Bonus Chapter: When the Hero First Arrived in This World

Every day was the same. Be awoken by Silva closer to noon than not. Eat a late breakfast before beginning my etiquette study with Mistress Matilda until mid-afternoon. Practice fencing with Master Marzell for an hour and eat a late lunch. Finish the day with independent study and stay out of the way of others. The only highlight was sneaking off under the cover of darkness to continue sword practice with Silva. I had no idea how she managed to awaken earlier than me every day, but she always seemed energetic when we dueled.

It was such a monotonous routine that I would do my best to change it, mainly during the three hours of independent study where I was expected to sit at a desk and read historical texts. It often felt like busy work as I was not allowed to read whatever I wanted—which contradicted the independent part of independent study. But I had learned not to ask questions if I did not want to get a proper—and entirely unjustifiable—scolding. But I still found a way to rebel against such unprincely treatment.

As such, I found myself wandering about Isen, though it was in my usual aimless fashion. The paved streets were not particularly busy. They never were at this hour. Most ignored me, which was a shame. One would have thought that a prince walking amongst his people would have stirred some fanfare. Alas, it was not to be.

Because of this, I had long ago foregone any attempt at a disguise. My father had been right: No one in Cross cared about a third prince. Neither to celebrate him or even detest him. Not that I desired the latter. If anything, I deserved to be honored for being amongst the common folk. It’s more than any noble of Cross had ever done; they were more beloved than me. The constant reminders of my family's popularity only deepened my resentment and desire for my own identity.

Every single building I passed bore some tribute to my father. Whether it was his name included in business—such as the “King Luther Inn,” the “King Luther Apothecary,” and the “King Luther Masonry”—or his version of the Wolfskreuz insignia in which the red wolf’s head was graying with noticeably longer fur. The emblem was even plastered on a few cobblestones, thanks to the masonry, no doubt, the sellouts. I also spied my brothers’ names on a few signs here and there. It was as if they worshiped them more than Iliana herself!

I chose to ignore all of this—though I did tread a few deliberate steps on my father’s insignia when I saw it— as I wandered to my favorite spot in the whole capital city: The Kreuzplatz, a series of interconnected bridges that encircled the point when the twin Kreuzen Rivers—for which the kingdom was named—intersected perpendicularly. It did not matter how often I visited this place; it was always a sight to behold! I leaned against the stone wall and watched as the two currents danced their harmonious dance, creating small whirlpools as they flowed into their respective channels.

My subjects on the opposite side of the circle passed by without so much as a glance. I supposed they were used to such an exquisite sight. Perhaps miracles could become mundane if one was around them often enough. At least they were not shut away in the palace all day like a shameful secret.

“You’ll fall in if you’re not careful. Or was studying so boring that you’re thinking about jumping in?”

Silva appeared on my periphery, leaning her back against the wall and propping her elbows across the top. “Either way, I’m not going in after you.” She was in her maid-servant uniform, bonnet and all.

Her appearance was entirely expected. No matter how stealthy I thought I was when sneaking out of the palace, Silva was never far behind. I chuckled at her snark, “You mean you’d watch your prince die such an undignified death? And here I was, thinking you took your duty as my retainer seriously.”

“Oh, I do,” she said with a smirk, “But anyone who falls in the center of Kreutzen ends up getting swallowed whole by the currents. There’s nothing I can do except get swallowed, too. And what would be the point of that? Reynard can’t stab a river.” She patted her hip, where her sword was concealed beneath her smock's wide, black skirt.

“So, you’ve tried, then? Why does that not surprise me?” I resumed my melancholic survey of the twin rivers.

“You never know if a leviathan is lurking right under the surface,” she said flatly. “What if one sneaks up on you and snatches you?”

I gave her a sideways look, “Is that likely?”

She flashed me a pointed grin, “As likely as anything else happening in this place.”

“Which is to say, impossible.” I sighed at that. I did not wish for anything bad to happen to the world—Rhine had enough problems trying to end the Demon King's reign of terror—but I desired some way to prove myself as a prince. I wanted my people to look to me for inspiration. Or even to recognize me as I passed them by. That wasn’t too much to ask!

We were silent a moment before I again spoke, “Do you ever wish you could be more than you are?”

Silva sniffed, “You know me, I’m thrilled where I am. Being the daughter of a maid is all I aspire to be.”

