第５２６堀：真偽混ざったお花畑 (Part1)
**Chapter 526: A Flower Garden of Mixed Truths and Lies**
Side: ???
...My consciousness is hazy.
But, it feels so nostalgic.
Yes, I can hear a voice that feels so very nostalgic.
"Arge?"
"Yes. That is my name."
Two little girls are talking in a meadow.
No, they aren't just any girls.
The way both are dressed in glittering, ornate clothing reveals them to be of noble birth. This is further confirmed by the armored adults standing guard behind them.
"My father told me to keep you company today. But, I’m glad. The others are so boring with their negotiations and discussions."
"Um, well, that’s their job..."
"Hmph. And they leave us all alone. It’s dull. So, let’s play, just the two of us."
"O-okay."
It seems the other girl had followed the one named Arge all the way to this meadow.
Nobles and royalty rarely find a place to rest their hearts, so perhaps Arge, too, had been harboring various frustrations.
Had I, too, been the same...?
The same? In what way?
The question flits through my mind, but my consciousness is too sluggish to piece the thought together. What was it I was questioning?
"Look, here it is."
"Wow. It’s beautiful."
"Hehe. Right? It’s amazing, isn't it? It’s my secret spot."
As I think this, the girls arrive at a beautiful flower garden.
"Alright, first, let’s have lunch. You can’t fight if you don’t eat."
"Fight? What do you mean?"
"Um, my big sister said so. She said if you’re hungry, you can’t move, so you should eat properly whenever you have the chance."
"?"
It seems this was a difficult concept for the girl to grasp, as she tilts her head in confusion.
Though, Arge herself doesn't seem to fully understand it either; she is likely just repeating the words her sister told her.
"Anyway, let’s eat."
"Okay."
Well, being children, they don't overthink it. They reach for the food prepared by their attendants and eat with innocent gusto. To me, they look like little squirrels stuffing their cheeks, a sight that brings a smile to my face.
"Alright, supplies are sufficient. Now, let’s play."
"But, what should we play? Picking flowers?"
"Well, my sister said it’s not good to pick flowers without a reason. So, let’s do sword training!!"
"Eh—!? Why would you say that!?"
I truly wondered why it had to be that way.
But Arge continues as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Because, if we can't pick flowers, it’s better to move our bodies, right? We’re always studying. Are you different?"
"Ah, um. I suppose I’m always studying too. But, they say girls shouldn't hold swords..."
"You don't need to worry about things like that. My big sister is a magnificent knight, after all."
"Wow, that’s amazing."
"It is. My big sister is incredible. She doesn't have a talent for magic, but she climbed all the way to being a knight through her swordsmanship alone. She’s my goal."
"Is that why you have a wooden sword?"
"Yes. My sister made this for me. She said so that in times of trouble, I wouldn't just be afraid, but could stand and fight. Like this."
Arge swings the wooden sword to show the girl.
Her form is still clumsy, but compared to other children her age, it’s quite impressive.
"Come on, you too."
"Eh? I can't do that."
"If you’re like that, you won't be able to protect yourself. It’s okay, I’ll teach you."
And so, the girls begin practicing sword swings in the flower garden.
Normally, this would be scolded, but no one dared to say anything to the children playing in the field. That day, they practiced—or rather, played—until they were exhausted from swinging their swords.
...It was so much fun.
The next day, Arge was once again keeping the girl company, but this time, she brought a woman in armor with her.
"Um, Arge? Who is that behind you?"
"Hehe. It’s my pride and joy, my big sister!! She said she’d join our training today!!"
It seems the knight behind her is Arge’s sister.
She is a beautiful woman with short-cropped blonde hair fluttering in the wind and a sharp, composed expression. She is someone who perfectly embodies the word "dignified"... or so I thought.
*Thwack.*
"Ouch—!? B-big sister!? That hurts!?"
"My apologies. My foolish younger sister has done something reckless. I never imagined she would drag you out to a flower garden to spend the entire day training with swords."
So saying, she bows her head.
"U-um, I don't mind. It was fun learning how to use a sword."
"See? It was fun, right!! Big sister, please teach us more!!"
"...So it was truly as Arge said. *Sigh*, it isn't ideal for more people like me to be raised, but very well."
"Yay!! Big sister is going to teach us!!"
"However, we must do this in secret. It would look bad if word got out that I was training a princess from another country. So, for now, let’s play in the flower garden a little."
"Eh, how do we play with flowers? Big sister?"
"Picking them is cruel."
"Ah, I see. You two don't know how to play in a flower garden. Then, let’s see..."
Arge’s sister says this and plucks a nearby flower by its stem.
"Collect about thirty flowers of this length. I will show you something interesting."
Following her instructions, the girl and Arge gather the flowers, and the sister begins to weave them with nimble fingers.
"If you do this, and then repeat it like this..."
"Wow—!? Big sister, that’s amazing, amazing!!"
"A flower tiara."
Yes, a crown woven from flowers had been completed.
With a touch of the sister's arrangement, it wasn't just a crown, but a tiara.
"Here you go. Princess Carrie."
With that, the sister placed the flower tiara on my head.
...I remembered. That girl was me.
"Ah—!? Sister Stasia!! Me too, me too!!"
"Sigh. Arge, try to be a little more ladylike."
The close sisters before my eyes were Princess Stasia and Princess Arge of the Findal Empire.
This is my memory.
Ah, this dream again.
At first, it is a very pleasant dream.
Having no siblings of my own, these two, whom I grew close to during my visit to the Empire, were no different from real sisters to me.
Arge would energetically pull me along, and Sister Stasia would teach us so many things.
Flower tiaras, pressed flowers, and even how to use a sword—it was such a fulfilling time for me.
But, in the end...
"Ugh!?"
"Big sister!?"
"No—!? Big sister!? Blood is coming from your face!!"
"Alright, take those two little princesses. The big one has no magic, so we don't need her."
Yes, the rampage of the Lira Kingdom.
The sudden kidnapping incident.
I was frozen in fear by the tragedy that unfolded in an instant, unable to move.