64. So you really enjoy that, huh?
Ilushir’s perspective.
When it comes to the Rodlan Kingdom of the white-haired elves, the three princesses, each possessing a town as their “territory,” most ordinary elves would immediately think of the flawless First Princess Urasilu and the graceful, powerful Second Princess Aderel, and then…
Then there’s nothing more.
As for the youngest princess, Ilushir, people don’t have much of an impression. Not to mention elsewhere, even the citizens of her own town only have a vague notion of her: “Oh? It seems we have a princess in our town~” at best.
Under the brilliance of her two exceptionally talented sisters, the little princess appears like a firefly under the moonlight, lacking any distinctive traits or strengths; perhaps it would be more fitting to describe her as “a very, very precious vase.” Fortunately, the little princess is quite well-behaved and doesn’t cause a ruckus like a giant baby, so the elves in the town have no excessive grievances.
In simple terms: the little princess possesses an “ordinary” level of intelligence.
This, I suppose, is the evaluation everyone, including her two sisters, has of her.
The elven little princess Ilushir thought this, and then… went to meet the Elven Saintess, whom she wasn’t particularly familiar with—after all, she had previously stammered her agreement to help them, secretly escorting the Elven Saintess out of the Rodlan Kingdom’s territory. Not long before, she had even caused quite a stir: hiding the Elven Saintess’s whereabouts and taking away the Silver Knight who had been knocked unconscious…
The first time doing these “rebellious” things was exciting, but I still had to figure out the thoughts of the Elf Saintess herself, and whether she was truly “good or bad.”
At this moment, inside the dwelling of the Elf Saintess Izalis.
Upon seeing the Elf Saintess again, Princess Ilushir didn’t waste any time and directly received a clear answer from her.
“That’s right, Princess Ilushir, I do intend to leave the Rodlan Kingdom.”
Was it because of the Silver Knight sent by her elder sister, who had long since been imprisoned? The temporary safety made Ilushir unaware of the two exceptionally dangerous “female guards” who had always been by the Elf Saintess’s side. At this moment, the room contained only herself and the Elf Saintess alone.
It was only after confirming this “solitude” that Ilushir’s attitude relaxed a little.
“I… plan to help you leave.”
After a pause, seeing that the Elf Saintess before her did not respond, Ilushir furrowed her brows, “But… are you really not ‘eloping’? With that… man?”
In Ilushir’s view, this question shouldn’t be that difficult to answer, right? After all, there had been instances in the Rodlan Kingdom of “white-haired elves eloping with foreign tribesmen,” although the outcomes for those couples were not particularly favorable. The Rodlan Kingdom had extremely strict “order” constraints regarding foreign tribes and its citizens’ interactions with them, so if this Elf Saintess herself became the “eloping” elf, it would be a serious matter.
However, Ilushir’s question did not elicit a response from the Elf Saintess. Rather, it seemed that the Elf Saintess, who was looking at Ilushir, was the one asking the questions.
Even her smile carried an odd undertone.
“Princess Ilushir, you seem to… indeed have a bit of your two sisters’ ‘flavor.'”
“…Huh? What? Flavor, flavor?”
Ilushir’s ears twitched, and she hurriedly stepped back a few paces, waving her hands to stop the Elf Saintess from coming closer.
Could it be that she was mistaken? She wasn’t eloping with a man, but with a woman…? Wasn’t that preference a bit too strange!?
“Princess Ilushir, I mean no harm.”
The Elf Saintess patted the chair beside her, “It’s fine to come a little closer.”
“N-no, I think I’ll stand.”
Ilushir took another step back; moving forward would make her worry about whether her “chastity” was under threat.
But then, the Elf Saintess not only failed to answer the previous question, but instead threw a new question back at her.
“Princess Ilushir, do you… have any aspirations? Beyond your identity as a ‘princess.’”
Such a somewhat “mystical” question indeed suited the identity of the Elven Saintess. As for the questioner, Ilushir felt there was no need to conceal or refuse to respond.
“As for aspirations… I suppose it would be to ‘compete’ with my two elder sisters. However, there’s no way I could ever match their excellence, so there’s really nothing I can do.”
After a moment of silence, Ilushir continued, “That’s why I plan to send you away this time. In doing so, it would count as something I’ve accomplished that proves I’m ‘a bit more excellent’ than those two sisters. Regardless of the outcome, the fact that I can send away someone they can’t catch is, in itself, ‘evidence.’”
Indeed, a direct “competition” seemed unlikely; even Ilushir felt she could hardly compare to those two sisters who were “perfect” in every regard. After all, she would get nervous even facing the last Silver Knight. Therefore, drawing attention in other ways and doing something that would surprise her two sisters was the greatest struggle Ilushir could muster regarding her role as the “Elven Saintess.”
However, when she looked at the Elven Saintess, that gaze—half-smiling, half-serious—made Ilushir feel somewhat uncomfortable.
“Wha—what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, it’s just that it seems you are also a member of the ‘princess’ club now, Princess Ilushir.”
Huh? Does this mean she acknowledges my identity, or is it a form of gratitude?
Though puzzled, Ilushir shook her head and didn’t dwell on it. It was probably impossible to press the Elven Saintess for her reasons for wanting to escape, but Ilushir didn’t feel conflicted about it. After all, her choice to help the Elven Saintess escape was solely for the purpose of: helping the Elven Saintess leave. Anything beyond that? Not important.
Staying alone with the Elven Saintess any longer, she feared she would be asked some strange questions again.
Thinking this, Ilushir immediately stood up. “In any case, Saintess, please prepare yourself. I will find a way to assist you in ‘leaving.’”
As she spoke, Ilushir quietly clenched her fists.
“I absolutely will.”
After all, this was one of the few opportunities to prove her abilities, showing that she wouldn’t lose to those two excellent sisters in some aspects!
——
These past few days, I need to start preparing for the characters in my new book. Ah, so tiring.