6-year-old Wise Man Wants to Walk in the Shade : Chapter 8
Chapter 8 - The Princess only showed it to me...
When Princess Clarice woke up, her mother and father explained the situation to her.
Meanwhile, I retired to my room and spent the time getting changed and washing my face.
The person my father and his family were speaking to was a princess of noble birth.
When we met in the Forbidden Forest, the situation was as it was, so I spoke to her freely, but normally, a child like me should not be able to speak to her.
But then, to my unbelievable surprise, just as I was getting ready, Princess Clarice called me over.
It seemed she wanted to talk to me alone.
What on earth could she want?
Feeling a little wary, I headed to the reception room.
Princess Clarice was probably the princess of a small northern country, Mailley.
I recognized the country's crest on her armor.
It belonged to the country of Mailley, which existed before I was reincarnated.
That country borders the Demon King's territory.
To be honest, I had a bad feeling about this...
I remember my past life.
After I became known as the strongest sage, I received constant requests for support from all over the world.
Requests to exterminate monsters, to defeat the Demon King, etc.
It's better to be cautious.
"Excuse me."
I bowed my head and entered the reception room, where Princess Clarice, who had completely recovered from her injuries, walked up to me.
"Eddie."
"Princess. You're better now. I'm glad."
I smiled at her.
I feel like I'm getting used to smiling like a six-year-old.
"I was relieved to hear that you're safe. Are you hurt? Are you sure?"
"Yes! I'm fine, because you held me."
Princess Clarice smiled back at me.
Looking at her again, she had big eyes, plump lips, and was an incredibly beautiful girl, just like a princess.
However, there was a shadow on his smile.
This place was no longer dangerous.
Perhaps he was still feeling the effects of what had happened in the Forbidden Forest.
"Earl Radcliffe, could you please leave your son alone for a little while?"
The princess knight's words startled him and he turned to look at his father.
His father's eyes were wide with shock.
"Just you and Eddie?...Okay."
"Eh...Mom, Dad? Are you going?"
Wait a minute.
Please don't leave us alone.
I'm the princess of a country, after all. Isn't it bad to leave a six-year-old with me?
Besides, I'm afraid she'll ask me to do some strange things if we're alone, so I want her to stay...
"Eddie, please don't be rude to the princess."
"O-okay..."
As expected, pretending to throw a tantrum won't stop him.
The parents bowed to Princess Clarice and left the room.
"Um, well... this is my first time talking to a princess, so I'm a bit nervous. It's also my first time seeing her!"
Obviously, this is after I was reincarnated.
In a situation like this, would a normal child show curiosity and ask a lot of questions?
I'll try that for now.
"Hey, what country are you from, princess?"
"I'm the third princess of Maylie. I received a prophecy that a savior who would defeat the Demon King would awaken in this land, and I came here to protect him."
I thought so...
"So, you're looking for a hero, aren't you? Good luck! I'm rooting for you!"
"Eddie, you're a strange boy."
"Huh? W-what do you mean?"
Princess Clarice looks at me with straight eyes, observing me.
She looks very serious for a child.
"You have very intelligent eyes. Margrave Radcliffe said that you defeated the Demon King by accident, but that's not the case, is it?"
"...What do you mean? I don't know."
If Princess Clarice hadn't just wandered in, and had come to this land after learning of the Sage's awakening, just like the Demon King, I had told my father that it was okay to tell the princess that the Demon King had been defeated.
Because no matter how you look at it, there's no way to hide it.
I'd managed to cover up the orc thing well, but I'd defeated the Demon King as well.
No matter how I tried to explain it away, the question would be who had defeated the Demon King.
If I was questioned, I'd be found out.
I had considered asking my parents or brother to take on the role of the Sage, but that wasn't realistic.
If I was asked to show my strength, it would be immediately revealed.
I didn't want to jeopardize my father's position.
Rather than forcibly exposing her, I thought it would be better to negotiate with Princess Clarice to stop the matter.
"You rushed to protect us in that forest. It wasn't a coincidence. You had your own will."
"..."
I was quiet for a moment, then I slowly spoke.
"Didn't I ask Dad the same question?"
"Yes. I wanted to hear the truth directly from you."
"...I see."
"You fooled me at the time, but it was your magic that defeated the orcs, wasn't it?"
"...No, it's not that, Sis. I didn't know what to do at the time, so I just watched for a while."
That's true.
The reason I reached out was because I didn't want to abandon her.
"It wasn't to protect you."
"But even so, you used your magic to help me escape."
...Well, I guess that can't be helped.
Princess Clarice is now convinced.
There's nothing more she can do.
In that case, it would be better to admit it and negotiate to keep quiet.
"...Please keep my power a secret, Princess."
"I thought so..."
Princess Clarice was quiet, then took both of my hands and squeezed them tightly.
Surprised by my sudden action, I looked up at Princess Clarice.
"With such a small body, you saved me."
"Princess?"
"Thanks to your courage, I was saved. Really... I'm such a pathetic person..."
Princess Clarice said, bowing her head slightly.
Her clear eyes were shaking sadly.
"My brother told me to protect the savior, but I was teleported by the Demon King and lost my precious knights.
I should have been the one to protect them...
And on top of that, I couldn't even inform you, the savior, of the danger."
Tears welled up in Princess Clarice's eyes as she pressed her lips together.
Princess Clarice's hands were much bigger than mine when I was six years old, but they were still delicate.
Her hands were small and trembling.
Princess Clarice seemed to be desperately trying not to cry.
Tears were threatening to overflow from her large eyes, which she was trying not to blink.
Even if she was a knight, she may not have had much experience yet.
She was only about fifteen years old.
She was too young to be called a full-fledged adult.
Her face, holding back the tears, looked much more innocent than when she was acting bravely in front of the orc.
"Princess, were you on good terms with those knights?"
When I asked, Princess Clarice nodded.
"They were old soldiers who had been by my side since I was a child, protecting me. My beloved..."
The Princess couldn't finish the words, and her lips trembled.
They were probably like family to me.
Unlike in my past life, this time I was blessed with a family.
I want to protect those people.
If I were to lose a family like that...
I have never yet experienced the pain of losing someone important.
But just thinking about it caused a pain deep in my heart, and it was very painful.
I want to comfort Princess Clarice...
But I was in a difficult position.
I didn't know how to comfort her.
In my past life, I didn't have much contact with people.
There was nothing I could do...
"Don't cry. I'm sure they're happy to see the princess healthy and well."
"..."
"My dad said that my maids cleaned the knights' bodies. Please take them back to the princess's country in our carriage."
"Yes..."
"They'll be happy. There's still something the princess can do for the knights, you know?"
"Eddie... Ugh... Huff...!"
Unable to bear it any longer, large tears began to overflow from Princess Clarice's eyes.
"Uh... Ugh... Eddie...!"
"Whoa?"
Princess Clarice instinctively hugged me.
"Uhhhhhhh"
"..."
It was painful to be hugged and have her chest pressed against my face.
But it didn't seem like the atmosphere was conducive to letting her go...
"I'm so sorry... Hiccup... But just for a moment... Please forgive me, just in front of you..."
"Princess Clarice..."
I had no choice.
Giving up, I started to stroke Princess Clarice's body, patting it.
Princess Clarice held me close, refusing to let go until her tears stopped.
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