Priasis looked at me with unwavering eyes.
I knew perfectly well she wanted power. I thought I had a good idea of what she wanted, too. But there was no point in her telling me that story over and over.
I narrowed my eyes and said, "So, you want me to help you."
"That's right."
"I don't get why you'd ask a guy like me, but isn't an Imperial Princess like yourself supposed to have tremendous power? Plenty of shiny knights should be lining up to serve you."
"I..." Priasis's gaze faltered.
The girl squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head.
"I am... a figurehead. Just the name 'Imperial Princess'. Besides that, I have nothing. No one listens to me. No one follows me."
"But you have money, don't you? Hire some mercenaries."
"Then I shall hire you as my mercenary. I will pay whatever price you name. I may be a princess in name only, but I still have plenty of gold coins."
Priasis fumbled inside her dress and pulled out a silk pouch. It was full of glittering gold coins. I pushed her hand away as she tried to give it to me.
"I don't know what you're trying to achieve."
"Many things."
"I refuse. Find someone else."
"What is your reason?"
"What's your reason? I don't really understand the value of money here, but with that much gold, surely you could hire other, more skilled people."
"You didn't laugh at my story," Priasis continued, her voice earnest. "When I spoke of my dream, no one believed me. They wouldn't even truly listen. But you... you were different. That is why I wish to hire you."
'Great, got saddled with someone troublesome,' I thought. This kid was just an NPC.
If the explanation I heard during the Promotion Ceremony was correct, this current stage was Taonier's past. Even if I felt inclined to get involved, a contract couldn't be formed. My relationship with her was temporary; we were bound to part ways once the mission was over.
I shook my head.
"...A refusal, then."
"I have my reasons."
"What kind of reasons?"
Outside the window, the sky was still a deep blue. There was still time before true night fell.
I looked at the girl before me. Priasis was watching my expression intently, her gaze serious.
I sighed and then began to speak. "We come from another world."
"Another world?"
"A real shithole, actually. There, we're given missions. If we fail to complete them, we die. Coming here was one of those missions."
"What are you talking about? From another world...?"
'Figures she doesn't get it.' I hesitated for a moment, then decided to add more. It wasn't like I had anything better to do until dawn anyway. Humoring the kid wouldn't hurt.
I added that the goal of our current mission was escort, and if we failed to protect the target – her – we would die. When I finished speaking, Priasis waved her hand, looking confused.
"W-wait a moment. So, you mean you came here... from another world... to carry out a mission?"
"That's right. When the mission is over, we're forcibly sent back to our original world. That's why I can't accept your request."
"Such an outlandish story... Another world..." Priasis murmured under her breath.
It wasn't something I should have said lightly, but it wasn't entirely impossible to talk about either. No one would believe it even if I told them, and even if word got out, it probably wouldn't have any impact. I just had to be careful to hide the facts concerning my secret.
"Are you lying just to get rid of me?"
"Think what you want. I don't care if you believe me or not."
"Very well, then. I will trust your story. So, you are heroes from another world."
I was momentarily dumbfounded, then caught myself. Right. This was someone who genuinely believed in things she saw in dreams.
"Just as you did not scorn my story, I shall not dismiss yours. I understand you have your reasons. I will not detain you further. You go about your business. I shall go about mine."
"And what's your business?"
"Isn't it obvious? To prevent that dream from becoming reality."
I remembered the situation when the mission began. Citizens had been gathering in the city's central square.
"Were you the one gathering people in the square?"
"You mean at the Silver Shrine? Yes. I asked them to. I was planning to give a speech."
"Why were you planning to give a speech?"
"To gain influence. Compared to my older brother, I'm practically nothing right now."
'Influence, huh.' Ordinarily, this kid would have most likely died here. If the 'Pick Me Up' mission had any meaning, it implied that this NPC, Priasis Al Lagna, was worth saving.
I closed my eyes. I thought back to the Niflheim missions I'd undertaken as a Master. At first glance, they seemed unrelated. I could recall scenes of Heroes and NPCs having something like conversations, but I couldn't hear the words. The locations and times were jumbled too. But if I thought hard about it, perhaps I could find some common thread connecting the missions.
'Perhaps the contract has already been made, in a way.' I gave a short laugh and spoke.
"My name is Han."
"Han," Priasis murmured, her lips moving as she repeated it several times.
"Thank you. If it weren't for you, I would have died."
"It's not over yet."
"Is that so."
"Any idea why they're trying to kill you?"
"...I don't know."
"Alright, doesn't matter then."
Priasis lowered her head. I seemed to have gotten most of the useful information I could for now. The waiting began again.
I decided to look around the house again. It looked like the kind of home where a happy family might have lived just a few years ago. Signs of life still lingered in places.
In a wardrobe on the second floor, I found some clothes – shabby, but reasonably clean.
I went down to the first-floor living room and tossed the clothes to Priasis, who was half-dozing. "Change into these."
Priasis's eyes widened as she looked down at the fabric. It was an old shirt and skirt, stained and mended in places.
"You stand out too much. Like a walking billboard."
"Billboard?"
'Wrong term,' I thought with a wry smile.
Anyway, Priasis's outfit was too conspicuous. Even dirty, the golden crown and silver dress would glitter in the dark. They'd be a hindrance.
"You want me to wear... this? Then, my current clothes..."
"We're throwing those out. I saw a trash bin outside."
"I... I see."
"You don't want to?"
