At Maya’s words, Shan lightly pinched his forearm and scratched it with a fingernail. Yet despite his unusually keen senses, he could not feel any particular change.

Maya looked at him as though he were something adorable.

“You won’t feel anything yet. The change really is slight—very, very small.”

“Why am I suddenly getting tougher?”

“Because your skin has taken on some of the cockatrice’s physical properties.”

When Sherry, the blue-haired girl beside him, answered instead, Shan asked in dismay, “I’m turning into a cockatrice?”

“Judging by how the change is progressing, I doubt it’ll go that far. At most, you’ll end up just a little tougher than other people.”

As she answered, Sherry swirled the glass vial containing Shan’s blood mixed with a solution, her expression that of someone savoring exquisite food.

“The cannibalistic belief that killing and devouring a powerful opponent lets you absorb their strength has been widespread since ancient times. There have also been stories of heroes born with terrifying strength or skin as hard as steel. But this is probably the first time anyone has systematically observed such a phenomenon.”

The girl’s normally pale face flushed with intellectual delight. Worrying her lip between her teeth, Sherry addressed Shan in a tone halfway between a question and a mutter to herself.

“What exactly are the conditions? Is it because of the Demonlands? Or because you’re Altoan? Did you happen to eat any of it after killing it?”

“No. I didn’t try, but I think it would’ve been too tough to eat.”

It wasn’t just the creature’s skin that was hard. The flesh beneath it had been incredibly tough as well. Eating something like that would probably require teeth and jaws strong enough to chew through wood.

“Anything else unusual?”

“I did end up covered in its blood after I killed it.”

“Well, of course you would, unless you shot it with a bow. Still, getting its blood on your body might be a prerequisite too, so we’ll include that... Actually, I do have a theory. Plenty of people have hunted large monsters before, but most did it in groups. You there, the bearded man?”

“Yes, Your—! Uh, no. Yeah?”

“You said you were there with him, even though you didn’t fight, right? How far away were you when the cockatrice died?”

“Quite far, I belie—think. I’m not sure, but somewhere between a few dozen and a hundred meters...?”

“And yet there wasn’t even a similar reaction in you. Just as I thought. Even when a hunter absorbs an ordinary monster’s spiritual essence, the amount is too small to manifest, while with monsters this large, the essence must have been divided among multiple hunters and failed to manifest. It’s a privilege reserved for people who kill powerful monsters alone. If a cockatrice produces this much of an effect, what would happen if someone killed an even stronger monster alone? Or personally killed thousands, tens of thousands of people? Though I don’t know whether that would even be possible...”

Unable to understand even half her muttering, Shan nodded as though to say, “I see.”

The girl babbled on for some time, seemingly unable to contain her fascination, before finally clearing her throat as she composed herself. After spending a while writing with a quill alongside Maya and repeatedly revising their work, Sherry adjusted her amethyst spectacles.

“I’m glad I made time to come in person. I’d have bitterly regretted missing this.”

“So, is there something wrong with my body?”

“Nothing so far. Of course, there’s no precedent, so we’ll need to observe you over a longer period.”

Reassured that there was no problem, at least, Shan sighed with relief. He didn’t understand much of it, but all that complicated talk had inevitably left him uneasy.

Just then, Sherry took something round from her waist and glanced at it, then rose with a start.

“Oh, is it that late already...? Professor, I think I need to leave first.”

“I’m sorry to have called you here when you’re so busy.”

“Not at all. Thanks to you, I got to see something quite rare. Oh, you two?”

Sherry smiled softly at Shan. For some reason, there was now a beguiling quality to her, ill-suited to her age, that he hadn’t sensed before.

“I brought so much equipment with me. Could you help me carry it? You won’t have to go very far.”

Though inwardly he found it a nuisance, Shan nodded. She was Professor Maya’s acquaintance, after all, and had taken time out of her day to examine him.

“Sure, that’s no trouble. You all right with that, Roden?”

“O-of course. Coming.”

Was it because he was in front of a pretty girl? Roden had looked so unmistakably dazed for some time now that Shan couldn’t help sighing. He had seen the village boys act like that several times, so it was nothing new.

