༺ I am a Princess! ༻
“Looks like Brigitte and Naru returned already.”
Was Naru not feeling well?
We decided to go back home after our meal had ended.
“I sense a very strong aura nearby. A complex karma, neither good nor evil.”
Enkidus turned his gaze towards the surroundings.
The baldy was as impressive as always.
“Please stop right there.”
Enkidus shouted towards our surroundings.
Thud—!
Something suddenly appeared in the air and lightly landed on the ground.
“You are…”
“You must be Enkidus of the Sect of the Ascending Sunlight. I am Cariote, a hunter, I mainly hunt demons.”
“Cariote. I’ve heard of a lone Demon Hunter in foreign lands. They said it was a female hunter who had single-handedly defeated Queen Elizabeth of the Dark Elves. That should be you, right?”
Enkidus couldn’t hide his admiration when he gazed at Cariote.
He then whispered to me.
“She looks a bit like Naru. Could she be Naru’s mother?”
“I don’t know. It’s a possibility for now.”
“I see. That being said, This little monk is Enkidus of the Sect of the Ascending Sunlight.”
Enkidus and Cariote exchanged ceremonious greetings, almost like exchanging business cards.
They say strong individuals tend to recognize each other, and it felt just like that.
“Judas, we’ve gathered some important information from the investigation about Al Sahad. There seems to be a group that approached him while he was imprisoned and taught him the art of necromancy.”
“A group?”
“Yes, they seem to be some kind of an organization. Not much is known about them. Probably a small elite group, but their danger level is beyond measure. Al Sahad seems to have been at the bottom of their hierarchy.”
At the bottom, you say.
Although Al Sahad might have been mediocre, he had at the very least, reached the Platinum level.
In other words, he had achieved the equivalent of reaching Platinum rank at level 40.
I had expected him to be a leader, or at least someone higher up the chain.
But he was just a bottom-feeder.
Cariote added further.
“We have information that various villains are gathering in the City-State of Freesia. It’s not confirmed information, but we’ve learned that ‘The Phantom Edge Mara’ is affiliated with this group.”
Mara…
Enkidus was greatly surprised by that name.
“To think you could gather such hidden information in just one day. Hunter Cariote, I commend your information-gathering abilities. This little monk has been searching for information about his whereabouts as well.”
It was a strange connection.
Things were fitting together oddly.
Come to think of it.
Naru had said that a tremendous and frightening incident would occur six years from now, putting the world in danger.
That’s why she had come to me from a distant future.
The series of events unfolding in the City-State of Freesia right now.
No one could say they had no connection to it.
As I was seriously contemplating this, Cariote added.
“The scope of investigation I could carry out in a single day was limited. They are skilled at hiding information. It might even be related to demons somehow. It seems like this investigation won’t be easy.”
Right, the opponent should also be at least at the Platinum rank.
As veterans, they would probably be skilled at concealing information.
Officially, there were approximately ten or so individuals at the Platinum rank.
But when you added in individuals like Al Sahad, who had gained power through illegal or forbidden means, the number significantly increased.
Villains…
There were so many villains in this world that law-abiding citizens like me could only tremble in fear.
While I was having such thoughts, Cariote spoke.
“Evil-doers gathering in one place. It reminds me of what happened two years ago, when they all gathered, aiming for the Scum Throne. All the individuals present at the time were monstrous.”
“This little monk has heard of that story as well. It was the day when the 12th Judas fell, and the new owner of the Scum Throne was decided. He doesn’t like to talk about it himself, but that’s what had happened.”
Everyone’s attention turned to me.
They must be curious about what had happened then.
“It’s not a very interesting story.”
I waved it off, picturing the faces of all sorts of villains in my mind.
Creepy.
Soon, Cariote sighed.
“Demons and such evil-doers gathering near this city… I don’t know what’s going on right now. Judas, as the King of Thieves, what are your thoughts?”
“What’s happening right now?”
The thoughts of the villains were quite predictable.
By now, they were probably sitting in the darkness, scheming about something pointless.
* * *
Darkness.
It was a space where complete darkness prevailed.
Even one’s own hand couldn’t be seen in the pitch-black darkness.
Cold, dagger-like shadows slowly revealed themselves one by one.
“Alubaba’s Al Sahad has fallen. It seems that the Black Mage Brigitte and the Demon Hunter Cariote have taken action. Considering he had faced those two, the outcome was expected.”
The black shadow spoke.
At that moment, the other black shadows trembled slightly.
“What an unlucky guy. Well, that was expected from a mere adept like him. The outcome might have been different if I faced them myself don’t you think? Hehehe…”
“Even though this lady thought him black magic, he still fell short against two veterans. I guess black magic is truly incompatible with thieves? ‘Back Alley Princess,’ what do you think, as a fellow thief?”
Swoosh—
The shadow known as the ‘Back Alley Princess’ shivered slightly.
She then snorted.
“Ah, what was that bastard’s name again? I’ve already forgotten. I’m only interested in Judas. The day he stole that name and all that belonged to me…”
The Back Alley Princess clenched her fists.
Judas.
Just thinking about that name still sent shivers down her spine.
Sss—
Suddenly, the Back Alley Princess felt a chill on her nape.
The intuition of a thief alerted her to danger.
“Ju-das. He possesses the ‘Vessel’ we long for. To achieve my ascension, I require the vessel that he possesses.”
The voice was chilling.
It was that of a newcomer who had joined not too long ago.
