Original Novel: "Back at That Tavern" Episode 10: "Resolution"
I didn't understand what she meant. A void took over my thoughts, and the next emotion to emerge was righteous indignation. Looking at her demeanor, she should be a loyal subordinate who is devoted to Princess Charlotte.
“Why! Why can you say such a thing so lightly!”
I couldn't help but raise my voice. I was terrified of the princess before me, who was the same age as I, and who stared straight at me without changing her expression. The guard who was told she would die also seemed to take it as a matter of course. She even looked proud. Something about the bond between them was more terrifying than anything else.
“Oh, I am not saying it lightly. It is precisely because she is Neusch that I order her to die.”
“You’re not making sense! If you let Neusch-dono die, what will you do? Are you going to run away!?”
“Yes, that is correct. If it is her, she will buy us time, even if it is only for a minute or a second. If there is no path of retreat, she will carve out a bloody path forward, even if only by a single step.”
The princess even had a faint smile on her face. The word 'ruthless' was too mild. It felt as if something heavy had been poured into my stomach.
“Isn't that exactly when everyone should work together to overcome the situation!”
Unable to swallow her words, I desperately tried to argue back. But neither her expression nor the atmosphere she exuded changed.
“If you can overcome a situation by working together, that is merely a trial. It is not a desperate, life-or-death predicament.”
“Guh...”
As I choked on my words, she spoke to me in a gentle, admonishing voice.
“Listen well, Your Highness. We must not die, regardless of our own will.”
“What... what do you mean...”
Her tone was like that of someone explaining something to a stubborn child.
“If we stand in a place of death, someone other than us will die. For example, that old man over there.”
Startled, I looked back and saw Galen nodding with a calm face. The princess then turned her gaze to Sakura, who was standing in front of the door.
“For example, her over there.”
Like Galen, Sakura nodded ever so slightly, though her expression was inorganic and devoid of emotion.
“The more we struggle, the more people will die. That is why I order her to die.”
“You. Are you telling me to have the resolve to let my subordinates die...?”
The princess slowly shook her head, and as if clutching something precious to her chest, she began to weave her words little by little.
“Of course, that is also necessary. If you let them die without resolve, you can only mourn them. If you let them die with resolve, you can learn from their death. But that is not enough.”
As if handing over what she was clutching to me.
“We must ensure that it does not come to that. So that no one dies, so that nothing is lost. Anticipating everything, and making every preparation.”
With a gaze holding a strong light.
"If we become unhappy, someone will be hurt. That is why what we need is the resolution not to become unhappy. That is our position."
I could not retort. No, I had plenty of things I wanted to say back, but they all felt like empty words.
"The resolution... not to become unhappy..."
I try saying her words out loud. I haven't fully understood everything yet. However, I felt like I had been taught something very important. While struggling with emotions I couldn't sort out, I still squeezed out words using only my pride as royalty.
"...I thank you, Princess Charlotte. I don't have an answer yet, but I swear that until the day I find one, I will not forget your words."
"Yes, that is fine. And I suppose this mask is no longer necessary, is it?"
The next moment, the air changed as if a breeze had blown through the room. The girl before me was no longer the Seventh Princess of Marienwald, but the adventurer Charlotte.
Nothing had changed, yet she went from princess to girl. It is truly terrifying. However, it is the kind of terror that makes laughter well up from the bottom of my gut.
"Then I shall take my leave, Prince Eldric. If you have no intention of using your position, I recommend we trade."
She said that and tapped her chest lightly. I'm beaten. The clasp on my cloak bears the design of the Astarea royal family. To have forgotten even this—how little composure I must have had.
I'll pay a little tuition to the girl who winked playfully and waved her hand. It's annoying to just be outdone.
"Eldric is fine. You don't need to use honorifics either. In the labyrinth, everyone is equal, aren't they? ...Charlotte."
There are mountains of things I need to think about. Things I need to discuss with Galen and Sakura. Even so, I can vaguely see what I need to talk about. I am sure I am wearing a natural smile right now. As proof of that.
"That's right! Just because you're royalty doesn't mean the labyrinth will show you any mercy! Become a good adventurer, Eldric!"
Charlotte responded with a beaming smile.