When the two of them emerged from the workshop carrying several observation instruments, the sword-wearing man and woman waiting outside approached in alarm. But Sherry, coming out behind them, made a small gesture, and they stopped short before pretending to mind their own business again.

* * *

As they walked into a relatively deserted alley, Sherry looked at Shan beside her.

“By the way, how old are you, Shan?”

“I don’t know exactly. Probably about fourteen now...?”

“You don’t know your exact age? Why?”

She sounded puzzled, but then let out an “Oh,” apparently realizing the answer herself.

“Sorry. Forget I asked. Then how long have you been seriously training as a warrior?”

“I’m not sure what to count as the start, but if I had to say, it’s coming up on a year.”

That seemed about right if he counted from when he met Roden, after Willow Village’s destruction and his time living like a wild child. It had been nearing summer then, and now it was spring.

“A year. Is that so?”

Sherry chuckled, then abruptly turned her gaze to Roden. He had been watching her with an awkward expression for some time and hastily lowered his eyes.

“What’s your relationship with that bearded man? Is he your guardian?”

“He’s my friend. He may not look it, but he’s only a few years older than me. Probably about your age.”

Roden would soon be twenty, and though Shan wasn’t sure, the girl looked sixteen or seventeen, so calling them about the same age wasn’t wrong.

“Oh my.” She covered her mouth as though surprised, but Shan instinctively knew she was only pretending.

Then, looking between Shan and Roden, Sherry narrowed her eyes and said something odd.

“And yet he didn’t help you at all when you hunted the cockatrice? How awful.”

“That was the best way to do it.”

“Even so, couldn’t anyone throw weapons from the rear? To do that and then claim he hunted it with you...”

“Hey.”

Shan stopped dead and stared straight at Sherry. Her voice had been quite pleasant when she was talking about magic he didn’t understand, but he didn’t care to hear it used for these snide remarks.

“That’s enough. I don’t know what your problem is, but stop picking a fight.”

“But I’m not wrong, am I? Everyone would laugh if they heard a man that size did nothing but toss weapons from behind while a little boy like you fought.”

It wasn’t hard to tell that her cheerful smile was meant to provoke him. Recalling the principles of chivalry Roden and Darkal had taught him in turn, Shan held on to his patience one last time. Besides, she was Professor Maya’s acquaintance...

“Shut your mouth and keep walking. Unless you want a punch.”

“I just feel sorry for—”

“Wait, Shan!”

The blow sent Sherry slumping to the ground. For a moment, she sat there blankly, unable to understand what had happened. Only when she saw Shan’s fist—he had somehow already set down the instrument he was carrying—and registered the burning pain in her face and the blood streaming from her nose did she realize she had been punched in the face.

“Y-you hit me...?”

“Yeah. Keep running your mouth and I’ll hit you ag—”

“Your Highness!”

“You crazy bastard!”

The urgent cries came with the sound of swords being drawn behind them. The man and woman who had been secretly following them were rushing over in horror.

“Enough! Stop!”

Despite Sherry’s shout, the two immediately swung their swords at Shan. In deference to their mistress’s command, however, they held back somewhat, aiming for his arms and legs rather than his vitals instead of trying to kill him.

Attacking an unarmed opponent while also trying to spare his life inevitably left their attacks full of openings.

As it turned out, that saved their lives.

Shan had been about to draw A Thousand Forms and strike, but changed his mind. Evading the nearer male knight’s attack, he shot out his foot and kicked the man’s elbow. Then he seized the charging female knight’s wrist, twisted it, and snapped it.

Both attacks carried a considerable amount of spirit, and bones broke with audible cracks.

“Gah...”

“Aaagh!”

The two knights instantly dropped their swords in the pain of their fractures. Having subdued them in mere moments, Shan finally registered the earlier shout and looked at Sherry.

“... Your Highness?”

Still sitting on the ground with her nose bleeding, Sherry slowly rose, removed her purple crystal spectacles, and untied her hair. As her blue hair spilled loose and revealed the sharp reddish-brown eyes hidden until then, her whole appearance changed.

