"... Alright, if that's really what you want," I replied somewhat reluctantly, since I had no choice but to follow her request.
"So, why are you here, Hime-sama? Did you deliberately chase after me because I spoke rudely to His Majesty?" I asked.
Upon hearing my question, she looked slightly surprised. She hadn't expected me to figure out what was on her mind only moments after we had met.
"H-how did you know?" she said, her face beginning to sweat now that her true intentions had been exposed.
This girl... Is she pretending to be stupid? Anyone in my position would be able to guess why the royal family came after me even though I had already been cast out of the palace, right?
"Let's put that aside. Don't you feel disgusted by this alley? Your dress could get stained if you stay here for too long, you know."
As long as things remained like this, I didn't want to get involved with them again, seriously.
That wasn't because I hated them for throwing me away. On the contrary, I was actually grateful that they had summoned me into this world. For some things, that reason seemed quite versatile, I guess.
Even so, I still didn't want to have anything to do with them. I felt like a lot of misfortune was waiting for me there if I went back.
The Princess merely chuckled after hearing my opinion about her clothes. "No, no. Besides, we're at the end of the alley. Look down, the ground is quite clean, isn't it?" she said.
... Huh?
When I lowered my head, the sight before me was exactly as she had said. The ground where I was sitting was fairly clean.
There wasn't any trash scattered around except a few meters away. There was only dust clinging to the surface of the road, just like usual.
To hide the embarrassment growing inside me because of my misunderstanding, I intended to stand up while using the wall for support.
Before a loud sound came from my stomach.
The sound truly made the atmosphere between us even more awkward. I couldn't even bring myself to look at her face anymore after doing something so embarrassing in front of a girl.
"Yukito-san, here, eat this. I brought a whole bag full of bread. I'm sure you don't have any money to buy food, so take it."
When I turned around, Hime-sama held out a box about the size of my two palms. Inside were three small loaves of bread that still looked clean.
I immediately took the box from her hand.
"I can eat this, right? After I eat this, you're not going to force me back to the palace, are you?" I asked, feeling deeply suspicious about this food.
She waved one of her hands while giving me a small smile. "Relax, I don't intend to take you back by using that bread."
From the other end of the alley, I saw someone clad in armor from head to toe walking toward us.
Their head was covered by a helmet that was also made of iron, preventing me from seeing who they really were.
... Definitely a palace guard, huh... Well, that makes sense. There's no way a princess would wander around the city alone. But then, why is she by herself? Wouldn't there normally be an entire squad protecting the Princess?
"Alright then, enjoy your meal—" I picked up one of the loaves of bread and guided it toward my mouth.
But before the tip of the bread could even touch my lips, the guard struck the bread in my hand, sending it falling onto the ground.
Without apologizing for knocking away my food and hurting my hand with the blow, they quickly snatched the box away from me.
"Hey!" I shouted in despair.
I mean, come on! I was just about to enjoy my first meal in this world. Do all of you really have to be so cruel that you won't even let me take a single bite?!
"Charlotte! What do you think you're doing, you idiot?!"
Apparently, I wasn't the only one shouting. Hime-sama had also scolded the guard, leaving them speechless.
Without being told, the guard returned the box. But not to me—it was handed back to Hime-sama instead, as though they refused to allow me to receive anything from the Princess.
"Charlotte!" she called out the guard's name once again.
... Char—Charlotte? Isn't that a girl's name? And now that I look again, the two of them are about the same height. No way...
The moment the guard removed their helmet, all of my questions vanished in an instant.
Underneath it was a rather mature-looking young woman with long, bright blond hair.
Its color looked more elegant than Hime-sama's black hair, which was the same color as mine. The only difference between us was its length.
"But Hime-sama! Why do you have to be so kind to this man? Even His Majesty has already cast him out. Besides, he now holds the same status as an ordinary citizen."
"A Princess like you doesn't need to waste your sympathy on him!" Charlotte said, emphasizing that I shouldn't be speaking with Hime-sama.
"But, Charlotte, I feel that Yukito-san might be able to help me," Hime-sama argued.
"And what for? You have plenty of servants in the palace, and I'm here to advise you as well. So why? Have you finally decided to leave, just like your birth mother did?" Charlotte replied.
W-wait, is it really okay for me to be listening to a conversation that I probably shouldn't be hearing? I didn't feel like I belonged here at all.
Hime-sama clicked her tongue in irritation upon hearing that, clenching her fists until both of her hands trembled.
She remained silent for a few moments before finally turning away.
Suddenly, Hime-sama broke into a run, dropping the box onto the ground without caring about the people behind her. She ran out of the alley, leaving the two of us behind.
Charlotte and I were both shocked to see that, but she knew exactly what she had to do now.
Before chasing after the Princess, she briefly glared at me with lowered eyebrows before finally running off.
...
...
Honestly, I understood the royal family of this city less and less. Oh right, the bread.
I bent down to pick up the box. Thank goodness... The bread was still edible. Yosh, time to eat!
—
Hmm... It tastes like ordinary bread. But there's something different about it—maybe it's because of my surroundings?
(Yukito-sama, how does it taste?)
I wonder if there are still breads like this being sold in shops. I feel like I could find all kinds of different bread in this world.
(Of course! You can find them if you visit lots of different places!)
But... that means I have to get a job first, huh? With the stats displayed on my status screen, what kind of work should I take?
Click.
I opened my status screen simply by tapping the air in front of me. Wow, I didn't expect that I could summon it so casually.
Let's see...
Yeah... It's pretty much useless. Even though there really is some strange text that says "Creation" at the very bottom of the screen, that doesn't change anything.
