Herscherik

The Expeditionary Army, which completed today's marching itinerary, each enjoyed a leisurely time, except for those in charge of the lookout.

Among them, a boy with chestnut hair with vegetable soup and hard bread, and a basin with red fruit on board, thanks him while nervously.

"So, I brought your Highness a meal.

The boy bites at the end and his face gets hot with shame. Even if you raise your body from the bowing position, you will not be able to see the face of the relative person, and you will offer the basin with your gaze down.

His name was Roy Bildt, the eldest son of a certain poor merchant, and a boy soldier who had just enlisted in the army this spring. Juvenile soldiers are boys who become regular soldiers after adulthood. Not only are they trained, but their main job is to take care of equipment and caring for senior soldiers and knights.

Why my oldest son Roy joined the army was simply for the money. Poor Kozawa, but with his eldest son at the head, there are four younger brothers and sisters downstairs. But instead of increasing my father's income as a poor merchant, taxes went up, prices went up, and spending just went up. Even though my father and mother worked hard, it was tough for seven members of the family to live.

So Roy, the eldest son, volunteered for the soldier. If you become a soldier, you get paid, and you get tax exemptions from how much. Roy himself had no trouble eating to enter the army dorm as a soldier, and the six of us wouldn't starve with his father's income and his own salary.

And I could read a book. Roy cannot enter the Royal Castle library. But by chance, I got to know the man who works in the library, and the fact that Roy likes books, but when he said he was poor and couldn't buy books, the man in the library snuck them out and lent them to me. Roy thrilled to raise his head many times, he said with a smile.

"I don't care. I've loved books since I was a kid, too. Oh, but you're supposed to be borrowing it from me, so don't get your book dirty.

Roy found out later, but he was a reputable scribe who was out of the general family but enrolled in college as a special student, graduated with a grade that he could call outstanding talent and worked for Royal Castle, a reputation that annoyed him with the handling of books.

After a rough day of training and chores, it was Roy's only pleasure to read a book he borrowed before going to bed at night.

Roy had a dream. It's about becoming a writer. Even in poverty, the merchant's house, the reading and writing of letters, is taught by my father and mother, the future goes around the world and I write books based on that experience… I had such magnificent and abstract dreams. But reality isn't sweet. I needed more money than I dreamed, more food than a book. So Roy, the dream stayed a dream, enlisted in the army and was to participate in this expedition.

My work during the march is not so much the same as when I was in King's Capital, with most chores such as taking care of weapons, caring for horses, and preparing meals. But only such chores should have added one serious job.

"…… is it vegetable soup?

It was Crowe, the lead butler of the seventh prince, who said so and received the basin from him with his head down. Slightly grumpy, he gazed at the soup narrowing his bloody dark red ball eyes, but Roy didn't know it with his gaze down.

"Thank you.

But it was also an instant, and when Crowe briefly thanked Roy, he turned himself in. Roy finds out Crowe left and raises his gaze. Looking straight at where the butler was going, a child with his hips down on the side of the bonfire was receiving a basin from the butler who brought the meal.

(That's Her Royal Highness Hershelik...... aren't you really a child? You're thinner than my brother.

Only in the distance and after, but that's all I found out. Roy thinks he is so luxurious that he is dressed in fine clothing, but if he touches it, it is likely to break.

Even though he was about the same age as his brother, Roy was heartbroken when he thought the prince had to go to the battlefield just to say royalty.

"What's wrong with you?

All of a sudden he talks to me and Roy shakes his shoulder with Vikri. Looking back, a knight with sunset hair looked at Roy wonderfully.

Roy knows who he is. A young man with hair with characteristic orange with gold mesh and slightly dripping blue eyes. He was very prominent in putting together deep red armor during the march, but now he was taking off his armor and wearing simple black ground clothes.

(This guy killed 100 Mad Knights!?

The third son of the Marquis Roland Ordis, alias "General of the Blaze," was famous for his untouched slaughter of hundreds of Mad Fallen Saints in a church uprising the other day.

