"How did you know?!"
The first one to speak up was the girl.
She hastily clamped a hand over her own mouth, but that was a little late.
"How did you figure it out?"
The boy seemed to have given up, but his center of gravity had shifted slightly backward compared to before.
He was probably ready to bolt depending on how I reacted.
"A hunch... maybe."
Since I couldn't tell them I had Appraisal, I vaguely dodged the question.
Name... Tida von Blumeil Clistin
Age... 12
Race... Human
Title... Prince of the Clistin Kingdom, 2nd in the Line of Succession
Name... Luna von Blumeil Clistin
Age... 8
Race... Human
Title... Princess of the Clistin Kingdom, 3rd in the Line of Succession
"Do you think I'd believe that you saw through us on a hunch?"
With that, Tida positioned himself as if to shield Luna.
Well, that was the natural reaction. Unable to think of anything better, I settled on the most plausible answer I could come up with.
"You remind me of someone I met a long time ago."
"Is there something wrong about that?"
Continuing, as Tida grew even more cautious,
"Does the name Kukuri Village ring a bell?"
At those words, Tida reacted — just slightly.
"Five years ago, that person was attacked by a horde of Orcs on the way to Kukuri Village? That a certain child saved them at the time? And that the child turned down their offer to join the Royal Guard?"
Tida was staring at me with an expression like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
It seemed he had heard about me from the King.
"I'm the child who refused that person's offer... Tenma, from Kukuri Village."
With a stunned look on his face, Tida pointed at me and said,
"Tenma the Dragon Slayer... the real deal?"
"That's the first I've heard of that title, but I did kill a dragon... it was a zombie, though."
At those words, Tida suddenly straightened his posture and—
"I am terribly sorry!"
—for some reason, he bowed and apologized.
Luna, meanwhile, was staring intently at my face.
"Big brother, you're really Tenma? That hero?"
I felt like I'd just heard an unfamiliar word.
"What do you mean, 'hero'?"
When I asked Luna back,
"Grandpa said that Tenma is a hero — a great person who slew a dragon all by himself and saved the country."
That king... what is he teaching his grandchildren... seriously.
Still, I don't understand why Tida is still frozen stiff...
"So, why are you frozen?"
I had no choice but to ask directly, but... Tida looked extremely nervous, and seemed to be slightly pale.
"Well, um... Grandfather said that those who can slay dragons possess power similar to that of the dragon itself. Making an enemy of such a person could, in the worst case, lead to the destruction of the country, so I should be careful."
What the hell is that king saying! Don't use people as tools to discipline your grandchildren! ...But I couldn't exactly scream that out, and murky feelings welled up inside me.
Seeing me like that, Tida was trembling.
"I'm sorry! Please, spare my sister! She hasn't done anything wrong! Please, just let my sister live!"
"Who said anything about killing?!"
I shouldn't have blurted out that retort in response to Tida's desperate plea.
Because of that, Tida was completely terrified.
"Don't bully my brother! My brother only did what the minister told him to practice!"
Now we had some information about the mastermind.
"What exactly did this minister say?"
"The minister said that if you want to become king, you need to experience battle. Right now, calves are being born, so you should practice with them."
From Luna's words alone, I couldn't tell what kind of person the minister was, but it was clear that they had instigated these two.
"Listen, both of you. Just because a minister says something doesn't mean you should swallow it all whole. This time I just happened to pass by and was able to save you, but if that hadn't been the case, you would have died."
Hearing my words, the two of them finally began to tremble.
"Besides, if the two of you had died, not only would the king and the others grieve, but there's a high chance the minister and your guards would be punished as well. Perhaps even their relatives could be punished."
This time, the guards turned pale.
"If you'd just told the king and the others about it from the start, you never would have ended up in this kind of danger. Though if you'd said something like 'I'm going to test my strength by killing some calves,' the king probably would've gotten angry."
Hearing that, Tida lowered his gaze, but Luna didn't seem to fully understand.
"But I've eaten calf steak and calf soup before. I've eaten calf lots of times. Was that wrong too?"
she asked. Honestly, this was the kind of thing that was hard to explain clearly to a child.
Even in my previous life, I could never understand people who said eating whales or dolphins was cruel but that cows and pigs were fine because you could increase their numbers.
Some whale species were indeed declining, so I could at least grasp the point they were trying to make, but that had nothing to do with taking the lives of cows and pigs, or so I'd thought.
Compared to that, this world had almost no concept of conservation to prevent extinction, and cows were a species that existed in considerable numbers.
