Vol. 1 Chapter 1.1 - Prologue The Princess and the Three Knights

The Kingdom of Reizennia, a land of knights and mages that once dominated the continent.

After visiting the king, who had been ill for a long time, the third princess was on her way back to Aylrose, the key fortress she commanded, together with her fellow knights.

“Your Highness, won’t you stop by the Academy of Magic?　It would have been better to meet the mage in question beforehand and see if he is trustworthy……”

A female knight with greenish brunette hair asked the princess, who was pacing her horse alongside.

“Knight Commander Raquel, Her Highness has her mind made up. We will only abide by her decision.”

“….. I don’t like mages. The enemy mages have killed a lot of our people, and I don’t think we’ll be able to honour their death if we relied on magic.”

The red-haired knight with a bow and the blue-haired knight with a spearhead, who were following behind the princess and the knight known as Raquel, each had their own opinion.

The princess stroked her golden threads of hair, thought for a moment and then looked where they were going.

A gentle slope. The military road through the pasture was long and peaceful, but if the neighbouring kingdom attacked, this place could be involved in the war.

A child playing with a sheepdog. Parents warmly watching over them.

The princess casted down her eyes. The knight called Raquel only thought that her profile was beautiful as she caressed the neck of the horse as it walked by, her deep, melancholy gaze capturing her attention.

Even though she had served her for a long time, she had never once felt that she understood the princess’s true intentions.

However, when Raquel saw the princess, who should have been in a position to be protected, take up the sword and go to the front line of battle with her, willing to bathe in the blood of the enemy, she felt that this was proof of a unique resolve and wanted to fight to protect her people under the princess’s ideals.

The three knights here were all loyal to the princess, though in different forms.

After pacing her horse for a long time without saying anything, the princess eventually looked up.

“It is not very desirable, as Her Highness Cassandra’s …..mother-in-law says, to have a mage of our own choosing in our Order. However, if a mage appears who has Raquel, Presha and I approve of……then I would rather turn in that direction since it is in the best interests of my people than remain fastidious about mages.”

The third princess had shown herself to be the most talented of all those who had the right to the throne. That was why she was not allowed to live in peace but to be thrown into war.

If it was her words, the knights had no intention to deny them. However, Raquel still had something she could not compromise and her expression hardened lightly.

“….Now it is you and the soldiers of that fortress. They will be the shield that protects our people from the Zirconian Empire. Let us do everything in our power to achieve this.”

“「「「Haaa!!」」」”

The Aylrose Fortress, a key border defence point, began to appear ahead of the four horsemen’s destination.

That was before Astina Reizennia and one of the spirit doctors met.