Plus he's a celebrity with the military and police departments. Winning martial arts tournaments at the youngest with overwhelming force, or taking many soldiers and knights on their own in training conducted at a later date.

Roy had heard soldiers say that knights who could fight him equally in the same generation were not in the King's Capital.

By the time I heard the story, Roy had imagined a big, muscular figure, but was stunned to find out that he was actually a young man who couldn't help but say he was a good man. Standing next to the prince at the outing ceremony, he was the kind of prince that would appear in the story.

To him like that, Roy panicked and lowered his head.

"Shh, excuse me! I've come to deliver dinner to Your Highness..."

"Oh, you know what? You took care of yourself.

Saying so, Oran leaks a bitter smile.

"Hershey... because His Highness Rik says he doesn't like it if it's not the same meal as everyone else.

Oran said as he inadvertently tried to call it as usual.

At the beginning of the incident, Hershelik said that he did not like to eat luxurious meals.

"I'm marching like everyone else, so I can't eat my own extravaganza.

It really makes for a qualitative meal during the march. It would be nice if the soup could be prepared, and there could be a slice of bread and dried meat at a time. However, royalty and nobility were often served a different meal than the average soldier.

That's what I really didn't like about Hershelik. Crowe looked sinister and worried about nutritional aspects, but in the end, Crowe broke and Hershelik was to eat the same meal as the other soldiers. Rather, the prince would eat it, so at least the soup was served, and the soldiers were glad to hide.

"Maybe to improve a soldier's diet?

and before he left, Oran asked, Hershelik just made him laugh like a prankster.

If you look at your boss like that, he's waving at Oran too. Next door, the magician read the book, and only the butler looked after it in a worthwhile way, preparing drinks and skinning fruits.

"Then I'll go back. Are you a boy soldier? Tell me if you have any problems.

Saying so, Oran tries to leave. Roy pulled him off.

"Master Ordis!

Inside, Roy thought the earlier words were just a social dictionary. But it made me want to get a warm look.

"Hmm?"

"If you can do me a favor, teach me how to fight!

Oran tilts his neck at the words of Roy.

"How to fight? If you were dealing with swords, you would be learning them in the army. My sword is pushing the foundation, but it's not very helpful because it's my style.

That's not enough of a harsh word, that's what someone called an overly harsh ghost instructor told me too. The ghost instructor said, "You can fight neatly like a knight and rough like a mercenary, a gifted talent not just for hard work. I can't imitate it to a regular person." So much so that I said. Oran himself, when he is fighting, his body moves before he thinks with his head, so I don't know how to teach him as well, but he's right.

But Roy still ate up. I didn't want to miss the opportunity because of it.

"I can't fight at all... but I will never die.

Roy knows what he's not good at. I guess it wasn't meant for me originally, I couldn't handle weapons well, and my instructors were always yelling at me in training.

"Then why did you join the army?

Oran asks. But the voice was lower than earlier, and Roy shook his shoulders with a victory.

"It would be natural for danger to stick with us if we joined the army.

"That is……"

Roy floats about to lean over and lifts his face all the way up. And I stared at Oran from the front.

"I wanted to help my parents and my sisters. That's why I have to go home alive.

Juvenile soldiers are rarely on the front line. But it's not like there will never be. If you're going to be on the battlefield, you absolutely have to go home alive. Besides, if I die in battle, my survivors will be paid a sightseeing fee, but it's slight compared to the tax exemptions and benefits I've been receiving. My family will starve.

Roy sees Oran's pale eyes with his determined caged eyes. Oran sighs loosening his grim expression at him like that.

"… ok. Even so, don't expect too much from me because all I can teach you is the basics.

"Thank you very much!

Roy lowered his head with momentum.

Roy finishes all the chores and Oran heads to the designated location. As he was moving away from the army he was camping in and into the woods, he heard a wolf howling along the way and let his neck snap, but Roy nevertheless proceeded.

Because I can now be mentored by the lead knight of the seventh prince.

