This marks the beginning of a new arc, "True Hunting Festival" (from chapter 237 to ongoing).
Section Seven: True Hunting Festival
Chapter Two Hundred and Thirty-Seven: Encounter at the Royal Palace
Karen arrived at the princess’s palace as usual and tilted her head when she saw Waltride looking no different than normal.
“I can’t tell whether the panacea cured you or if giving magical power to Weiss is suppressing the symptoms.”
“Ukyu?”
If left alone, the magical power welling up from Waltride’s body would run wild, accumulating in her body like waste products and causing her to swell up like a balloon and gain weight—she suffered from this kind of Bloodline Blessing.
With the detox potions Karen created, that magical power could be expelled. For this reason, Karen regularly made detox potions and delivered them to Waltride.
However, during their dungeon expedition, Waltride had eaten Karen’s panacea curry countless times. Karen had theorized that the power of the panacea she had consumed had stabilized Waltride’s magical power, eliminating the need to drink the detox potions. But given the circumstances, she hadn’t deliberately stopped the detox potions, thinking she would confirm it after leaving the dungeon.
In any case, although a week had already passed since they stopped the detox potions, there were no abnormalities in Waltride’s condition. Had the Bloodline Blessing been healed by the panacea, or was it thanks to Weiss?
“It would be cruel not to give magical power to Weiss, so I cannot confirm it.”
“Ukyu!”
Weiss—the baby pegasus Waltride had tamed in the dungeon. Just when Karen thought it was rolling around on Waltride’s lap, it flapped its small wings and flew over to cling to Karen instead. It was quite light for its volume. While Karen cuddled and soothed the pegasus, making "ukyuukyu" sounds, she pointed to the luggage she had brought.
“For now, I’ll leave the detox potions with Lady Dorotea and Lady Irmlinde, so please send me a letter if anything happens.”
“Must I part with you as well…?”
“Part? I’m just going to the Ehlertt territory, and you’re just going to Lady Irmlinde’s land, right?”
“But I thought you would come with me too…”
Seeing Waltride deflate, Weiss patted Karen’s knee. It didn’t hurt at all, but apparently, Weiss was scolding Karen.
“Lady Waltride is going to visit Lady Irmlinde’s family to get closer to her. If I, Lady Waltride’s best friend, went too, I’d only interfere.”
“Ukyu?”
“Will I really… be able to become… close friends…?”
As Karen talked with Weiss, Waltride said this while fidgeting. She had decided to go to Irmlinde’s territory first, timed with the hunting festival season, because she wanted to know more about her attendants.
“Even if they learn that I am a princess who is all appearance… will Irmlinde and Dorotea remain my friends…?”
Waltride said this with her green eyes wavering anxiously. Karen recalled how Irmlinde and Dorotea had acted in the dungeon and chuckled softly.
“I think you’ll be fine.”
“So you will not come with me after all…!?”
“I’m sorry, but I have important plans.”
“Which is more important—me or your plans!?”
“My plans!”
When Karen declared this firmly, Waltride’s face scrunched up tightly.
“Part of the reason I am going to Irmlinde’s territory is to distance myself from the succession dispute in the royal capital, you know!? Are you not worried about me being in such a delicate and dangerous position?”
“If something happens, just call for me, and I’ll rush over on a riding dragon.”
In this world, besides horses, there were also monsters used as mounts. Sleipnirs and large lizard-like creatures called riding dragons were tamed by humans. While Sleipnirs were difficult monsters to tame and rarely seen, riding dragons were fairly common, often seen pulling wagons.
Riding these riding dragons was said to be much faster than horses, but the ride quality was reportedly terrible. If her friend Waltride faced difficulties, Karen was prepared to ride even the most uncomfortable riding dragon through rough roads to help her. But still—
“Lady Waltride—these plans are truly important.”
“Kuu…!”
“We’re announcing my engagement to Mr. Julius at Ehlertt’s New Year Festival! I will declare before all the women who were born and raised in Ehlertt and have harbored faint admiration for him that I am his fiancée, and make them abandon all hope! There is no plan more important than this!”
Karen was half-convinced there must still be plenty more like that second or third Therese—that female adventurer from Ehlertt nobility they’d met in the dungeon.
“That’s exactly like you, Karen…!”
“Ukyu…!”
Waltride hung her head in defeat, with Weiss mimicking her. When Karen brought a cookie snack close to Weiss’s mouth, it immediately stopped mimicking and began eating deliciously. After enjoying the peaceful moment for a while, Karen left Waltride’s palace.
Either Irmlinde or Dorotea accompanied Karen when moving within the royal palace. On this day, it was Dorotea—and on the way back, in a corridor that was wide but not excessively so, there was no way to avoid a noble-looking woman and her entourage coming from the opposite direction.
Dorotea moved to the wall with a tense expression, bowed her head, and stood still. Karen did the same. If they had merely happened to pass by, the group would have continued on its way. However, the entourage stopped in front of Karen and Dorotea.
“Alchemist Karen, come with me. You—do not follow.”
“Her Highness Waltride has commanded me to escort Lady Karen back, so—”
“I said do not follow.”
The woman ordered Dorotea again when she tried to persist. Her tone held no irritation or anger, just flatness, yet it carried a dignity that made one feel they must obey.
“Since when have Waltride’s orders carried more weight than mine in this royal palace?”
Thinking it would be the end if she made eye contact, Karen wasn’t looking at this woman’s face. However, when she considered an authoritative woman of a generation older than Alise who called Waltride by name only, Karen could only think of one person.
“I apologize for displeasing Your Majesty the Queen.”
Dorotea apologized. She had said "the queen,"—Waltride’s biological mother, who had abandoned her. Waltride was loved by her father, the king, but disliked by the rest of her family. She had said that especially her biological mother, the queen, had been the first to abandon her.
What kind of existence was Karen, who fluttered about at her daughter’s side, to the queen who scorned her pathetic daughter? Even as Karen assumed she was probably disliked, she wondered if perhaps the queen was somewhere in her heart grateful to Karen, the alchemist who had healed her daughter’s Bloodline Blessing—when the queen said coldly:
“Does she think she has become greater than I, the queen, just because she has tamed a pegasus? Is that daughter of mine aiming for the throne by comparing herself to King Sybilla?”
“Her Highness Waltride would never think of defying Your Majesty the Queen.”
“Ha. Of course not.”
The queen mocked Dorotea’s words of defense.
“If that daughter of mine, the first princess, had the spirit to seize the throne, then perhaps the future of the Kingdom of Earthfill would be secure. But that pathetic daughter is incapable of such a thing. I was foolish to harbor even a thread of hope that she might have changed during the time I had not seen her, enough to tame a pegasus.”
Karen had taken Waltride’s words about being disliked by her family somewhat with a grain of salt. She understood not getting along with one’s siblings. However, she hadn’t quite grasped the idea of a hostile relationship with one’s biological mother. Karen had thought that perhaps the queen was merely keeping a distance to protect Waltride, who couldn’t fight. That she only appeared to hate her through masterful acting. But now Karen revised that thinking.
“Far from being the kingdom’s sword, she lacks even the resolve to be its shield—that I bore such a useless puppet from this womb is lamentable. Pathetic.”
The queen spat out these words and began walking. Her ladies-in-waiting and court ladies followed in a line behind her. No one looked back at Karen, but she probably was supposed to follow.
Right? When Karen confirmed this with Dorotea with a pitiful expression, Dorotea nodded deeply with a pale face.
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