Volume 2 Chapter 8 The Princess And The Servant
"Isn't it that you're not expected? Ms. Nemophila is the third princess, and your rank in the line of succession is fifth, right?"
What does it mean that someone like her can't even call for a training partner or have a servant assigned to her? Just being of royal blood should mean she's treated with respect.
Despite her expressionless face, Ms. Nemophila spoke with a hint of self-deprecation, and Ms. Kikrys shot her a pained look from beside her.
Eventually, Ms. Kikrys seemed to gather her resolve and began to speak to us.
"Milady Nemophila is the youngest among her siblings, which is why her rank in the line of succession is fifth. Additionally, she was born weak and her job class ability was uncertain, so the King and Queen's attention was always focused on her other siblings."
"I see, so that's how it was..."
Ms. Nemophila is weak.
She certainly doesn't look it with her tall stature.
But the lack of emotion in her expression and the absence of any vigor give a slight impression of fragility.
It makes sense that her job class ability would be uncertain.
Ms. Nemophila's job class is 'Princess Knight.' I've definitely never heard of that before.
"On the other hand, her older brother and sister have strong bodies and have been able to handle their job class abilities freely since childhood. The King and Queen placed great expectations on their visible talents, assigning them high-ranking servants and maids."
From what I've heard, noble sons and daughters from good families are accompanied by high-ranking "servants." They handle daily chores and serve as examples of etiquette and martial arts.
Additionally, many of them, due to their noble lineage, are granted powerful job classes and often become training partners for their masters from a young age.
But Ms. Nemophila doesn't have any such servants.
"Her brother and sister already have excellent servants assigned to them, accompanying them on monster hunts since they were young to gain real combat experience. However, Milady Nemophila was overlooked and wasn't assigned a servant. Instead, the one entrusted with her care was me, who was the head servant of the royal castle at that time."
"Ms. Kikrys is...
I thought there was no attendant, but it seems Ms. Kikrys has been assigned as a substitute.
I've never heard of a servant being assigned to a princess of royal blood as an attendant.
"Well, I could at least teach her the basics of etiquette and common sense, as well as dance and crafts, but when it comes to martial arts like swordsmanship or magic, I'm completely clueless... I also can't accompany her on monster hunts, so that's why she hasn't been able to gain any real combat experience like the other brother and sister."
"Speaking of which, your job class level is still '1,' right, Ms. Nemophila?"
If she had a capable attendant, she could have gone on monster hunts since she was little.
But with only Ms. Kikrys, a servant, as her attendant, it's too dangerous to go hunting monsters.
To raise her job class level, she absolutely needs to go on monster hunts, which means Ms. Nemophila hasn't had any opportunities to grow her job class until now.
With a duel for the right to the throne coming up, this clearly puts her at a disadvantage.
"Oh, could it be that you came to Hyamars town for that reason?"
In response to my question, Ms. Kikrys slowly nodded.
Ms. Nemophila is still at level one.
Given the current situation, she wants to grow as much as possible before the upcoming duel.
So, she chose Hyamars, a town for novice adventurers, as her training ground.
There are weak monsters around here, so it's relatively safe to train even without any experience in monster hunting.
"I thought the only way for her to become stronger was to steadily train as a novice adventurer. I wanted her to understand that, and that's why we came to this town. If I had more strength, we wouldn't be in this situation..."
Ms. Kikrys hung her head apologetically.
It would be unreasonable to expect Ms. Kikrys, a servant from the royal castle, to teach martial arts or accompany on monster hunts.
In fact, just teaching the basics of etiquette and dance is already more than enough.
So she thinks it's okay to be proud, and just then, Ms. Nemophila placed her hand on Ms. Kikrys's shoulder.
"I'm really glad to be with you, Kikrys."
"Milady..."
"Being with Kikrys is so much fun. I've learned a lot from you."
Ms. Nemophila doesn't seem to have any complaints about her situation.
In fact, she looks happy to have chosen Ms. Kikrys as her attendant.
