. “C-come now! I know I might be a naive little princess, but that’s going too far!”
Alan blinked. Wait, does she think I’m joking?
“Even someone with demi-human blood could only live a hundred and fifty years at most. I’ve studied up on this!” Lithisia puffed out her chest with pride.
“Well, whatever…” Alan said. It wasn’t his fault if the princess didn’t believe him. He didn’t blame her.
Instead, he began asking her a multitude of questions: Why was she traveling? Why didn’t she have any guards with her? Finally, why had the bandits said she was worth a million gold coins?
Lithisia’s face turned serious. “Rostir—my country—is in great danger.”
She explained that a demon named Zeleburg was attempting to take over her nation. The demon was currently in the position of Prime Minister. When Lithisia’s father, the king, died unexpectedly, Zeleburg stepped in to rule the country until Lithisia came of age. But the princess saw through the demon’s scheme. She knew that it was the prime minister himself who had murdered her father, but she’d failed to convince others of his crimes.
“Zeleburg used a powerful charm to brainwash everyone in the royal palace,” Lithisia went on. “No one would listen to me. They even tried to force me to marry him! If that were to happen, Zeleburg would become the king. I can’t allow that. I refuse!” The princess held herself tightly, shaking her head with rage or fear or both.
“If this guy married you, he’d become the king?”
“That’s right. I’m not just the princess; I’m the Rostir Royal Crown itself. Whoever I marry will inherit the legitimate right to the throne.” She sighed. “That’s why I can’t choose a partner for myself. Whoever becomes my husband needs to be someone who could best serve as the king of Rostir. They must be skilled in battle, capable of seeing the truth, and possess a kindness above all others. They…”
Lithisia stopped abruptly.
“What’s wrong?” Alan asked.
Lithisia’s words then became unsteady as she looked Alan over. “Only someone...like that...could be the king…”
“Uh, Lithisia? Are you okay?”
“O-oh, no! I’m fine! It’s nothing! Nothing at all!” For some reason, Princess Lithisia’s cheeks went bright red as she shook her head briskly, as if trying to shake something off of her hair. “A-anyway, that’s why I ran from the capital.”
“Hrm. Do you have proof that this Zeleburg is a demon?”
“I do. He confessed when he killed my father.”
“What an honest demon,” Alan said wryly.
“I think...he knew that I was watching. He wanted me to hear that.”
“Why?”
“He wanted me to feel true despair.” Lithisia dropped her gaze. “He knows that, despite having seen the depths of his evil, I am powerless to stop him. Right now, I have a body double who remains in the capital, while I am treated as a fake who is sullying the good name of the princess, hence the bounty on my head. There is not a single soul in my country who believes me…”
“That’s not true. I believe you.”
Lithisia blinked rapidly. “Oh…Sir Miner…” She clasped her hands together and knelt down, almost as though she was offering him a prayer. “Thank you… Thank you so much…” Clearly moved by Alan’s words, she offered her gratitude over and over.
Alan helped her to her feet, a little embarrassed by her display. “So, you ran away from the prime minister?”
“Yes, but I didn’t just flee.” Lithisia pulled a yellow jewel from the hem of her dress. Alan recognized it the moment he saw the intense magical light radiating from it.
“That’s the Yellow Orb!” he exclaimed.
“It’s one of my nation’s treasures, passed down over the course of two thousand years. I’m surprised you know of it.”
“Of course I do. I’m the one who dug that thing out of the ground. It was on the 4,328th layer, actually.”
Lithisia tilted her head in confusion. “S-stop teasing me, Sir Miner!”
“No, seriously….”
“I know you’re lying. After all, this was made hundreds of years ago!”