The Executioner and Her Way of Life

Sahara’s bizarre situation still weighed heavily on Menou’s mind. She couldn’t help feeling like she was missing something important, despite not being able to put her finger on it.

“Is it because the Mechanical Society was involved? No… Perhaps because it was a conjuring that transforms the soul? Or is it something else…?”

Menou continued theorizing to herself as she made several more round trips through the empty hallway until the full-course meal was finally complete.

Ashuna wore a satisfied grin as she sipped on the black tea after her meal. She looked like a spoiled cat who was thoroughly accustomed to being waited on hand and foot.

“Who knew that having such an excellent butler could be this pleasant? I am utterly satisfied.”

Menou, still dressed in servant’s attire, poured Ashuna another cup of tea.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

“Indeed, I am.”

Clearly, Ashuna really was relishing every moment. Menou didn’t know anyone else who got such a deep enjoyment out of life. And yet Menou was so unlike Ashuna that she didn’t feel the slightest bit of envy.

Instead, Menou was very uncomfortable on this train. There was a live performer on a grand piano in the dining car, for crying out loud. Riding first class on this luxurious train while not on an infiltration mission seemed wrong to her.

“At any rate, Your Highness. I should think it would suit you better to simply travel with a regular servant than have me pretend to be one, would it not?”

“The problem with regular servants is that they can only perform regular jobs.”

“I’m not sure how such an obvious fact is an issue…”

“Can you blame me? I am fully aware of my habit of sticking my nose into danger wherever I go. It would be cruel to let a servant get dragged into battle because of my hobbies.”

“…But you have no intent to restrain yourself and behave like a normal princess, I see.”

“If I did, would I still be myself? Besides, I do not stand to gain anything by restraining my nature. I would much rather enjoy the journey my way.” This was typically egotistical logic for the willful and self-conceited Ashuna. She inhaled the scent of her black tea before continuing. “In this particular case, I get to have you indebted to me, of course, but I’m also pleased to chase Momo.”

Menou had been reluctant to let Ashuna join her. After all, she was in the middle of pursuing Momo. Bringing Ashuna along seemed like nothing if not a headache.

Yet since she was borrowing money from the woman, she was in no position to refuse. It was still better than pathetically losing Momo’s trail because she didn’t have the funds to keep up. Thus, she had elected to become Ashuna’s attendant temporarily.

“Now, I’ve become your patron to cover the costs of finding Momo, but do you have any idea where she might be?”

“Of course I do. The actual act of following her won’t be that difficult. Excuse me…” Menou paused and produced a map. “Once they leave the central desert, Momo’s first stop will be the same town we’re headed for.”

“Hmm? How can you be sure? If we don’t know Momo’s intent, surely we lack enough information to determine where she might travel.”

“No, I can predict most of Momo’s moves.”

Wandering around and searching blindly was a waste of time. The continent was enormous. Under usual circumstances, gathering information about the two runaways would require a significant amount of time.

However, Menou knew exactly how Momo’s mind worked.

“Momo is undoubtedly traveling by train. We’re currently following them in a locomotive on the same track… Fortunately, since this train is faster than ordinary ones, we should already be closing the distance.”

“How do you know they aren’t journeying on foot or by carriage? Then we might very well pass them.”

“I seriously doubt it. A pair of girls trekking on foot would draw far too much attention, and Momo currently has someone slowing her down.”

Momo was with Akari. She would never choose to go on foot knowing that Menou was tailing her. Compared to Menou and Momo, who had been trained as Executioners, Akari was far slower.

Most of all, two young women traveling together were bound to stand out. Momo might be able to roam without catching anyone’s eye, but not with Akari in tow. Menou openly wore her priestess’s robes while with Akari to make it clear to everyone around them that she was a member of the Faust, thus avoiding suspicion.

“I see. The girl I saw on the beach at the oasis, eh?”

Ashuna had probably guessed that Akari was an Otherworlder. She didn’t press the matter further, but her eyes narrowed for a moment.

“But even if we know they’re riding a train, how are we going to follow their trail? Guiding trains must follow tracks, but there are plenty of stops where they could disembark. The two could transfer to another line, as well. What do you plan to do about that?”

“I don’t need to do anything. So long as I know their first hideout, I don’t need to follow their trail any farther.”

“Oh-ho?”

A note of delight entered Ashuna’s tone, her interest piqued.

With a sidelong glance at her, Menou traced her finger across the map as she followed Momo’s thought process.

“Momo can’t keep moving for long with Akari in tow. Once she thinks she’s bought herself enough distance, she’ll choose a town with frequent traffic and hide out there. Momo is likely operating under the assumption that she’s succeeded in slowing me down, so she won’t choose a route that’s too reckless. All of which narrows down where she’d choose to hole up for a few days.”

Menou was familiar with the features of most of the major towns and cities on the continent. As she explained her logic, she pointed at one spot on the map.

“In which case, she will likely head to this mountain town first.”

Ashuna clapped lightly, applauding Menou’s detective work.

“Oh, you really are good. What do you think? I wouldn’t mind taking you on as my attendant permanently.”

“I’m honored by the invitation, but I’m afraid I must humbly decline.”

Menou maintained the polite attitude of a servant as she calmly shot down the offer.

Ashuna grinned mischievously, unfazed by the girl’s cool reply.

“Well, if anything ever changes your mind, the offer is always open. I’d be happy to have you. Especially since Momo would be bound to come along as well if I get my hands on you.”

“The answer is still no, regardless.”