I wasn't sure if I could convey it well, but I decided to try teaching Luna my own perspective in as understandable a way as possible.
"Listen. First, I want to make it clear that what I'm about to say isn't some absolute truth. But with that said, humans survive by eating other living creatures and turning that into their own strength. Do you understand?"
"Yeah."
"In other words, the calf you ate became part of your life. But the calves that were killed this time had nothing to do with your lives. They were killed for no reason connected to you at all. That means the calves' lives were almost entirely wasted. That's why the parent cows were so angry. If only a few had been killed, the cows might have accepted it as the natural order of things... resigned themselves to the fact that nothing could be done, and prioritized escaping to protect the surviving calves. But because all the calves were slaughtered, all they could do was rage, and they tried to kill you in retaliation... If your family had been hurt, you might try to flee with them. But if they were killed, wouldn't you hate the ones responsible? The parent cows felt exactly that way."
The truth was, I had no way of actually knowing how the parent cows felt, and what I said was closer to a convenient fabrication to get my point across. But Luna was a straightforward child, apparently. She seemed to believe my words without a shred of doubt, tears welling up in her eyes.
"So then, what we did..."
"Was nothing more than bullying and killing calves for fun."
When I calmly told her the unvarnished truth, Luna seemed to finally grasp the weight of what she'd done, and tears streamed down her face in torrents.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Mr. Cow..."
With that, Luna ran off toward where the cows' bodies had been burned, and began sobbing and apologizing to them.
Watching Luna like that, Tida turned to me with a serious expression.
"Then what about war? In war, people kill large numbers of other people, completely unrelated to eating them. How do you explain that?"
I'd never experienced war myself — I'd only heard stories from my grandfather and the others in my previous life. But since this was a topic that had come up because of me, I took a moment to think before trying to share my own perspective with Tida.
I've never experienced it myself, but I believe there are several different kinds of wars.
"Kinds?"
"A war to survive, a war to protect something, a war fought for pride, a war driven by greed — I think there are all sorts. But what they all have in common is this: once you participate in or get dragged into killing, there comes a point where if you hesitate to take someone else's life, you — or the people precious to you — might be the ones who die. That's why people kill in wars. Not every single case, of course… Still, it goes without saying that wars are something that shouldn't exist in the first place."
"Then why do wars happen in the first place?"
That question was the simplest one, yet probably the hardest to answer. I took a breath before responding.
"Because we're human. Because we're human, we think all sorts of different things — we want to be happier than others, want to be wealthier, want to be superior. Those thoughts get tangled together, and when others can't understand them, those thoughts grow and crash into each other. That's what war is, I think… But that's just my own imagining."
I don't know if that answer satisfied her, but Tida didn't press me with any further questions.
We watched Luna sobbing for a while, and then Tida comforted her and led her away from the spot.
"Tenma, could I have one head of cattle, please? I'm asking you earnestly."
Tida bowed her head to me as she spoke.
"What's the reason?"
"I know it's self-indulgent, but I want to trade it — even if just a little — for our lives. Of course, I'll pay for it."
She said that while looking me straight in the eye, so I reached into my bag and pulled out one head of cattle.
"There's no need for payment. Instead, eat it while keeping today's events carved into your heart."
I said that and handed it over to Tida.
"Thank you very much."
Tida thanked me and began placing the cattle into her bag. It was only then that I noticed something.
"So, how are you two planning to get back to the Royal Capital?"
The carriage they must have arrived in was lying on its side, its wheels and other parts broken, and the horse that had been hitched to it seemed to have fled — it was nowhere in sight.
From here to the Royal Capital, it would take about five to six hours by horseback, or roughly half a day if you rushed a carriage. I was planning to spend another day heading toward the Capital myself, but I was wondering what these two (plus their guards) would do — when suddenly, Shiromaru turned toward the direction of the Royal Capital and began to grow wary.
Enhancing my vision with magic, I looked in the direction Shiromaru had been watching. A plume of dust was rising in the distance. It looked like over a dozen horses were galloping our way.
Just to be safe, I had Shiromaru wait near the carriage and instructed Jeanne and the others to board it and stay on guard.
But my worries turned out to be unnecessary. The people still here couldn't see them yet, but my enhanced eyes had already picked out the figures of armed knights.
"It looks like a contingent of knights has come to meet us… That crest appears to be the royal family's."
Tida and the others took my words with a grain of doubt, but within less than ten minutes the knights came into view, and they were visibly startled.
"You there! Step away from that person!"