Through the woods, my vision opens. It's a small, high hill, with grass lower than your knees winding through it. Roy had never seen the real thing, but it was like a wave of sea I saw in a picture book I used to sell.

Going up such a hill, there was a child sitting on a rock.

The light-colored blonde who received the moonlight swayed in the night breeze, looking young but neat enough to misread with the girl as well. The jade gemstone-like eyes nestled in its face look at the stars visible from the gaps of the clouds.

It's like a fairy out of a story, and then Roy forgets to say anything to him with unfinished and premature beauty.

Roy knew who he was.

(This is better, Your Highness Hershelik………)

In this expedition, a young prince acting as king.

All the royalty had heard rumors of beauty and beauty. Because Roy, the inferior prince, had only seen the first prince of the Military Bureau from afar, he thought it would really be different to the extent of the rumors. But the prince now in front of him was, as rumored, more beautiful than a denial rumor.

That's how he looks up at the night sky. Point his gaze at Roy.

"Which one?

Roy panicked at him as he tilted his neck. There was no way I could say that I was in love or anything like that, and there was no excuse for being told that I was guilty of disrespect, such as staring at the royal family while standing.

The voice of salvation echoed while Roy was confused and pondering how to deal with it.

"Prince, this is Roy, whom he just said.

"Yeah, he did!

To Oran, his leading knight, who appeared from the top of the hill, Hershelik nodded and walked down from the rock to Roy.

"Nice to meet you, Hershelik Gracis.

Come in front of Roy, Hershelik makes him smile.

I fell in love with that smile for a moment, and Roy, who gave it back to me, rushed to his knees, but because he was nervous and nervous, he fell down at the front. I hurriedly put my hands on it, but it was shaped like I was grounded, and I found myself embarrassed and my face hot.

"Are you okay?"

Yes, Roy can't raise his face even if he calls from overhead.

But someone grabbed his arm and forced him to get up. Of course it is Oran.

"Did you even get hurt?

Looking from Roy's head to his toes, Roy leaks a sigh of relief to make sure there is no particular injury.

"You look fine.

"Soot, excuse me!

Roy rushes to thank him. Bend your hips at right angles and your gaze is on the ground.

"Your Highness Hershelik, I beg your pardon!

I heard a bitter laugh leak in the way it looked, but it didn't reach Roy's nervous ear.

"This is my pleasure, and I'm sorry I pushed you to make a promise to Oran. Please raise your head.

Roy raises his fearful head to the word. In front of me was Hershelik, who was smiling bitterly. And I'm sorry, Hershelik said.

"May I train with you if you like?

I had no reason or skill to say no to Roy.

If Roy looked around, there would be a beautiful woman sitting on another rock who would show up the lights on hand and work in reading. Hershelik, who noticed ahead of his gaze, explains that he is his lead magician.

"They're putting boundaries around here. So you can rest assured that neither the Beast nor the Demon will come near here.

I relieve myself of that explanation, and teach Oran's teacher and sword side by side. Oran gave advice to each of them after seeing their bare hands. And we both take Oran's advice and start swinging again...

"Prince, you have a bad attitude.

Since it was before Roy, as usual, I take care not to call his name by abridging his name, but now he's a teacher, so I skipped the word. Roy snorted a little at Oran like that, but Hershelik nodded unconsciously at the time he was cautioned.

"Got it.

Saying so, Hershey corrects her posture and descends again, but Oran takes note of the condition again.

"I don't understand. Look, I can pull my hips off and I have a bad posture, so I get a blade tip when I wave my sword down.

"Mmm."

So roaring but shaking the sword again, there is no room for improvement there. Oran has previously been told by famous figures as the 'ghost instructor' of Hershelik's swordsmanship instructor.

"His Royal Highness is motivated, and I don't hate hard work. But overwhelming……………………."

A ghost instructor, who was said to be alone if any single soldier were in his hands, laughed powerlessly and dry until the end. Indeed, Oran also remembers wanting to sympathize when he first saw Hershelik's training.