I, again, glanced at her. “It wouldn’t kill you to give a straight answer once in a while, you know.”

Silva shrugged, “If you knew the answer, why’d you ask?”

“It’s just that I was thinking…”

“Uh-oh.”

My expression became reproachful, “Oh, stop, I’m being serious here. I was thinking that, sometime in the future, we could take a proper tour of Cross, you and me.”

Her smile grew beyond her usual slyness into excitement, but she quickly suppressed it. “I doubt that your father would let us.”

I could not help but smirk, “Since when have we ever cared what my father thinks? What’s he going to do if I leave? Come after me?” I rested my chin on my hand. “Sometimes I wonder if he’d preferred if I’d disappeared.”

The way he always kept me locked away like a shameful secret made me feel as if I was less than a prince.

Silva flipped around so that she was leaning alongside me, “Only one way to find out.” Her green eyes hungered, alight with anticipation. “I can be ready tonight.”

I started, “T-tonight?”

“Why not?” Silva said, “You said it yourself; who cares if we leave?”

I cast my eyes about, looking for an answer. “Well, there’s your mother, for one.”

Silva waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, she’ll be fine. She’s heard me complain about maid work so much that she suspects I’ll run away at some point.”

“She’s not wrong,” said I, “Isn’t that what you’re planning right now?”

“Eh,” she said with a shrug, “If you’re with me, it technically counts as official business.” Her smile faded as she glanced at my expression. Some of my shock must have been quite evident. I could not believe what I was hearing.

Her smile returned, “Oh, I’m just joking, Anno. We’re not going anywhere.”

“R-right,” I said. I almost sighed with relief. “Of course, you were joking.”

Though her smile was wide, it did not reach Silva's eyes. “After all, you have everything you could ever want, right? It’s not like there’s anything worthwhile outside this place.”

Her tone made me feel she was angry with me. But her smile was firmly in place. It was difficult to tell what she was thinking. I tried my best anyway. “There may be a few; it’s difficult to know unless we try. But there’s no need to rush into things. Once we make the proper preparations, perhaps we could venture out together at some point in the–”

“When?” The look on Silva’s face made a lump grow in my throat, blocking my words. She waited while I swallowed, attempting to find a better answer than an I don’t know. Because the truth was, I didn’t know.

In all honesty, I had no desire to leave Isen, no matter my complaints.

After a few moments of silence, Silva stood. “Like I said, I wasn’t being serious. But as a prince, you have to mean what you say or lose a lot of respect with your subjects.” She turned her back on me and began to walk away, but not before saying, “C’mon, let’s head back to the palace before you’re missed.”

I felt I should say something else but could not find the right words. All I ended up saying was, “Very well.”

Silva was right, as usual. I was not being as princely as I could be with my wishy-washy thoughts. A prince must be sure enough to make decisions and be relied upon. At the moment, I did not feel as if I could.

I was about to follow after Silva when I stopped. A chill ran through me, and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise. Silva, too, stopped, eyes darting back to me. They were alert as her hand rested on her apron; over her sword.

Something in the air had changed. I could not explain it, but if Silva noticed it, it was not my imagination. Her stance widened as her fingers dug into the hem of her apron. The handle of Reynard appeared.

“Get behind me, Anno.”

I wished I were armed, but I had chosen to leave Silbermond in my study. I obeyed without a word and searched my surroundings.

We were the only ones on this side of the bridge. And then we weren’t. Something grabbed my tunic, making me squeal like a child and jump back. Not my most dignified moment, but who could blame me for my surprise as my eyes fell upon a young man kneeling on the ground?

He was quite odd in appearance, wearing a dark tunic-like shirt with a hood that covered much of his face, which was nearly obscured due to limp black bangs.

Silva did not seem deterred by this stranger as she pointed Reynard at the stranger’s half-hidden face. “Identify yourself!”

He squeaked and fell back onto his rear, hands held in the air. One of his eyes became visible, which darted between Silva, me, and the tip of Reynard’s blade.

“D-don’t hurt me! I don't know where I am! On my way home from a sale–I was buying a rare figurine, a one-of-a-kind Cure Blue with interchangeable outfits. I didn’t want to go, but it was an in-person-only ev– GAH! Where is it?!” The stranger was frantic as he looked around him. He flipped around so he was crawling on his knees, searching. “That stupid goddess! I told her to let me take it! That cost me three months’ worth of salary!” he muttered in disgust.” And now it’s gone!”