In an instant, she was no longer a curious, talkative young mage, but Sherin, the second princess, whose decadent air had earned her the name Witch of Pendia.

Though her voice was still nasal thanks to her bleeding nose.

“It seems the bearded one already knew who I was. We’ve met once before, haven’t we?”

Sherin had no doubt that Shan would remember her. Whether because of her status or her looks, she had never failed to leave a strong impression. Hadn’t she even deliberately hinted at her identity by using an alias similar to her real name?

But Shan had been so absorbed in the guards’ splendid equipment back then that he couldn’t even remember the princess’s hair color. He could only wonder why she had suddenly started talking nonsense.

“I don’t really know.”

Surely he wasn’t pretending not to recognize her to get her attention? In this situation?

It was a tactic she had encountered before, but Shan’s face showed none of the telltale signs of that sort of deception. Sensitive to other people’s gazes and emotions, Sherin could tell that the boy genuinely had no idea who she was.

Feeling a humiliation she hadn’t experienced in a very long time, she unconsciously raised a hand to cover her face.

“Ah, haha... This is a little embarrassing. You there, Beard?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Roden replied respectfully, not daring to say, “My name is Roden, not Beard.” They had just punched a member of the royal family in the face, after all. At this point, he would have to obey even if ordered to strip naked and stand on his hands.

“We met her then. When we first went to the Magic Society.”

“Oh!”

Only then realizing who she was, Shan briefly surveyed their situation before whispering to Roden.

“... Should we kill them and bury them somewhere?”

“Stop talking crazy. Are you going to kill Professor Maya too?”

“Oh, right.”

He could readily kill the princess who had kept needling him and her guards, but he couldn’t kill Professor Maya just to conceal the crime.

Unaware that they were discussing whether to kill her right in front of her, Sherin wiped her nose and turned to the knights.

“Let us... pretend this never happened. I deliberately provoked him to get this sort of reaction in the first place. Though it was a little more than I expected.”

It was one of the methods she often used when she wanted to see someone’s true nature. Knowing what made a person happy or angry was quite useful in understanding their character. If she wanted to employ someone without being betrayed, she needed to see for herself, at the very least, how strong their bonds with their companions were.

Of course, even allowing for the fact that she hadn’t revealed she was a princess, this was her first time being punched bloody by a boy around her age.

Though doubtful of her promise to let the incident go, Shan soon adopted the proper formalities. Even if he really did kill and bury them here, Professor Maya knew they had been together. Now that it had come to this, he had no choice but to rely on the princess’s mercy.

Of course, if she sought revenge later, Shan would retaliate even if it meant climbing over the palace walls.

“... I greet Your Highness. I am Shan, an Altoan.”

“You’ve been surprisingly well taught in etiquette, too. Is that your doing?”

At Sherin’s question, Roden hastily knelt.

“My deepest apologies.”

“Enough. Both of you, stand. I don’t want to attract unnecessary attention. Aran! Kagon!”

“Yes, Your Highness...”

The two knights approached with dismayed expressions, one nursing a broken elbow and the other a broken wrist. Their glares at Shan were so fierce that, had looks possessed physical force, he would have been torn to pieces on the spot.

“Keep people away for a while.”

“But, Your Highness, leaving you with such a brute...”

“As you command.”

The male knight, about to protest further, hesitated at the sight of the female knight immediately bowing her head in assent. Then he, too, bowed in obedience.

Having secured a private space for their conversation in short order, Sherin perched on one of the instruments they had been carrying.

“I wasn’t lying when I said I was short of time, so let’s be quick. I’ve heard the story. A young Altoan boy who defeated a cockatrice is looking for a noble willing to knight him.”

“H-how did you find out...?”

They had approached people as discreetly as possible, trying not to draw attention, and had even focused on Prince Elvin’s close associates, who had nothing to do with her. How on earth had she found out?

Sherin looked down at Roden’s astonished face with satisfaction.

“I have my ways. In any event, if you wish to be knighted, I can do it for you. With the strength to hunt a cockatrice at such a young age and a letter of recommendation from Sir Darkal, your character... may be somewhat flawed, but I think it falls within tolerable limits.”