Clearly, that was what Ashuna was really after, but it didn’t change Menou’s response. The position of a priestess was not so cheap that she would leave it for a small sum of borrowed funds, not to mention dragging Momo along with her.

“You seem quite fixated on Momo, Your Highness. May I ask the reason?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m
fixated
, but…aside from her strength, of course, Momo is very entertaining to watch—and all the more so to tease.”

“…She despises you because you mock her so much, you know.”

“Are you giving me a word of advice as her ‘darling’? It’s equally amusing if she hates me, though. As long as she isn’t indifferent about me, it means I stick in her mind.”

Menou’s comment didn’t seem to have bothered Ashuna in the least. From her response, Menou had to wonder if the word
brazen
was invented solely to describe the Princess Knight. She pinched at her butler uniform, her lips turning downward.

“And is this ensemble a part of your ‘teasing’ as well?”

“Perhaps, but it is a precaution, too. I can’t very well have you waiting on me dressed as you usually are. It could cause no small amount of trouble if people noticed that a priestess of the Faust was waiting on a member of the Noblesse like me.”

“That logic makes sense in itself, but your particular choice of clothing baffles me.”

“Well, there are only two options for a servant to wear: a butler’s outfit or a maid’s one. Out of those two, I thought the butler’s would be more entertaining.”

Her motivations were so openly selfish it was almost impressive.

Ashuna clearly looked amused as she looked Menou up and down. For her part, Menou had long since abandoned any semblance of a sensitive soul that would make her feel embarrassed by a mere change of attire, but she still didn’t enjoy being toyed with.

“No matter, just think of it as a disguise. Although, I suppose I could have lent you something from my personal wardrobe…”

“I’ll stick with the butler outfit, thank you very much.”

Ashuna’s garments wouldn’t suit anyone but Ashuna herself. Menou was confident that she did not want to don anything in the princess’s skimpy repertoire.

“Honestly. You really do get a lot of enjoyment out of life, don’t you, Your Highness?”

“I wouldn’t say that. Even this journey is just a way of staving off boredom.”

“Oh?” Menou raised an eyebrow.

There was more emotion in Ashuna’s voice than she had expected—or indeed than the princess herself likely intended to convey.

And so Menou found herself posing a question she hadn’t meant to.

“Why did you leave the Grisarika Kingdom, Your Highness?”

“I am sure you know. I did not want to get involved in the scuffle over the line of succession following my father’s death. That is the biggest reason.”

“You had other reasons, too, then?”

Ashuna looked up, peering into Menou’s face curiously.

“You’re surprisingly inquisitive. What’s gotten into you, hmm?”

“Revenge, I suppose. Since you forced me to wear these clothes, it seems my tongue is now more prone to slipping.”

“I see.” Ashuna chuckled at the barbed comment. “Well, to be frank, I hate my elder sister, you see.”

Her admission brought a hush over the room.

Only the rumbling of the train filled the silence.

Despite her claim, there was no hatred in Ashuna’s voice, nor anger, nor fear. If anything, the emotion seemed closest to sorrow. It was a “hate” filled with complex feelings, uncharacteristic of the normally straightforward princess.

“By your sister, you must mean…”

There was only one other girl in the Grisarika royal family besides Ashuna: the king’s eldest daughter.

She possessed far less presence when compared to the widely famous Ashuna. Few people even knew her name. Menou did, but nothing else. From her point of view as an Executioner, the elder princess had no records that made her worth noting, for good or for ill.

“She was always sickly—a frail person. So much so that a passing breeze might knock her to the ground. She spends most of her day in bed and can’t even walk without help. It’s been that way ever since her birth.”

What did that mean?

Ashuna’s description seemed like it should inspire sympathy, not disgust. The other princess sounded like the polar opposite of Ashuna, but that didn’t explain Ashuna’s hatred. While the ostentatious Noblesse valued strength above all else, she didn’t seem the type to despise the weak.

Perhaps it was the other way around, then?

“So did your elder sister detest you for being such a natural prodigy, then?”

“No, she adored me to a terrifying degree… Ah, I suppose that’s one way to put it. In all the world, she’s the only thing that scares me. I am terrified of her love.”

Was her feeble elder sister using her position to persecute Ashuna somehow? The princess did not answer, content to shrug.

“If I had stayed there any longer, she would likely have used her influence to put me on the throne. Even if I went back now, she might still. To be honest, I don’t want to return at all. But I will have to, one of these days.” Ashuna’s voice dripped with bitterness. “This journey is a way of killing time, but it is also an escape, a method of enjoying my final grace period. I still have no answer as to what I should actually do.”

“That’s surprising, given your penchant for snap decisions.”

“Yes, that is part of the problem.”

Although Ashuna appeared to live according to her whims, she still possessed a sense of responsibility. She was not liable to cast off her position.

“And if I may complain to you a little more, there’s the matter of my father being executed over the Otherworlder summoning. That was a serious inconvenience to me, you know. Putting him in the firing line advanced the question of his successor significantly.”

Akari had been brought to this world by the Otherworlder summoning incident in Grisarika Kingdom. If Menou recalled correctly, Ashuna had fled the royal castle immediately after.

“…Who
is
your sister, Your Highness?”

“Who can say? I thought you might know her, but it seems not.” Ashuna paused to flash a grin. “I would be pleased if you found the answer somewhere on your trip.”

“Is that right…?”

Feeling mocked again, Menou shook her head, and as the two continued to chat, the train rumbled on.

With Ashuna’s help, Menou was on track to catch up to the others much sooner than Momo was expecting.