One of the knights at the head of the group shouted that, so I moved away from Tida and retreated toward the carriage.
The knights split into two groups — one headed for Tida and the others, while the other surrounded me and my companions.
Some of the knights encircling us had their hands on the swords at their hips, so I drew my Adamantine blade from my bag and took a stance.
"You! Are you going to resist?!"
The same knight from before bellowed that, so I glared right back and said:
"For knights of the Royal Capital, your manners are severely lacking. Or perhaps this is what the Royal Capital considers proper knightly etiquette — surrounding a prince's savior in large numbers and drawing your swords?!"
"Wh—what did you say?!"
It seemed this knight had a short fuse when it came to provocation. Just as I was about to press on further, Tida stepped between us.
"Stand down! Tenma is the one who saved both my life and my sister's! I will not permit anyone to raise a sword against him!"
That silenced the knights. But from behind the now-muted group, one man stepped forward.
"Your Highness. I understand the circumstances… but I have my own reasons for needing to fight him, so I ask for your indulgence…"
That man was clearly a cut above the surrounding knights in presence. Without another word, he drew his sword and lunged at me.
Tida had tried to stop him, but another man who had appeared from behind held her back.
Tida was only stopped for a few seconds — but in those few seconds, the exchange between the man and me had already crossed the point of no return.
I knew from his aura that he was going to attack, so I immediately tensed my arms to counter — but the weight of the Adamantine sword, which I'd drawn expecting to face multiple opponents, worked against me. My reactions lagged by just a few instants, putting me on the defensive, and I could barely keep up with blocking his assault.
"What's wrong, Tenma! You're slow!"
The man seemed to know me, addressing me in a surprisingly friendly tone for someone who'd just attacked me.
If this kept up, I'd be worn down slowly — realizing that, I made a bold decision and hurled my sword at him.
I timed the throw to coincide exactly with the moment he stepped in, so the man's movements hitched slightly as he deflected the blade. I used that opening to leap backward while pulling Kogarumaru from my bag, settling into a combat stance.
"Starting over, are we… Here I come!"
The man charged again. But he wasn't moving at full speed this time, so I dodged lightly and went for a counter thrust… or so I planned.
"What?!"
The man suddenly halted, making my thrust hit nothing but air. He then re-drew his blade at blinding speed and resumed his attack, swinging at me.
"Tch!"
The man's slash bore down on me, but I leaned my body back and planted a kick at the base of his sword, barely managing to dodge the blow.
The recoil from the kick sent me stumbling back a few steps, buying me time to regroup — and this time, I went on the offensive.
I launched a thrust with the blade held horizontally — once, twice. On the third strike, I put my full weight behind it, but he deflected it without effort.
The man seized the opportunity and tried to slam his body into me to break my stance.
But I was prepared for that attack… or rather, my assault wasn't over yet.
The thrust I'd unleashed was what was called a flat thrust, a technique once used by the Shinsengumi as well. Its hallmark was the two-stage combination: a thrust followed immediately by a horizontal sweep.
The man was clearly caught off guard by this attack, but remarkably, he stepped in faster than the slash itself, taking the impact around the base of his blade with his body to weather the blow.
And then, using that momentum, he body-slammed me, sending me tumbling across the ground — and pressed his sword to my throat.
The match was decided… It was probably the most decisive defeat I'd suffered since my father.
"I concede."
I let go of the blade I was still holding and, lying on my back, lightly raised both hands.
When it was all over, it was anticlimactic. Every one of my attacks was dodged, and even the strike I thought would catch him off guard was deflected — leaving me with nothing I could do.
"It was just luck. If Tenma had been serious, I might have been dead... That's the kind of gap we're talking about."
The man sheathed his sword as he spoke and took my hand, pulling me up.
"I haven't even introduced myself yet. I'm Din Dee. Though it might be easier to understand if I say I was an old comrade of your father and mother?"
Name... Din Dee Duran
Age... 50
Race... Human
Title... Former S-Class Adventurer, Viscount, Captain of the Royal Guard, Strongest in the Royal Army
HP... 25,000
MP... 15,000
Strength... A+
Defense... S+
Speed... A
Magic Power... A+
Mental Fortitude... S+
Growth Potential... C+
Luck... B+
Skills... Swordsmanship 10, Spearsmanship 10, Hand-to-Hand Combat 9, Staff Arts 8, Throwing 8, Endurance 8, Archery 7, Axe Arts 7, Physical Boost 7, Fire Magic 7, Wind Magic 7, Sense Boost 7, Earth Magic 6, Butchery 6, Abnormal Status Resistance 6, Night Vision 6, Life Force Boost 6, Water Magic 5, Martial Arts Mastery 5, Destruction Boost 5, Cooking 2
It was no wonder he was called the strongest in the royal army. His stats were high, of course, but his technique was even more impressive than that.
