52. Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological disorder, my friend

I wasn’t foolish enough to misunderstand the meaning within the script. The script indicated that the “Elven Princess Ilushir” appearing at this moment was clearly the same “bounty hunter” I had encountered in the United Kingdom of Meri! She wielded the powerful ability of “domains” and had ultimately “betrayed” me, leading to a death script. In this era, her identity was equally impressive, being the youngest princess of the White-Haired Elven Kingdom.

What puzzled me was this: we had fled with the Elven Saintess Izalis to the city where this princess resided, and it was only the first day! That very night, this little princess had come looking for us!? Moreover, from Izalis’s warning and the content of my script, it was clear she had come alone.

No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem like she had received any “orders” to come and eliminate the Elven Saintess. Additionally, I hadn’t found any malice or death script regarding Izalis in this little princess’s script. Given the circumstances, she was probably right at the door, and aside from bringing Izalis to meet her, I had no other choice.

After I quietly responded to her through my connection with Kephiel, the door was gently opened from the outside. Under the guidance of Kephiel and Nilu, a somewhat petite figure slipped in quietly.

“O’Keefe, we’ve brought her back.”

Kephiel’s words were filled with confusion and caution, which was not surprising, as I was also questioning: why would the youngest princess of the White-Haired Elves, Ilushir, come knocking at the first opportunity? Moreover…

She appeared dressed in a black robe, looking as if she were a thief.

“Thank you both, but… wow, it really is just as you said, what a stroke of luck, huh? Two flowers on a pile of cow dung~”

The next moment, as this princess spoke words that felt somewhat unpleasant to me, she lifted the hood that had obscured her appearance. A pair of long ears, emblematic of her elven identity, peeked out, and her short white hair, slightly disheveled, gave her a lively and cheerful look at first glance. This princess, the youngest of the white-haired elves, bore an uncanny resemblance to her future self, who would become a “bounty hunter”—there was hardly any difference at all!

In this era, it was likely her first encounter with our group. Naturally, at least for now, I hadn’t seen any death script directed at us in her narrative. This was also why I had to meet her; she had come to find us so precisely, clearly recognizing the elven saintess, Izalis. There was no way to lie my way out of this.

“How could the genuine princess of the Rodland Kingdom come to such a place alone at this hour?”

“～”

Though she appeared innocent and naive, this little princess was not far behind her two older sisters. She quickly grasped the notion that “I am the one in charge here.” Her gaze fell on me, first sizing me up for a moment before breaking into a bright, harmless smile.

“It’s precisely because I ran away alone that I ended up in this place! This morning, while wandering by myself, I happened to discover the presence of Lady Izalis. When the elven saintess suddenly appeared before me, how could I pretend not to see her?”

“So, I quietly remembered where she was staying inside and came over at night. But don’t worry, Lady Izalis, I haven’t told any other elves about your appearance here. After all… you look like you’re sneaking around~”

I guessed correctly; as for the “coincidence,” perhaps it was due to her frequent close encounters with Izalis that this princess could recognize her at a glance. That part was my oversight. However, aside from her speculation about the saintess’s presence, it seemed to me that she wasn’t lying.

【Ilushir accidentally discovered the elven saintess and came that night.】

According to the script, the situation at this moment could only be blamed on that troublesome “coincidence.”

“Then, why did you, Lady Saintess, sneak over here?”

The princess glanced at me. “It doesn’t look like you’re being kidnapped. Your hand is almost touching that man’s waist. Ah, could it be… the Stockholm Syndrome!?”

What the hell! If you said it was a runaway, I could at least deny it properly!

But looking at it this way, this princess truly had no clue about the situation with the elven saintess and had no sources of information; she had merely discovered that the saintess had come here.

So, I needed to think carefully about my response.

After a moment of silence, I spoke earnestly: “We brought Izalis here to ‘escape.’”

Such a statement would certainly surprise Kfeir and Nilu, but now that the princess had come to us, clumsy lies wouldn’t cover any facts. It was better to reveal our situation plainly, as long as we kept Izalis’s fairy identity a secret.

After all, this little princess was fundamentally different from her two older sisters. Until now, having seen the elven saintess, her narrative had not produced a shred of malice or dangerous thoughts toward her. Therefore, rather than letting her be “commanded” by her two sisters, it would be better for us to pull her into our fold first!

“Escape? But she’s the elven saintess of the kingdom! Could it be… it really is a runaway?”

At last, you’ve uttered the word “runaway,” princess.

“Of course not.”

I directly ignored Izalis’s somewhat expectant gaze and continued, “The Elf Saintess and your two sisters have encountered some trouble and are currently… being pursued, so we ran over here. You…”

Before I could finish, the princess hurriedly waved her hand.

“I… I don’t know anything! I can’t get involved with my sisters’ matters, nor could I possibly…”

No, I didn’t doubt to that extent. Just from the meaning behind the princess’s words, it was clear that, just as Izalis had informed us earlier: with two exceptionally capable sisters standing in front of her, Princess Ilushir seemed to hold a position akin to that of a vase.

However, even with such a “vase” identity, I could still sense that she wasn’t far behind her sisters. Especially in the next moment, the decision she made surprised me even more.

“I don’t have any news about what happened with my sisters. But if you are currently hiding from them…”

After a moment’s hesitation, she looked up at me.

【Ilushir intends to keep the Elf Saintess!】

The content of this script, combined with her seemingly innocent words…

Phew~ This princess is indeed not simple.

“Do you want to hide here with me? If I just let you hide in the city like this, as a princess, it would be quite troublesome for me.”