My sister said, "Ank doesn't like to talk much," before pointing at the princess.
"I understand," I said as I lowered her hand.
The princess said to my sister, "Would you sit next to the driver?" My sister agreed, and after she sat down, the princess spoke to me.
"They won't be able to hear us. There's a soundproof barrier between the front and back seats."
I was surprised, but I asked her, "What is it that Your Highness wants to say?"
She turned her eyes away from the car window and looked at me. I hadn't noticed her facial features before. Jet black, non-shiny hair. Sleepy eyes as blue as the sky and skin as white as the beauty of snow.
Even though I wasn't close to her, I could feel the coldness of her face from where I sat. A jaw with a smooth curve and thin hands. She spoke in a calm voice,
"I want you to be my companion."
A question that no one in my social position could possibly expect. The princess's companion? Princess Ankvorena? That is something even her royal relatives would not dream of. But I had to keep calm in front of someone like her and not show my nervousness.
I answered her in the same calm tone,
"It is an honor for me to be the companion of the princess and future queen of the Kingdom of Luxaria, but may I know the reason from Your Highness?"
I tried to be polite. I swear I tried to be polite…
"You are different. Anyone in your place wouldn't care about a family member and would try to impress me. Even those I know from the royal family are like that. But you didn't care. I want to experience the feeling of companionship."
Her answer made one thing repeat in my mind. Sharp observation… fate keeps bringing me together with smart people now.
A hesitant smile appeared on my face.
"I need some time to think about this, if possible."
"Of course."
---
My nervousness increased with every moment. Even though I knew she was fine, the anxiety just kept growing.
Maybe I was afraid of what she would say to me after all this time.
As soon as we arrived, I felt the heaviness of my bones. Every step I heard and every heartbeat. I opened her room door and saw her just waking up in her bed, and on her was a blanket I knew very well, my deceased father's blanket.
My eyes saw that I was approaching, but I didn't feel my feet move. My body started to guide itself. I felt in every step that I was getting closer to bliss. Bliss I was afraid I would never see again.
I fell to my knees in front of her and held her hand with my trembling hands, kissed her hand, and placed it on my head. And my tears began to fall.
"I will never leave you again. Ever."
My voice was broken.
"Welcome back, Ethan."
After everyone calmed down, I explained everything to my mother, and when I mentioned going to the Despionrs test, I clearly saw her facial expression change. It was clear she didn't want me to go there.
Becoming an adventurer is not something anyone would wish for at the moment, but still, she said nothing.
She explained to me in return that after the outbreak of the war, they barely survived and were taken to the palace by the princess.
I wonder why the princess would do such a thing for people she didn't know.
Maybe she saw something in them at that moment, just like she saw something in me.
After this meeting, Princess Ankvorena asked to speak with me in private.
My sister stayed in the room with my mother while the princess took me to her garden.
A quiet and beautiful garden, with nothing eye-catching for a princess.
She said while we walked,
"I will also go to the Despionrs test, and I will be an adventurer."
Blunt. Too blunt.
"Huh?" came out of my mouth unintentionally.
"I–I mean, why would Your Highness become an adventurer? You suit being a knight." I said, stammering a little.
She stopped walking and said,
"Adventurers are weaker than knights because their abilities naturally do not reach the level of knights. That's why I can only be an adventurer."
The princess's Despaye is weak?.. That sounds like novel content.
"I–I understand…."
No, I don't understand… Royal blood has a huge amount of Despaye, so why is the princess different??!
She turned and looked at me,
"That's why I wanted you to be my companion. So my mother would agree."
"But why me? I'm not strong or special. You're the princess, so your protector should be someone truly capable of protecting you." I asked. And yet, my questions kept increasing, not decreasing.
"Companion, not protector.
I can feel that your control over Despaye is better than mine.
And stop talking so formally, your sister already calls me Ank anyway."
Her words were enough to answer all the questions.
"As you comman—… I understand, Ankvorena. I can't promise anything right now since we still have to get Her Majesty the Queen's opinion. But I truly thank you for the offe—"
Before I could finish, she interrupted me,
"This is not an offer. This is a request."
I wasn't surprised.
A chuckle escaped me and left a smile behind.
"Thank you."
We heard the sound of cars coming from the palace gate.
Ank turned and began walking toward the sound, saying,
"It's my mother."
---
"Do you swear on your life?" said the Queen to me as I kneeled on one knee, looking at the ground.
In the Kingdom of Luxaria, looking directly into the eyes is a greater sign of truthfulness and a promise one will never break.
I raised my head and looked at the Queen directly.
"I swear by my mother and sister that I will protect Princess Ankvorena with my life."
The Queen smiled for the first time in front of me.
We left her presence, Ank and I, after a whole hour of talking and Ank's attempts to convince her.
I will finally be Ank's companion and I will protect her.
I have decided to go to the Despionrs test.
---
Two days later, Ank and I were getting ready to go. Ank said, "Didn't you say goodbye to your mother and sister yesterday?"
I was lost in thought, but I quickly replied, "No."
"It's better if you leave a message or something."
Before we got into the car, I took one last look at the palace. "I promised them I'd never leave them. I will come back."
