Seeker 385

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Chapter 385. Princess Sophia

“So, Sophia-san, you’re the princess of this country?”

“Yes. I was returning from investigating the surrounding villages when that dragon attacked me.”

“Huh. Well, lucky we happened to be there. If a country’s princess got killed by a dragon, that’d be a huge deal.”

“Exactly so. Without your intervention, who knows what might have happened? You all are my—no, our saviors.”

After defeating the Snow Dragon, we continued toward the royal capital.

 Along a peaceful rural path, our party of three, along with my familiar, traveled alongside four awakened riders on horseback.

Answering Yuzuki’s question was a woman dressed as a mage, seemingly the leader of the four.

 She introduced herself as Sophia, and to my surprise, she turned out to be a princess of the Northern Alliance.

The other three were knights assigned to protect her, though Sophia herself also possessed the powers of an awakened.

 Not only that, she was a seasoned combatant, already reaching Level 25.

As a royal proxy, she often commanded the knights on the front lines, earning her the title of the Crimson Princess General.

 When one of her knights mentioned that nickname, she looked thoroughly embarrassed.

“Hey, Daichi-kun. Do you think we might’ve helped someone pretty important again?”

“Looks like it. We seem to have this strange connection to big-shot royals and important people.”

Kazane whispered to me, and I gave her a nod in agreement.

 At this point, it feels like I’m no longer surprised by anything.

Meanwhile, Sophia hesitated, seeming reluctant to continue.

“However, well... It pains me to say this to the saviors who rescued my life, but... our current funds are not sufficient to pay the proper amount an S-Rank adventurer deserves. We had only budgeted for up to an A-Rank situation...”

Sophia looked deeply apologetic, clearly troubled.

 She continued with visible discomfort.

“Once I return to the castle, I’ll speak with my father to arrange the full payment. Please, bear with me for a short time. I swear we won’t default on this. If it comes to it, I’ll sell my personal assets to ensure you’re paid in full. Please, I beg your patience.”

She placed her free hand over her stomach, perhaps due to stress-induced discomfort.

Though royalty often evokes an image of wealth, it might not be so simple in reality.

 This likely varies from country to country.

 With populations and budgets significantly smaller than in modern Japan, it’s understandable.

Seeing Sophia’s distress, Kazane and Yuzuki turned to look at me.

“Hey, Daichi-kun, we don’t really need to push her for money, do we?”

“Yeah. We’re not struggling for funds right now. Besides, we took down that dragon for our reasons. An A-Rank reward is more than enough.”

Fair enough.

 I didn’t insist on the S-Rank reward to pressure Sophia into anything.

 It was about achieving our mission—essentially what Yuzuki said.

Honestly, I’d be fine even without a reward, though refusing it outright might lead to complications...

“Sophia-san, an A-Rank reward will be plenty for us.”

I relayed this to Sophia as she sat on her horse.

 Her eyes widened, and relief washed over her face like a tide of salvation.

“Re-really!? But... I promised proper compensation, and this...”

“You weren’t trying to deceive us, were you?”

“O-of course not! Truly, this is acceptable?”

“Yes. We didn’t act with any ulterior motives when we intervened.”

“Thank you so much. Then I’ll gratefully accept your kindness.”

Sophia bowed deeply from horseback before dismounting.

 She retrieved a pouch from one of her knights, pulling out a mix of large and standard gold coins.

 She handed me the equivalent of an A-Rank adventurer’s reward.

150 gold coins—approximately 1.5 million yen in modern Japanese terms.

Getting this much just for being in the right place to take down a dragon feels almost too generous.

 Then again, that’s probably because of our unusually high levels.

One of the knights seemed to chastise Sophia as she handed over the money, but she shook her head firmly.

“These are our saviors. No matter how much we honor them, it can never be excessive.”

It felt like we were forcing this gratitude on her, but there wasn’t much else we could do.

 We accepted the reward, so there’s no need for her to worry further.

Afterward, Sophia remounted her horse, leading the group while seeming lost in thought.

 Eventually, she turned to me with a determined look.

“Do you plan to leave this region soon after arriving in the royal capital?”

What’s this about?

“Well, we have some plans, but nothing fixed. Why do you ask?”

“If it doesn’t conflict with your schedule, I may have another job to request of you. It’s uncertain, depending on my father’s decision, but...”

“Sophia-sama, could it be about the Ice Queen?”

The youngest of the knights perked up at the mention, and Sophia nodded.

“Yes. The legends say she was once defeated with the help of an unparalleled hero. If they could aid us, now might be our only chance.”

“But, Sophia-sama, do you think the scribes or even His Majesty would approve of this?”

Another knight, an older man, chimed in.

 Sophia frowned but replied firmly.

“I don’t know. I’ll have to convince them. If the Ice Queen is the cause of these recent cold waves, it’s a matter of our kingdom’s survival.”

“Uh, can I ask a question? What exactly is this Ice Queen? Is it a monster?”

Yuzuki raised his hand, asking what I was wondering too.

I’d never heard of the Ice Queen before.

 It wasn’t listed among the mission’s monsters either.

The only potentially relevant target was the ice-element creature noted in our mission log: Defeat 1 Fenrir (300,000 XP).

But isn’t Fenrir supposed to be wolf-like? Could it be humanoid? A shapeshifter?

Sophia shook her head at Yuzuki’s question.

“I don’t know the truth. Our records describe her as a monster resembling a woman clad in a dress of thin ice. Ah, look—there’s the capital.”

We had reached the top of a gentle incline, where the forest path gave way to a downhill slope.

 About a kilometer ahead, a city with a towering castle came into view.

That must be the royal capital, Cradvalze.

Together with Sophia and her party, we began descending the path toward the capital.