(You could become an adventurer! That way, your stats can increase as you defeat all kinds of monsters!)
AHH! What is that voice, anyway? I've been hearing it this whole time as if it's entering my head on its own, even though there's nobody nearby.
Did I somehow unlock a special skill called "hallucination" the moment my mental state became unstable?
(Yukito-san, do you hate me? That's awful, you know~ Why are you being so mean to a girl like me?)
There, THERE! Seriously, where is it coming from? Hey, don't mess with me like that!
This is bad, this is bad... My head is starting to hurt more and more every time I hear that voice—
(First, please take a look at the button in the upper-right corner of your screen.)
... Huh, this one? It looks like a microphone... Wait a minute. Somehow, I have a feeling I know where this is going—
Click.
The moment I touched the button, I heard an incredibly gentle sigh in both of my ears.
But I still couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. It felt as though a ghost had climbed onto my shoulders and was trying to prank me.
"Yukito-sama, well? My voice sounds much nicer now, doesn't it?"
...
——
Five minutes later...
"Alright, Yuu-chan, what exactly are you?" I asked while following the directions she was giving me.
Yuu-chan. That was the name she wanted me to use whenever I talked to her. Before my brain completely melted from confusion, I had no choice but to call her that.
"Basically, just think of me as your assistant in this world. There's no need to be scared. If you still don't understand... just think of your status screen as me!"
"Huh?" I replied shortly.
I'm sure that anyone who saw me right now would think I was weird—or even scary—for talking to myself. Sorry, everyone, but I can't avoid this conversation.
"I'll guide you through this world. Let Yuu-chan take you to the Adventurers' Guild. Once you're there, you can accept quests and start earning money!"
An Adventurers' Guild, huh? It definitely sounds like something straight out of a fantasy story. Well, there's no harm in checking it out. If things go well, maybe I can start making money on my very first day.
"Well, I think that's pretty unlikely."
... Wow, I'm genuinely surprised that my status screen can read my thoughts. Wow...
I must have already gotten used to it to the point where I couldn't even react anymore.
"Oh, look! That large building in front of you is the guild! I'll give you instructions once we're inside, okay?" she said again.
—
A massive two-story building constructed from enormous wooden beams stood firmly before me. Its walls looked incredibly sturdy—to the point that I briefly wondered whether I could break them with my bare hands.
A crowd had already gathered inside the guild, packed tightly together around the same spot. People here really do love adventuring, huh?
They seemed so enthusiastic just to complete missions. Maybe I should act the same way if I want to fit into this world.
I stepped inside with somewhat hesitant footsteps.
The noise coming from the crowd was overwhelming. It sounded as though everyone was fighting over some important quest posted on the bulletin board.
I headed toward the place that had caught my attention the moment I entered—a long registration counter.
Several employees were waiting at their respective stations, and naturally, most of them were women.
"Excuse me, can I register at this guild?" I asked.
I decided to speak with the female employee who appeared to be the most senior among them.
She had dark brown hair and a rather mature face. She was probably older than me.
"Of course~ In that case, please fill out this form. After that, you'll be able to start as a Rank G adventurer, the lowest rank here, okay?"
"As for quests, you can accept any mission marked with a G on the request sheet. Your rank can increase as you continue completing missions, and the guild will handle the promotion process for you."
"If you don't take on any quests for a month after becoming an adventurer, your guild card may be revoked."
Revoked?
"If you wish to register again afterward, you'll have to pay twenty gold coins as compensation."
I still didn't know the currency used in this world, but just hearing the word "gold" was enough to make me nervous about the amount.
I filled out everything that needed to be written on the form, such as my name, my age, and the rest.
Maybe I should register using my full name. Yeah, probably.
The language used in this world wasn't all that different from the one in my previous world. Everything felt so similar that I could hardly tell the difference.
After filling in all the required information, I slid the form back toward her.
She smiled as she looked over what I had written. "Alright then, Sahiko-san, please carry this identification card with you, okay?" she said as she handed me a bronze plate.
The bronze plate was fairly flat and rectangular in shape, with some kind of symbol engraved in the middle.
This must be proof that I'm Rank G, right? Looking at it closely, it actually looks pretty cool. The identification cards for the higher ranks are probably even cooler than this.
I glanced toward the crowd again for a few moments. Once again, my curiosity got the better of me.
"By the way, are they all fighting over quests? They seem really excited," I said.
"Ah, they're watching what's happening at the palace right now. They all gathered there just two minutes ago."
The moment I heard the word "palace," my thoughts immediately returned to Hime-sama and that guard named Charlotte.
... Just hearing about it made me feel uneasy.
"What's going on?" I asked again.
"Hime-sama is arguing with His Majesty about something. If I'm not mistaken, she's asking for one of the two heroes who were summoned here to be brought back."
"Apparently, Hime-sama wants that person to be allowed back into the palace. Do you know anything about that?"
"Huh? Where did he go?"
—
The moment I heard her explanation, I quickly ran out of the guild.
Leaning against the outer wall of the guild building, I tried to steady my breathing after fleeing in a panic.
No matter how you look at it... Isn't that me?
Hime-sama, the palace, His Majesty, and above all, the two heroes... All of that has something to do with me, doesn't it?
"Yukito-sama, that really is you," Yuu-chan said, confirming my suspicion.
Ehh... So Hime-sama ran off just to return to the palace and talk to His Majesty about me?
Jeez... What am I supposed to do now?
There's no way I can simply sit back after what Hime-sama has done. I have a feeling that I won't be able to live peacefully if this situation keeps dragging on.
... Maybe I should just run away?