His searching stopped as he buried his face into the ground, clutching the back of his head in his misplaced anguish.

I could do nothing but blink at him. Half the words in his rambling were nonsense. And was…was he crying? Such a pathetic display over, what, a statue?

“Enough of that,” I said, trying to curb a rise in disgust that rose at the boy. “Forget the stupid statue. You still have yet to tell us who you–”

The boy’s head shot up before turning to glare at me through his bangs. “‘Forget the statue?’ How dare you, sir! I spent two hours in line, dealing with normies for a chance to claim that figure. There were only one hundred made and I was blessed by the anime gods to get my hands on it! Don’t you dare call it stupid!”

He looked like he was about to stand, but Silva stepped forward and pointed Reynard closer to his throat. The boy froze.

I was grateful for Silva’s silent support but did not think I needed it. By the look of him, I could kill him by blowing on him too hard. His clothes were baggy, but the boy beneath was starkly thin. With the addition of his pale skin, he looked on the verge of illness.

Despite his sickly appearance, I held no sympathy. I gave him a hard, commanding stare as I drew myself to my full height. “Don’t you dare interrupt a Prince of Cross, boy. Know your place.”

The boy did not look at me for several seconds; his attention was on Silva. Then, his eyes shifted to me with apparent reluctance. “A prince, huh? Aren’t I lucky?”

For the first time, he smiled. It did not suit his face. “That makes sense, given I’ve been chosen to kill the Demon King. When I was hit by that truck, I thought I had the most rotten luck. But here I am, in another world, welcomed by a prince. The typical Isekai plot.” His voice quivered with excitement. He flopped onto his rear again, splayed out as if lounging on a beach, and began to chuckle softly. “I can’t believe it… I’ve really been Isekai’d. Goodbye, my old, dull life.”

Again, he was talking nonsense. But one claim stood out amongst the others. One which I had to laugh at; it was so absurd. “You? Slay the Demon King?”

It was impossible to imagine that this stranger could pick up a sword, let alone slay the being plaguing Rhine for over two decades.

The boy’s eyes met mine as he sat up. “That’s right. I’ve been appointed by your goddess—Illy-whatever—to save your world. Maybe I should call you guys lucky. You’ve got me as your Hero.” His smile grew wider.

My nose curled at the sight. I knew I did not like that smile; now I knew why. There was an expectation– no, an entitlement as if he were waiting for Silva and me to shower him with praise just for existing. Well, he would not receive it. Not from me. “And what can you do, may I ask? Not only do you say that you come from another world to slay the Demon King, but you were also recruited by Holy Iliana herself to do so. Pull the other one, why don’t you?”

I exchanged mocking looks with Silva. Or, at least, I tried to, but Silva only had eyes for this strange boy. They were narrowed and focused as she continued to point her sword at him.

His smile faded. He looked down, allowing his bangs to hide his eyes again, “It is true. I’m supposed to journey across this land to the Demon King’s tower and slay him. But I need some help getting started.”

For the first time, Silva spoke. “Why do you want to slay the Demon King? Just because you were told to? Even if you might die?”

The boy looked up again, eyes hard. “I won’t die. I have the goddess on my side.”

I scoffed, “Ridiculous.”

“I’ll prove it, Prince Whatever.”

“That’s Prince Anno Wolfskreuz.”

“Yeah,” said the boy dismissively, “Just take me to your king; I have a message from your goddess that’ll prove what I’m saying is true.”

My eyes narrowed at that. “Anything you must say to my father, you can say to me.”

The boy shrugged, “Whatever helps me kill the Demon King. She said, ‘Trust this man to bring balance to the world.’ Does that mean anything to you?”

“Umm…” I again glanced at Silva, who twitched her shoulders in a slight shrug. “Yes, that makes perfect sense.”

“Then take me to your king. I'm here to help. I can only imagine the countless sleepless nights he’s lost over this whole ordeal.”

I chose to look at a particularly fascinating speck on a nearby stone as I said, “Of course…he’s been quite…put out by all this.” The truth was, I’d never heard my father mention the Demon King even once in my life. I doubted he’d lose sleep over anything.