Overwhelmingly tasteless. It was a previous problem that could be managed with effort before effort. It seems that Hershelik himself is conscious, but he is still working out worse than not doing it.

It's just that Hershelik seemed to be putting a lot of effort into training his sword here lately after spring.

Oran has an idea of why.

Hershelik almost lost his life once. A momentary event that caught everyone off guard in that incident at the church. Hershelik would have lost his life without that warrant.

Then Hershelik. I sewed between busy moments and began to invest more in sword archery than ever before. Oran has never stopped watching him shake his sword, which he is not good at.

Hershelik's back said.

If I could have defended myself at all, I might not have lost her. That's a feeling of powerlessness that Oran has also felt in the past. And it was still a thought in the back of my chest.

The butler doesn't look very good, but Oran doesn't disagree that Hershelik has a sword. The sword does not just protect life. Oran thinks he can protect his mind as well.

So Oran ghosts his heart and coaches Hershelik.

"Take a look at Roy. Since my posture improved considerably compared to the first time, I became stable.

Hershelik looks at Roy still in Oran's words. Roy panicked after being noticed by Hershelik.

"That's not true!

But Roy's words did not reach Hershelik, who stared at his training sword.

"Mmm..."

Since then, he has continued his training, and when it was time to shake his sword, a young man appeared without sound from among the dark forest trees. The young man was Crowe, Hershelik's butler, who also looks familiar to Roy. I have multiple water bottles in my hand.

"Will the black dog also come and take a break?

In one word, Roy lowers his back to the rock that was so short. Not only the hand that was waving his sword, but also his leg, which was conscious of his posture and powerful, was tired and trembling.

"Next door, okay?

Hershelik talks to Roy as he watches his trembling hands. To him with a ball of sweat on his forehead, Roy hesitated for a moment, but to leave the scene he could not move with a tremor in his leg. That's why I said go ahead and missed the seating position.

"Master Hershey, go ahead. Both of you.

A clo sneaking up on them like that without any sound offers a water bottle with a good smile on the outside. Hershelik thanked him and received it, and Roy also received it in awe.

"Hey black dog, don't throw it at me and give it to me too!

"Shut up."

Listening to the butler, Sarasa with a smile, and the knight who leaks dissatisfaction with it, Hershelik takes the lid of the received water bottle and pours the liquid into his mouth.

A breeze strokes my cheeks. Roy spoke to Hershelik, who felt comfortable and narrowed his eyes.

"Um… Why did His Highness Hershelik train?

That was the most important question. Hershelik is a child who hasn't even attended college yet. It would be unusual from the side to see such a child desperately doing an archery of swordsmanship. Hershelik replies with a bitter smile.

"At first, I thought I'd be able to protect myself at least... but I've been training for a long time, but I don't get it at all. What about Mr. Roy?

"… I want to go home alive, I may be sorry.

Asked the other way by Hershelik, Roy said, cheeking after a few beats of thought.

It was a very weak reason to keep him in the army. If there had been other soldiers seniors, they would have been laughed off or furious. But the prince never laughed at him.

"That's not true.

And affirm Roy with a serious look.

"Living is important. So I think Mr. Roy is fine to try to do that.

"I can't believe it's splendid…………………."

That's what they say. Roy can illuminate. Because I've never lived before and I've never been told I'm fine.

"And... if you die, it's over.

Hershelik lays down his face and whines with a painful look that is still about to cry.

"Your Highness?"

Oran walked over as Roy tried to ask confused by the look on his face.

"Now, if I see you again, shall I finish?

At last, Roy couldn't say a word about the question that went all the way to his throat.

That was the first encounter between the writer Roy Bildt and the prince, who wrote many anecdotes and achievements of Hershelik in the afterlife.

This is what Roy Bildt writes down about that time.

"I think now that the Fate God has engaged himself with the Prince. I was born and met in this world to preserve his feats.

From Hershelik Gracis' Lifetime Preface by Roy Bildt