Her crafty smile looked ready to lure an innocent soul straight to ruin, and Roden instinctively grew wary.

Then Shan, who had been listening quietly beside him, spoke.

“I would like to know the price.”

Daring to ask a princess the price of knighthood was rude, but discussing rudeness after punching her nose bloody was rather ridiculous. As expected, Sherin did not grow angry and merely nodded.

“Fifteen years. During that time, serve under me without leaving to seek another liege. Naturally, you will be paid generously.”

“Fifteen years...”

He murmured the span aloud. It was longer than he had been alive and therefore difficult to grasp. Sherin spoke softly.

“Even after fifteen years, you will only be twenty-nine. Still in your prime as a knight, with the solid credentials of having served a princess. I would say those are hardly poor terms.”

Knights were divided into sworn knights, who served a noble or royal liege, and knights-errant, who belonged to no one.

Sworn knights could be guaranteed a salary and lands, receive their liege’s protection, and wield influence beyond their own station with their liege’s power behind them. Naturally, in exchange they had to obey their liege’s commands and sometimes fight with their lives on the line.

Knights-errant, on the other hand, had no affiliation. In truth, their ultimate goal was to enter someone’s service as a sworn knight. They traveled far and wide hunting monsters and seeking out battlefields and jousting tournaments to prove to nobles that they were worth a salary and lands.

Yet Sherin was acting as though these terms somehow put Shan at a disadvantage.

Why?

After pondering it, Shan decided to ask directly rather than puzzle over it further with his none-too-clever head.

“Is there a downside to becoming your knight, Your Highness?”

“... I didn’t expect you to ask outright. You’re very direct. Very well. If you become my knight, you will probably be doing quite a lot of dangerous work. I expect to face many threats to my life in the future, and few of those at my disposal can offer much help, while my enemies are immensely powerful. You will always have to fight at a disadvantage.”

It was a lengthy way of saying his life would be in danger. That was why knights existed in the first place, so it wasn’t particularly surprising, but on reflection, it was strange.

It would make sense for the princes fighting over the succession. But what danger could there be in serving a princess who, in a few years, would simply marry some great noble or foreign royal?

When Shan did not answer immediately, Sherin added something almost threatening.

“Remember that you have no alternative. No one in this country but me will grant an Altoan a knighthood, if only for fear of Conrad’s and Elvin’s displeasure. The only time either of them would make you a knight would probably be after suffering a defeat so complete that recovery was utterly impossible.”

Her expression as she mentioned her two older brothers was as cold as though she were speaking of sworn enemies.

Since Sherin didn’t seem to dislike direct questions, Shan decided to ask another while he was at it.

“Then how are you able to promise me a title, Your Highness?”

At the bold question, Sherin’s eyes widened as before, then curved into a smile. It was closer to self-mockery than genuine amusement.

“Because I have hardly any allies at the Pendian court anyway. If the price of gaining one mighty knight is merely giving people who already loathe me one more reason to do so, that’s a very profitable bargain.”

Shan thought for a moment, then looked at Roden.

“What do you think, Roden?”

“This is entirely your own affair. I don’t understand why you’re asking your friend. Your friend isn’t you, so naturally he’ll answer according to his own interests.”

Sherin’s reproachful tone seemed to ask whether he was an imbecile incapable of thinking for himself. Shan glared at her again, with the same look as before. For a moment, the frightened princess visibly shrank back.

“Because I don’t know much about politics. I trust Roden to know and see more than I do, and to judge things correctly.”

“Is that trust strong enough to stake your future—your life—on?”

“Yes.”

At his utterly unhesitating answer, Sherin’s reddish-brown eyes briefly went round.

A little later, she sighed and beckoned the two knights waiting at a distance.

“Yes, true friendship is a fine thing. If such a thing really exists. I won’t force an answer now. Once you’ve decided, contact me through Professor Maya.”

The returning knights each picked up one of the instruments Shan and Roden had been carrying. Fortunately, the equipment wasn’t particularly heavy, so they could each manage one even with a broken arm, while the princess carried one herself.

Before leaving, she waved her free hand.

“I do hope your answer will be favorable.”