Even if her family doesn't pay her any attention, being with Ms. Kikrys is enough for her.
"So I'm going to become a king for Ms. Kikrys."
"For me?"
"I have to become a king to save Ms. Kikrys's hometown."
What could that possibly mean? A king to save Ms. Kikrys's hometown...? When I looked over at Ms. Kikrys, she had a complicated expression and was silent.
Eventually, Ms. Kikrys spoke up, looking somewhat apologetic.
"My birthplace is a slum on the outskirts of town."
"A slum?"
"It's a small, poor settlement that can't even be called a town or village. It's where impoverished people struggling to make ends meet and children who couldn't be taken in by the church live."
Now that I think about it, when I was active with the hero party, I occasionally saw a few huts built on the outskirts of town.
I heard that people in financial distress build huts on the outskirts or in graveyards to live there.
There are also places that offer accommodations for such people or allow them to rent out basements.
The areas or places where these impoverished people gather to live are collectively referred to as 'slums.' The suffering of the poor has always existed and is often brought up as a national issue.
"Until I was hired as a maid in a certain mansion, I was taken care of in that slum. I was originally just an abandoned child with no relatives, and the residents of the slum picked me up and raised me. To repay that kindness, I still provide some support to the slum with the wages I earn..."
Gradually, Ms. Kikrys's expression grew darker.
"Recently, it seems that more parents are abandoning their children due to poverty, and the number of abandoned kids ending up in slums is increasing."
"So, does that mean there aren't enough resources for everyone because there are more poor people?"
"Yes, that's exactly right."
It's been at least 50 years since Ms. Kikrys was taken care of in the slums.
Yet, the situation hasn't improved at all; in fact, the number of abandoned children has increased, making the slums even worse off.
"There used to be times when we could get help at the clinic near the church, but lately, donations from the townspeople have decreased, and the clinic is struggling. Because of that, not only are there more people suffering from hunger, but also from illness, and the future of the slums is completely uncertain."
The charity facilities──clinics──are supported by donations from the wealthy.
They provide food, clothing, and shelter for the poor, as well as treatment for injuries and illnesses.
However, it seems that even those clinics are running low on resources lately, further exacerbating the struggles in the slums.
Just as I was thinking about how Ms. Kikrys's hometown might be in trouble, Ms. Nemophila, still expressionless, spoke with a firm resolve.
"That's why I'm going to become the king and help the slums in Kikrys's hometown. I'll donate a lot of money to the clinic and create jobs for the poor."
"...I see."
If she became the king, it wouldn't be too hard to save a single slum.
On the flip side, it could be said that it's the only option available.
Given that the government isn't showing any signs of helping the slums right now, it seems the current king has no intention of doing so.
If no one else steps up, the residents of the slums will soon lose their lives to hunger and disease.
To prevent that, it seems Ms. Nemophila has decided to become the leader of the country herself.
If things continue like this, another sibling will likely become king/queen.
If any of the other siblings had the intention to save the slums, it would be fine for them to inherit the throne.
But is there really anyone among the current heirs with that kind of mindset? Well, the chances are incredibly low, which is probably why Ms. Nemophila is taking action herself.
Seeing Ms. Nemophila firming up her resolve, Ms. Kikrys said apologetically.
"I told you not to worry about my hometown, but you insist, Milady..."
"I've received so much help from you, Kikrys, that I want to repay you. Let me repay you, Kikrys."
In the end, she looked at me with a face still fixed like a doll, but with a fire of determination burning deep in her eyes.
"So, Mr. Nurturer. Make me strong. Make me... a king."
"..."
I've always said I want to avoid standing out.
Yet here I was, helping a princess.
Normally, I might have found some excuse to decline.
However, my answer was already decided before it was even asked.
"Understood. I will take on the princess's request."
After hearing such a story, there was no way I could refuse.
I wanted to make Ms. Nemophila's wish come true, no matter what.
So, I became the second client as Nurturer... helping the knight princess, Ms. Nemophila.
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