I thought I was the one reading between the lines, but in hindsight, it felt like I'd been dancing in the palm of his hand the whole time.
"You could've used magic, you know."
Din said that, but it felt like a waste to use magic against someone who was clearly more skilled than me. Of course, half-baked magic probably wouldn't have worked anyway.
"No, it would be a waste to use magic when I'm being given the chance to spar with someone of your caliber... Besides, it felt nostalgic, like when Father used to train me, and I ended up forgetting about using magic partway through."
I worried that comparing him to Father might be rude, but Din didn't seem bothered by it at all.
If anything, he looked pleased.
"I always thought of Ricardo as an older brother, so in a way, this feels like training under an uncle. Not bad at all, actually."
That was surprisingly high praise.
While the two of them were talking, the person who had restrained Tida approached.
"Sorry to interrupt, but where did you get that Adamantine sword earlier?"
Despite his gentle expression, this person carried an aura that brooked no argument — it was clear he was no ordinary man.
I picked up the Adamantine sword that had fallen nearby, knelt down, and placed it before me.
"I obtained it at a street stall in Gunjou City,
Your Grace.
"
My words left not only Din and Tida, but everyone present — except the Duke and Luna — stunned.
Jeanne and Aura, though shocked, immediately stepped down from the carriage and knelt just as I had.
For the record, Luna didn't seem to understand why everyone was so surprised.
"Ho ho, there's no need to be so formal. But tell me — why do you think I'm the Duke?"
In that instant, the aura emanating from the Duke shifted. Unlike before, he now released a crushing pressure that bore down on us.
In fact, Jeanne and Aura were already swallowed up by that pressure, and the rest of the group — everyone besides Din Dee and Luna — also seemed overwhelmed by the Duke.
"Your Grace, I'd appreciate it if you kept your little games to a minimum. My slave is getting frightened."
My words drew disapproving glances from the knights, as if to ask what I thought I was doing, but the Duke himself, the very person in question, was trembling,
"No no~ sorry, sorry. I got a bit too carried away there."
and burst out laughing. At the Duke's abrupt change of demeanor, Din Dee simply shrugged, while everyone except me and Luna wore stunned expressions.
Even now, Luna had a puzzled look on her face... As expected, she didn't seem to understand what had just happened... Of everyone here, this child might be the most formidable of them all.
"So — how did you figure out I'm the Duke?"
Paying no heed to the dumbfounded crowd, the Duke asked once more.
"Yes, there are several reasons. First, this sword doesn't have a crest or any markings on it, so as it stands, it's
just a fine sword
—but don't its meanings change when you put it together with these?"
With that, I pulled the matching Adamantine armor and gauntlets — bought at the same time — out of my Magic Bag and set them down.
"Oh, you had the complete set... They've been beautifully polished. That's what gave it away?"
The sword bore no emblem, but the armor and gauntlets both carried the crests of a lion and a dragon.
"The sword reacted to you, so I had my suspicions. And also..."
"What? There's more?"
After a brief pause, I glanced toward Tida,
"Well, the only person who would block a prince's path and who carries the same air as His Majesty the King — that certainly narrows it down."
I explained. Seeming quite satisfied with that answer, the Duke threw his head back and laughed.
"My, you truly are exactly as His Majesty described. Most interesting... By the way — were there no other weapons to be had?"
"This one, perhaps?"
I pulled out a Mithril short sword and an Orichalcum knife from my bag and lined them up.
"Oh my, indeed... So, how much should I pay for these?"
His direct manner caught me off guard, but the answer I quickly came up with was:
"I'm willing to part with the Adamantine item, but I don't think there's any need to part with the short sword and knife."
At those words, everyone around us — except for me, His Grace the Duke, Din, and Luna — broke into a cold sweat.
"And why is that?"
His Grace's words were so cold it was as though the temperature around us had dropped, yet I answered honestly without flinching:
"The Adamantine equipment clearly bears Your Grace's crest — the
connection
is plain to see — but the short sword and knife have no markings to determine their owner. Therefore, I believe the ownership of those items remains with me."
When I finished speaking, His Grace and I stared into each other's eyes for several dozen seconds.