I had simple training, from which I learned the basics of close combat, but of course, the basics are not enough. That's why I have to do what I always do.
When we arrived, the princess was welcomed with amazed looks and crowded numbers. But when I got out of the car, most of the looks turned to me. Not out of admiration, of course, but of questioning. "What is this boy doing next to the princess? It's impossible for him to be her guard!" That's what I was hearing.
But soon everything stopped thanks to the test supervisor, Raven. "The test is about to begin." His voice was firm as if ordering, not asking, but at the same time comforting.
This test will determine our rank as adventurers. It turns out that the rank measurement in the association is something people like me dream of—it's for people of influence and power. Meaning they are the ones who will be knights. I really wonder what kind of test it is.
We stood on a large platform with the rest of the examinees, who numbered around 27. I heard a familiar voice from behind me. I turned to see Arthur finally, carrying a calm smile and waving his hand.
I raised my hand to him, but my body suddenly flew in the air!... No... Everyone flew in the air!
Is everything related to the despaye about flying??!
"Ank!" I shouted her name, looking for her. She was holding onto Arthur.
I must hope these shoes don't betray me. I requested them from the queen, so they should be good enough!
"I love Hamon!" The shoe sensed these words said in my voice, and then an invisible energy burst from it, pushing me forward so I could catch Ank!
Is this what you get if you're more than a medium-grade martyr? This is amazing! But no time to be amazed, our flight speed is increasing, and the air pressure is rising, and breathing is getting harder. I must read between the lines.
While everyone was trying to find a way out of this situation, I spotted an X mark in the air with light transparency. "An X mark. If you see an X mark, hit it like you hit cockroaches!"
Without saying a word, Arthur grabbed his pistols and shot three targets with high accuracy and skill! How can your aim be that good while in the air?!
Ank pulled her small magic wand out of her bag and surprisingly used the ice element to shoot small shards. The already cold air became much colder. But this coldness was unstable. Ank's despaye was unstable. Her hand was trembling. I held her hand and helped her aim her wand. She shook for a moment, but then regained her composure and hit three marks.
I almost forgot that I also have to hit three marks!
I drew my small sword and launched fire and indeed succeeded in hitting two marks! I was about to hit the third, but suddenly our flight stopped, and we began to fall with a speed that nearly tore my organs apart! I felt the wind stabbing my eyes, but I couldn't close them in case of anything.
The ground became extremely close. Do they want us to die??!!
I held Arthur's hand saying, "Some rocks, please!"
Arthur didn't understand what I wanted to do, but he trusted me.
I also grabbed Ank's hand holding the wand, and before we reached twelve meters from the ground, I directed Arthur's hand to form a cube without a roof, then Ank released her ice inside it, and finally, I used my fire at full power to melt the ice completely so it becomes water we fall into safely... almost.
I mean, it's better than dying after all.
We got out of the water, and I looked around me.
There's a trampoline to stop everyone's fall?.... What about everything I did??!
I looked behind me, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised.
On top of a towering mountain, higher than the than what our eyes could see, we looked at the white clouds, and I felt like touching them.
I felt the falling air on my skin with its strange calmness at such height. My hair moved with the wind, but for the first time, I wasn't annoyed by the wind ruining my hair.
I saw Arthur's wide smile and Ank's shiny eyes, and I couldn't help but smile. And with our smile appeared something I only heard about in books: a wyvern came out from between the clouds and twisted, showing off its flexible body and the red hair on its maroon scales.
Before we could indulge in the amazement, the wyvern screamed at everyone present... in human language??!!
"What are these smiles?! Don't you know to respect the Wyvern Sage, the Great Flame, Raymin, you scoundrels!"
The calm air became fast, drying the eyes because of his loud voice! What's wrong with this beautiful bastard!!
I rubbed my eyes and looked at him to find him flying towards us! He picked us directly onto his back and flew higher and higher into the sky.
If he keeps flying higher, we'll suffocate from the low oxygen!
I noticed Arthur pointing his pistol at me and suddenly fired at me! But nothing happened. I removed my hands from my face and slowly opened my eyes. The vision was unclear.
Then I realized what he did. He shot bubbles at me and Ank from his pistol to contain enough oxygen for us. The bubbles were stuck to the wyvern's body. He made a bubble around himself too, and then the wyvern stopped. I looked around and realized that our number had decreased by half.
Out of 30 people, only 15 remained. Is this test that hard for many? I still can't believe this. Only half the number managed to find a way to breathe, while the rest fell unconscious... There's no way they died.
My thoughts were cut off by the wyvern's sudden flight, but this time there were other wyverns around us too, and Raymin's flight became... comfortable. Or that's what I thought... He threw us in the air, and a white wyvern opened its mouth as wide as it could and released winds that pushed us directly toward a trampoline that stopped our momentum!
We returned to the same mountain again.
After the first bounce from the trampoline, we were still in the air. And in these short moments and in the blink of an eye, the trampoline disappeared and turned into a giant hole in the mountain with no visible end. We fell into its long darkness until finally, our fall was stopped by cold water that made even my organs tremble.
I quickly got out of it and found that only 10 people remained.
Was all of that just a filter for the real test?...