Serafina Encounters Her Big Brothers in a Pinch Part 2
I WAS JUST ABOUT TO HURRY OVER to my brothers when Scheat thrust one hand in front of my face like he was trying to prevent me from moving forward.
“Princess, don’t be hasty.”
“Huh? But…”
The fenrirs were surrounding my brothers. They were going to get hurt if we didn’t rescue them as soon as we could. But in contrast to my growing panic, Scheat looked completely unfazed.
“We will do as you wish, since it’s clear that you want to help the princes. However, they already have a group of knights and saints accompanying them; their lives aren’t in danger at the moment. Rather, the question is why they’re in this predicament in the first place.”
“Maybe they just mistakenly wandered into an area infested with fenrirs and got attacked?” I suggested the first possibility that came to mind, but Miaplacidus didn’t look like he bought it.
“Rotten or not, those princes are the heirs to the throne. It’s too coincidental that all three of them found themselves in the same perilous situation. There could be some sort of scheme afoot.”
Fackt nodded in agreement. “If that is indeed the case, the only one with the power to put all three princes on the same dangerous expedition is the king himself. And the only one who could convince the king to do that is…”
It seemed like Fackt wanted to finish that thought, but he trailed off after glancing over at me. He started scanning the surroundings as though searching for someone or something. When he couldn’t find what he was looking for, his face shifted to one of confusion.
“Well, anyway, I’d wager that the princes are under attack by monsters because individuals well above our pay grade are planning something so ambitious that it’s beyond our comprehension. If that is indeed the case, all the more reason we should stay out of it.”
“Huh? But we’re going to help them, right?” I asked, unable to conceal my surprise.
“We will,” Fackt nodded as he pushed his glasses up a little further. “But let’s wait until the last minute, when they’re on the brink of imminent danger, before we lend a hand. That way, we’ll have an excuse to fall back on if we find ourselves in the line of fire later on.”
“Oh, okay…”
I wasn’t really sure who he could be referring to. Was he suggesting that the commander of the knight brigade had orchestrated this situation for my brothers in order to train them?
“I have a better grasp of the princes’ characters than you do, Princess. They’ll be upset and claim we interfered if we try to help them while they’re still capable of handling the situation themselves.”
“Really?”
Even if my intention was to save them, I’d just be a nuisance if my assistance was seen as interference. It was all starting to make sense now. That’s why Fackt wanted to keep an eye on the situation for a bit longer—so he could determine when they truly needed help.
I watched my brothers as I admired Fackt’s calm assessment of the situation. I’d gone straight into panic when I first saw them being surrounded by the fenrirs, but now that I was looking at the situation with a calmer head, I could see they were with four knights and two saints, a very well-balanced team. Not to mention…
“My brothers are also knights. They can fight too. I’m sure they must be quite strong, right?” I asked, not taking my eyes off them.
While they weren’t as physically imposing as Sirius or Canopus, my brothers were still big. They’d undergone knight training, so they had to be decently capable.
I squeezed Canopus’s hand as I waited expectantly for that confirmation.
“Hey, Canopus. Do you think my brothers can defeat the fenrirs?”
“That…might be difficult. Their Highnesses have demonstrated a certain level of ability during their training, but they have little practical experience. The fear of facing a ferocious monster can also slow your movements until you become accustomed to it.”
“What?! Then, we should act before they get hurt…”
The unexpected reply made some of the panic I’d felt before come flooding back. I started to step forward, but Canopus fixed me with a sincere look and shook his head.
“Princess, facing great harm is a necessary part of a knight’s experience. By preventing that, you’ll be robbing them of the chance to become full-fledged knights. Their Highnesses aren’t little boys anymore. They need to experience real challenges eventually, and to be quite frank, the sooner the better.”
“Is…is that how it works?”
I didn’t know what else to say. I wasn’t a knight, so who was I to determine whether facing great harm was a necessary experience for them?
“Their Highnesses are knights. That means they must take on the role of being ‘protectors’ rather than the ‘protected.’”
One by one, the knights around me agreed with Canopus’s remarks. If all of my wonderful knights were in consensus, then there was no way he was wrong. Understanding, I stepped back.
If my brothers wished to become true knights, just like I wished to one day become a saint, then there were certain roles we’d have to fill. That meant I had no right to interfere with their journey. I decided to put faith in my brothers and just keep a vigilant watch over them.
I glanced back at my brothers. Five or six fenrirs surrounded them. Their movements seemed to be coordinated, so they were probably members of the same pack. The knights of the First Knight Brigade were desperately trying to protect my brothers, but it was proving to be a difficult task with all the monsters closing in on them. Not to mention, they were working in tandem with two saints who needed to be looked out for as well.
Knights that belonged to the First Knight Brigade were supposed to be elite, but with so many people to guard, they were getting stretched thin. My nervousness made me want to immediately jump in and aid them, but my knights didn’t budge an inch.
Scheat, Fackt, and Miaplacidus were now all part of the Royal Red Shield that protected me, but they were previously members of the First Knight Brigade. I was sure they didn’t want to see their former comrades suffer any harm, but they were managing to hold back. That meant it certainly wasn’t my place to interfere yet either. I clasped my hands tightly together as this thought struck me.
That’s when Mirach muttered a single name under his breath.
“Lukbar.”
That name hit me like a ton of bricks. I quickly turned my gaze back to my brothers and their companions.
Lukbar… He was the knight from Mirach’s hometown who’d gotten into a fight with Scheat, Fackt, and Miaplacidus. They’d mentioned he was a member of the First Knight Brigade, so he must’ve accompanied my brothers here as one of their guards.
“Is Lukbar here too, Canopus?” I asked. “Which one is he?”
“The knight with light brown hair fighting directly at the front.” Canopus pointed to the knight that appeared to be the strongest of the bunch. He was standing in front of my brothers and the saints, acting as a shield for them as he slayed the monsters. He certainly seemed like a fine knight to me, so there must’ve been a reason for the fight he had with my knights before.
I tried to imagine what the cause of the scuffle could have been. Mirach spoke of a superstition in his village that suggested people with darker hair were healthier. Perhaps Lukbar’s quarrel with my knights was fueled by jealousy stemming from this belief.
Despite being in the heat of battle, Lukbar seemed to have noticed our presence. Though his face lit up for a brief instant, it was almost immediately clouded by disappointment. He turned his attention back to the fenrirs without further acknowledgment of us.
“Why’d he react like that?” I asked Canopus, who was standing by my side.
“He probably saw us and thought help had arrived,” he calmly responded. “But then, I think he realized who we were and gave up on the idea that we’d provide any assistance.”
“Huh? There’s no reason for him to think that, though.” According to what the knights had told me, we were just waiting for the right time to step in—and when that time came, of course we were going to act.
It was shocking to me that Lukbar’s attitude affirmed that my knights’ decision not to intervene and help my brothers was deemed acceptable by knightly standards. I’d originally thought it was unbelievable when Canopus said, “It would be counterproductive if I chose to help the princes and ended up putting you in danger,” but apparently, I was the one who was mistaken.
As someone who didn’t understand the rules of being a knight, I had no business butting in any further. I pressed my lips tightly together so no more words would come out and watched intently, silently hoping that my brothers and their companions would quickly triumph over the fenrirs.