Although he was considered a newcomer, he wasn’t as inexperienced as Al Sahad.
‘A formidable presence. He said he was an apostate monk from the Sect of the Ascending Sunlight, right? I heard that monks of the Ascending Sunlight can pierce steel plates with their bare hands.’
They might be considered monks, but they were strong men.
Even the Back Alley Princess would be unsure of her odds of victory if she ever faced one of them in a formal duel.
The odds would be 3:7.
‘Of course, why would a thief engage in a formal duel? I’ll eventually win in a real fight.’
Such thoughts were on her mind.
Swoosh—
Someone extended a black scroll.
It contained a picture of a young Barbaroi child.
“I heard Judas has a daughter. This is that girl.”
“What!?”
“Back Alley Princess, why are you so surprised?”
“There’s no way Judas has a daughter! He’s a ruthless man, ignorant of the slightest human compassion! His name is Judas, after all! A daughter? It’s probably someone he has kidnapped!”
A natural reaction.
She was sure of it, being the one who knew Judas better than anyone else. At that moment, someone asked.
“Princess, aren’t you also Judas’ daughter?”
“Shh, her father is the 12th generation Judas. The current Judas is the 13th.”
“Oh, really? My mistake.”
“Well… Judas’ daughter. It’s probably some kind of trick. That guy is always up to something. We should be cautious.”
“That Judas stole all the toilet paper from my house last time. And when I went to the bathroom I had no choice but to use my most cherished socks instead…”
The shadows began to chatter.
A meaningless string of stories with no real substance.
‘I never expected anything from these scumbags anyway. I never even considered them as comrades.’
Thinking of them as foolish idiots, the Back Alley Princess stood up.
In this world, the only one she could trust was herself.
She had learned that from her father.
‘Shall we meet? So-called daughter of the Thief King. As the Princess of the Back Alley, I’m the one who knows best what it means to live as the daughter of the Thief King. Yes, I’m just going to confirm her existence.’
* * *
Late Sunday afternoon.
The sun had already set, and it was bedtime for good children.
But Naru couldn’t sleep and wandered around the laboratory.
“School!”
The reason was simple.
Tomorrow was the first day of school.
6-year-old Naru would be entering the first grade.
Naru seemed to be very excited about going to school and didn’t seem like she was calming down any sooner.
“Naru will make lots of friends!”
Full of enthusiasm, that’s good.
Did I feel the same way when I was in the first grade?
“But I don’t want to go to school because I don’t want to be separated from Dad!”
Well, that’s a bit of a problem.
It seemed that Naru, who hadn’t even started school yet, was already thinking of skipping classes.
As expected of my daughter.
As time went by, it became more and more apparent that Naru was “my daughter.”
Anyway.
To ensure Naru’s healthy and wholesome school life, I decided to offer some advice.
“Naru, if a stranger talks to you, don’t follow them. And if you think it’s dangerous, use the butterfly knife I gave you to scare them off. Got it? Also, write your name on the knife so you don’t lose it.”
“Yes, yes! Naru will write her name on the butterfly knife so she won’t lose it!”
Swoosh—
Naru scribbled crooked letters on the handle of the butterfly knife.
“Back Alley Princess – Naru Barjudas.”
“…”
Familiar yet troublesome words were written on the handle.
I had no choice but to ask Naru about them.
“Naru, ‘Back Alley Princess.’ Do you know what that means?”
“Judas! The king of the back alleys and scum! Judas’ daughter! Back Alley Princess! Naru is a princess! Oh, holy shh, is Naru really a princess? I suddenly remembered…”
“…”
I already knew that young girls liked playing princesses.
I had experience working at a kids’ cafe.
They thought they were real princesses.
It was the work of doting fathers who raised their daughters with all their hearts.
But.
I didn’t expect Naru to be the same!
Of course, my evaluation of Naru’s princess power was a D.
Yes, precisely a D, nothing more, nothing less.
I was unlike those foolish dads, very level-headed.
My daughter is a genius.
“Magic Princess Naru of the Back Alley! I wish I had magic that made strawberries grow faster!”
She says, but I’m sure kidnappers would feel too embarrassed to send a ransom for her.
They would have to worry more about the money they’d lose sheltering and feeding her.
But technically speaking, Naru was a princess.
The Back Alley Princess.
It was not a nickname I particularly liked.
I would never come up with it of my own volition.
“Naru, where did you learn such words?”
I asked.
Naru seemed to ponder for a while and then said.
“…Mom…? Naru doesn’t remember well!”
Here we go again, a clue about her mother?
Why did Naru’s mother teach her such words?
While I was contemplating this, Brigitte, who had been listening to the conversation, slipped a textbook into Naru’s school bag and casually said.
“Come to think of it, there used to be a thief called the ‘Back Alley Princess,’ right? She has been relatively quiet lately, but she was very active two years ago. I’m pretty sure her name was Tama-Umb.”
“Sshhh…”
“Wha-what!?”
I hastily covered Brigitte’s mouth.
Then scanned the surroundings with tense eyes.
Phew—
Brigitte finally exhaled.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you suddenly covering my mouth? I thought I was being kidnapped…! Even though we’re close, my heart will still skip a beat if you do these kinds of things. Be careful in front of other people.”
“Brigitte, you’re the one who should be careful. Don’t casually mention her name. She has unusually good ears. Whenever someone talks about her, she shows up without fail…”
I looked around.
Fortunately, there were no traces of the thief.
Thump— Rattle—
But for some reason, the window was open and noisily moving.
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