The surroundings had fallen completely silent, overwhelmed by His Grace's aura. Behind me, Jeanne and Aura had frozen solid, and Shiromaru had begun to regard His Grace with suspicion based on the tension in the air.
"Hmm, I suppose you have a point... My apologies for pushing it."
To my surprise, His Grace gave up without further argument. At his words, everyone who had been holding their tension let out a deep, collective breath of relief.
"Not at all, not at all. By the way, how much shall I charge you for the Adamantine equipment?"
"Hmm... Din, do you have any idea what the going rate might be?"
Neither His Grace nor I knew the market price, so we ended up relying on Din — but even he didn't seem to know very well.
"I can't say for certain, but it wouldn't be as low as a single platinum coin. And if we factor in the added value, it could well go higher still... Perhaps you should have a specialist appraise it once we reach the Royal Capital?"
was what he suggested.
"Let's do that, then."
And so it was decided that I would hold onto it until then.
"Then let's head back to the Royal Capital... Tida, Luna!"
"Y-yes!"
"What is it?"
His Grace called the two by name and said,
"Because once we get back, you're getting a lecture."
Saying that, he was about to climb into the Duchy's carriage when he stopped and turned toward me.
"Tenma, I hate to ask, but could you put these two in your carriage? They won't be able to relax sitting with me."
was what he said. There was no particular reason to object, so I agreed, but when I asked what would happen to the carriage they'd come in,
"It's been wrecked, so I'm afraid we'll have to leave a few people here and bring craftsmen from the Royal Capital."
Apparently so. They probably couldn't very well leave behind a carriage bearing the royal crest, but there was still room in my Magic Bag, so,
"Oh, if that's the case, I'll just load it into my Magic Bag."
I said, and when I approached the carriage and stowed it inside the bag, both His Grace and Din were stunned.
"That's remarkable... How much did that cost you?"
His Grace asked. I was fiddling with the mouth of the bag at that moment, so without a second thought,
"Oh, this one's homemade — it didn't even cost 100 G."
I blurted out carelessly. Those words froze both His Grace and Din in their tracks, and by the time I noticed something was wrong, it was already too late.
"Homemade, you say..."
"You made this yourself? In this country — no, across this entire continent, there aren't many craftsmen who could produce something of this caliber..."
It was something I had always used without thinking, and the fact that I had been far too indifferent to its value was my mistake.
Normally, a Magic Bag was either rarely excavated from large-scale dungeons, or crafted by a top-tier artisan working together with a high-ranking mage over the course of several days. It was never something that a fifteen-year-old could make alone.
At this point, claiming it was just a joke wouldn't fool anyone, and if things kept going this way, it could get seriously troublesome.
As a strange atmosphere drifted between the three of us,
"My, my — perhaps it's old age, but my hearing has been going on me lately, you know."
"I think something may have gotten into my ear as well. I didn't hear a thing."
His Grace and Din suddenly came out with that,
"So, in the end, you got the Magic Bag from a dungeon, yes? You were quite lucky."
— and that was how things settled. Fortunately, only His Grace and Din were nearby, so none of the other knights had overheard.
"Yes, it really was a stroke of extraordinary luck."
Playing along with the two of them like that felt like we were putting on a terrible comedy routine, but for the time being we had managed to avoid any serious trouble, so I would count that as a win.
After parting ways with the two of them and heading over to where Jeanne and the others were, Tida and Luna were already waiting.
"Um, I'm Tida von Blümeil Klastin. It's nice to meet you, Tenma-san."
"I'm Luna von Blümeil Klastin. Nice to meet you."
After the two of them introduced themselves, I introduced myself in turn, explained that Jeanne and Aura were my slaves, and also got Shiromaru's permission to ride in the carriage. I then swapped out the usual carriage from inside the bag and hitched it to Tanikaze.
Tida and Luna were surprised, but that was purely because a carriage had materialized out of the bag. His Grace and Din, meanwhile, were pointedly looking away, pretending they hadn't seen a thing.
"Alright then, shall we be off?"
I gave Tanikaze his instructions and had him pick up the pace a little as we set off toward the Royal Capital.
In the story, I had Tenma lose to them fairly easily.
I framed this less as a difference in ability and more as a difference in experience.
When using magic, it shouldn't take a form like this.
The conversation with Luna about the cows was meant to convince her and help her understand the situation, so I had it come across in a deliberately evasive way.
As for what was discussed with Tida — that's more of an idea I came up with for the sake of the story rather than my own personal beliefs, so it doesn't carry any particularly deep meaning.