The boy’s smile returned, and he lowered his head so his eyes were obscured once more. “Then that’s more reason to help me. I need supplies, clothes, and maybe a few…escorts to help me get started.”

Though his eyes were hidden, I had the distinct feeling they were on Silva again. Annoyance twinged through my body at the mental image. “Absolutely not.”

His eyes returned to me but said nothing. He looked rather pathetic the way he was splayed upon the ground.

“You’ve had your say, and I think it best that you return to wherever you came from, boy.” My tone was sour, but I’d like to think I maintained some semblance of authority. This was the moment for me to act like a proper prince. I would not waste this chance.

The boy gave a start, “Seriously? You’re not going to help me? That’s not how a story like this is supposed to go.”

I raised my eyebrows at that, “What in the name of Iliana are you blathering about?”

“You’re supposed to recruit me to go fight. Give me supplies or a magic relic while I show off my cool new powers. I get stronger and recruit a group of girls to… um… join my party. And together, we have adventures until we’re strong enough to beat the Demon King. Then, I come back as a Hero. And everyone will rejoice. They’ll practically worship me!” He was shaking by the end of his little spiel, voice high with excitement, but I was not having any of it.

“You think this is some sort of game?”

“It’s more of an anime thing,” said the boy in an obnoxiously superior tone.

“What?” I gave him a withering stare. “You must be living in some fantasy world if you think that’s how it will play out. Rhine is a dangerous place. It’s teeming with monsters and ne’er-do-wells looking to exploit the weak and helpless.” I could tell my explanation was falling upon deaf ears. “In any case, you wouldn’t last long without a proper guide to show you–”

“Then come with me.”

His remark made me sputter to a stop. “W-what did you say?”

“I’d prefer just the maid, but if it’ll make you stop complaining, you can tag along too. Especially if it means she came with you.”

I glanced at Silva, who was too focused on the boy to meet my eyes. A quiet anticipation emanated from her. “She’s my retainer. Do not treat her with such disrespect, or she’ll cut you to ribbons.”

Despite my coldness and the sword pointed at his face, he smiled.

“You sure about that, Prince?” He stood. The boy was slightly shorter than me. But perhaps that was due to his rather noticeable hunch. He glanced between me and Silva, who did not move. Her sword was no longer trained on him but dangled at her side, gazing at the boy.”

I gave her a concerned look. “Silva?”

She jumped, pointing the sword at the boy who claimed to be a Hero. “You heard the prince; he’s not going.”

The boy’s grin belied his scrawny appearance.

I scowled at him, “That’s right. Now leave before I have you thrown in the dungeon.”

His smile faded. “Fine. It's your loss. Can you at least point me toward an inn? There’s always an inn in a town like this.”

“Find it yourself. Though, I’m sure they’ll turn you away, too. They don’t take riff-raff.” There was something about this boy that I loathed. A know-it-all attitude that did not seem earned. Or perhaps it was something in his dark eyes—what little of them I saw—that did not suit the title of Hero he called himself. Whatever it was, I wanted to be as far from this boy as possible. “Let us go, Silva.”

With that, I began to walk away. Reynard's return to its sheathe signaled that Silva was right behind me.

The boy’s voice called after us. “I’ll be waiting at the inn if you change your mind.”

As if that would ever happen. “A hero from another world. What an utter joke,” I said when we were a reasonable distance away from the boy, “I’d wager he’ll be dead within a day if he tries to venture out there, don’t you agree, Silva?” I smirked.

“Yeah,” was all she said.

I felt confident that I’d handled the situation as a prince would. No one with an ounce of logic would take any of that boy’s trite seriously. Face the Demon King, honestly, as if anyone was foolish enough to try where the Sainted Seven failed.

Neither of us spoke of the boy the rest of the day as we went about our business as usual. I thought the matter settled. And yet, Silva did not appear in the training hall that night to practice, which was highly unusual. She would never pass up the opportunity to surpass me, especially when she had finally tied me in duels last week.

I was tempted to knock on the door to the servants quarters and ask her mother of her whereabouts, but I thought better of it. Silva was not obligated to join me for practice. I could train just fine without her.

Though I barely got through three sequence reps before I gave up, the desire to continue was gone. Without Silva, training was pointless. I decided to go to bed not long after. Silva would get a serious earful when she woke me up the next morning.