Priasis shook her head, but her expression visibly darkened. "No... I prepared myself for this. It's just..."
"Just?"
"Please... let me be alone for a moment."
"Alright." I stepped out into the hallway.
There was the shhhk sound of rustling fabric, followed by the faint sound of sobbing.
'Is she crying?' Even if she was a princess in name only, she was still a princess. And only in her mid-teens, at most. It couldn't be easy facing sudden assassination attempts.
When I returned to the living room, Priasis held out the dress and crown, her expression neutral. I took the dress, with its fine adornments, and she placed the crown on top.
Careful to avoid any traps, I went outside and tossed them into the trash bin.
I returned to the living room. The princess was smoothing down the old skirt she now wore.
"The texture feels strange."
"It probably does. Bugs were probably laying eggs in it."
"What did you say?!"
"Just kidding."
"Don't joke like that!"
I chuckled and looked Priasis over. Her silver hair still made her stand out, but it was much better than before. She was small, too; if she stayed hidden properly, she likely wouldn't be easily spotted. I sat down on a chair in the living room and said,
"We'll head out in two or three hours. Get some sleep."
"What about food...?"
"Are you hungry? There's nothing to eat here."
"Understood. I'll rest a bit then." Priasis leaned back against the wall and slumped down.
Soon, she began to nod off. It wasn't surprising; she must have been exhausted.
I gazed out the window. The sky had darkened completely. There was hardly any moonlight, and it was pitch black both inside and outside the house. It didn't hinder my vision much, though, thanks to the [Mind's Eye] skill I'd awakened before coming here. Even in the darkness, I could make out the contours of objects.
Just as the house fell into complete darkness, Edis returned. Seeing Priasis sleeping soundly, Edis gave a short chuckle. Like me, Edis could also see in the dark.
"Sleeping soundly."
"The exit?"
"Found it. Though there's a slight problem." Edis began to explain what she had seen and heard.
Apparently, they could only leave via the designated routes. She'd tried slipping out through a gap in a collapsed section of the city wall, but an invisible barrier blocked the way.
"So no shortcuts, huh?"
"Looks like we can only leave through the main gate."
"Which will obviously be guarded." This just got complicated.
If we had more time, I'd send her out to search again, but I couldn't be sure how long Aron would last. There was also the risk that searching soldiers might find us. We had to escape the city before dawn at the latest.
'No choice, then.' We couldn't delay any longer.
I pushed back my chair, stood up, and woke Priasis.
She came to her senses quickly. "Get up. We're moving out now."
"Ah, alright."
"It'll be extremely dark outside. Stay right behind me."
Priasis nodded. The three of us left the house. The street was swallowed by darkness. Even with [Mind's Eye], I had to concentrate just to keep my bearings. We could see torches moving about in the streets. Edis whispered quietly.
"Patrolling soldiers."
"Easy enough to spot." As long as we avoided the torchlight, we could avoid the soldiers.
Following Edis's lead, we wound our way through several alleys and emerged onto a main street. Hidden in the shadow of a building, I crouched low and peered ahead.
In the distance, a cluster of torches cast a yellow glow, illuminating the surroundings. The main gate came into view. I quickly counted the enemies stationed near it.
[Human Soldier Lv. 11] x 21
[Human Knight Lv. 21]
As soon as I perceived them, a message announcing the enemy presence appeared.
'That's a lot of them.' Twenty-two in total. Far too many for just the two of us to handle. Plus, that knight in black armor standing sentinel before the gate... his level was worrisome. Level 21 was at least 5 levels higher than any knight I'd faced before.
"Should we try another gate?"
"Waste of time. It'll be the same story there." There weren't many exits, and each one was likely guarded just like this.
If I were alone, I could probably force my way through, but I had an escort target to protect. The mission would only count as a success once she was outside the gate.
'Did I make the wrong call?' If I'd abandoned Aron earlier and just pushed through, the mission might have been completed easily.
I scratched my head in frustration. No going back now. I had to play the best hand I could with the cards I was dealt.
"Edis, do you know where Aron's party is?"
"No, not exactly."
"But you've got the layout of the city figured out?" Edis nodded. Geography was fundamental to recon. Before finding the exit, Edis would have analyzed the city's structure; otherwise, she couldn't have guided us effectively.
"I need you to do something."
"Okay."
"Edis, go back to the house we were just in. Next to it, in the trash bin, you'll find the kid's dress and crown. Grab them, then meet up with Aron and the others. Have Zena put them on."
"...Don't tell me."
"We're using a decoy. It's the dead of night. Zena and Priasis have similar builds. Once she's wearing the clothes, it'll be hard to tell them apart unless someone gets really close."
"Once Zena has the clothes on, have her raise as much hell as possible without getting caught. That should draw most of their forces away from the gate. While that's happening, I'll break through with the princess."
"..."
"The city's large, but there are only so many places to hide. You can handle it, right?"
After a moment's thought, Edis nodded and vanished back the way they'd come.
I set my shield down in the corner of the building and gripped the scabbard of my longsword in my right hand. The metal shield might reflect light, giving us away.
[Aron (★★) has been afflicted with Deadly Poison status. HP will decrease periodically.]
[The Hero's poisoning is worsening!]
'Hahh.' Looks like the potions weren't going to hold off the poison much longer.
Draw the enemy's attention while keeping Aron safe... It was a tall order, but I had to trust them to manage it.
An hour at most.
We had to end this within that time.