Only, she did not wake me up. My senses returned to me as I heard a sharp wrapping on my door. An ever sharper voice called to me through the heavy wood, that of an older woman.

My door burst open before I could shake off my initial grogginess. I sat bolt upright and stared in shock. Framed in the doorway was Mistress Matilda. Though my vision was blurred by sleep, her iron gray bun, and rotund silhouette were easily recognizable. “Prince Anno! Why are you still in bed? You are late for your studies!”

I could barely summon the mental acumen to respond beyond a slurred, “Whastha?” I blinked the sleep from my eyes and shook my head to clear it, trying to make sense of the first ten seconds of my day.

Mistress Matilda scoffed, “What a shameful display. Your father will hear of this, boy. Once you’ve composed yourself, meet me in the dining hall for a thorough review of punctuality.”

Before I could respond, and with a final “Hmph!,” the most annoying woman I’d ever had the displeasure of knowing stuck her nose in the air and marched away. She did not even have the courtesy of shutting my door behind her.

I could only stare after her and grumble as I rose from bed, making sure to slam the door after her. It was not my fault I had overslept. For the second time, I wondered why Silva was not doing her duties. Not only had she not awakened me, there was no breakfast waiting. So, I had to endure Mistress Matilda’s lecture with an empty stomach and a shorter fuse on my temper.

The next three hours were an excellent example of endurance on my part. If there were a test on patience and politeness, I’d have passed with flying colors. It was a measure of my princely resolve that I did not lose it once as the woman grilled me about the importance of punctuality as if I were three years old again. But I was no longer a child.

What right did she have to treat me like this? It was not the first time I’d thought this, but she was appointed by my father, and therefore, had his authority. So, the only words to escape my bitter thoughts through my lips were variations of, “Yes, Mistress Matilda.”

She would never have treated my brothers like this! There was no point in appealing to my father, though. "Keep quiet and do what you're told, boy." He would say.

Luckily for me, Master Marzell was much more understanding as he always was when compared to his wife. What he saw in that woman, I could never fathom. But he allowed me to skip training and sneak off to the kitchen for a late lunch and to search for Silva.

“Haven’t seen her since yesterday.” he said when I asked.” He stroked his wide chin in concern. “She was lingering around the training room as usual, but she was grabbing a bunch of equipment. She told me not to tell you.” His thick eyebrows shot up, “Which I guess I just did. Pretend I didn’t when you found her, ‘kay?”

As honest as ever. What he said was deeply concerning. I had a dark inkling of where she may have gone.

“Why don’t you ask Alice?” added Marzell, “If anybody would know, it would be her.”

Alice was Silva's mother and the head maid. It was the obvious next step, but there was no telling where she would be at this hour. My father kept her busy with running the household. I could only hope she was somewhere on my way to the kitchen.

She was not, rather, I met her on my way back.

“Miss Alice!” I called. She smiled as she turned to look at me. She was the spitting image of Silva in everything but her eyes, which were a pale blue.

“Good afternoon, my prince. What an unexpected surprise!” Despite her tired face, she was all smiles. I don’t think I'd ever seen her without one.

“What do you mean?” I asked, “We see each other at least once a day.”

“Yes, but I thought you and Silva had finally run away together last night when she didn’t come home.” Her smile did not falter.

I felt the blood drain from my body. “Ran away?” So, my worst fears had come true.

“Yes,” she said, “I’m not worried, though. She’s tough and a free spirit, like her father. I’m just surprised it took her this long to try.” Though her smile was intact, her eyes shone with concern as she looked at my expression. “You mean she didn’t tell you? I was sure that she’d try to take you with her. But isn’t that just like my Silva? Always keeps everything to herself.”

She giggled and gave me a small pat on the head, “Don’t worry about her, Prince Anno. She’ll be back at some point. My Silva doesn’t look it, but she’s very sentimental.”

How was Alice able to stay so optimistic? She had been such since I could remember. So positive and so kind. She was always able to find a way to cheer me up. Not this time, however. She did not know the whole truth.

But I could not find the heart to tell her. “Yes, you’re right,” was all I could say, “She’ll be back.” I did not believe it, but I hoped it was true.

I wanted to search every inn and find that boy. He had to still be here somewhere. Silva would not have run away with a stranger like him. But I knew in my heart that no matter how hard I searched, I would not find him.

He was gone. As was Silva.