"I still don't quite understand—"
Under the heavy night sky, there was hardly any sound at all, save for a soft whisper that suddenly broke the silence. In the distance, the enemy camp was brightly lit, yet it remained strangely quiet, devoid of the usual noise of conversation or hammering iron.
"Why are you going to such lengths?"
The question came without warning, but Inaya quickly grasped its meaning.
"You're a princess of the realm, the heir to the throne. Isn't clinging to you the safest bet for me?"
She hadn't expected Hielaina to bring this up all of a sudden, and answered with her hands on her hips, her tone deliberately casual.
"I'm serious."
"You're serious??"
"..."
Silence became the bridge of tonight. Clearly, some things had to be laid out plainly.
"We're friends, aren't we?"
Though she found it almost absurd, Inaya patiently explained. Perhaps her earlier attitude had been too vague?
"Yes."
"Then what's there to doubt? Friends helping each other—it's only natural."
"But... how should I put it... I feel like I can't see through you."
"Hah, you little twenty-year-old brat—white-haired brat, at that—want to see through me? You're at least a hundred years too young."
Normally, if Inaya rolled her eyes at her like that, Hielaina would fire back immediately. But tonight, she only fell silent, lost in thought.
"All right, then let me ask one last question."
"Go ahead."
After a brief pause, Hielaina asked:
"Can I trust you?"
"You can trust me. Of course, not to the point where I'd hand you my heart."
"I wasn't expecting that kind of loyalty..."
"Just joking."
The little black cat stuck out her tongue playfully.
"As I said before, I'm interested in you. So you don't need to worry I'd sell you out to someone else. Your political struggles bore me—I've no desire to meddle."
As she said this, she waved her hand carelessly, as though it were all beneath her concern.
"That kind of wording puts me in a tight spot. What exactly does 'interested in me' mean?"
"It means I. Am. Interested. In. You."
Inaya leaned close to Hielaina, poking her cheek with her finger, enunciating each word in time with the playful taps.
"You!"
Flustered by Inaya's casual teasing, Hielaina instinctively tried to grab her wrist, but the nimble black cat slipped away in a flash.
"Your little girlfriend's got some skill. You, not so much~"
Inaya shook her head with a smug grin, deliberately provoking Hielaina. Unsurprisingly, Hielaina rose to the challenge.
"Too slow, too slow."
Since she didn't need to hold back with Inaya, Hielaina lunged straight at her, only for Inaya to dart aside. Fortunately, Hielaina managed to brace herself with her hands and didn't hit the ground.
"You'll never catch me at this level~"
Several more attempts met with the same result. Inaya only flitted about the small patch of grass, effortlessly evading.
"Hmph, of course I can't catch you like this..."
Breathing hard, Hielaina suddenly smiled, her eyes glowing faintly red—something Inaya certainly noticed.
"Let's see where you run now!"
In the blink of an eye, Hielaina shot forward like an arrow loosed from its string. She was far faster than before. Yet Inaya had braced herself, narrowly dodging her strike by a hair's breadth.
"Oh~ finally getting serious, are we..."
Though the pressure mounted, Inaya still wore the same calm, mocking expression.
"Haha, let's see how many more times you can dodge."
Again and again Hielaina lunged, her speed relentless. She could feel Inaya beginning to struggle to keep up. But Inaya was no novice; once she caught the rhythm, she always managed to react in time. Even so, Hielaina wouldn't let up.
"Brute force alone won't do it."
Leaves and grass scattered as the two clashed noisily. Adjusting her tactics, Hielaina began using the trees—kicking off their sturdy trunks to propel herself and shift direction, gaining speed and angles she couldn't before. Finally—
"...Huh?!"
Another nimble evasion—yet this time, Inaya sensed something wrong. Just before she could twist away, realization flickered too late.
"Eeeek—!"
An enormous pull yanked her as though her very soul had been left behind while her body was dragged forward. The sharp pain in her tail left no room for doubt.
"Ow ow ow ow ow!!"
Scrambling off of Hielaina, Inaya clutched her tail with teary eyes, glaring furiously at her.
"I won..."
Meanwhile, Hielaina lay back on the ground, arms spread wide, relief in her smile. When they hit the ground, she had instinctively pulled Inaya into her arms—otherwise, at that speed, Inaya would be far too injured to complain now.
"It really hurts! Do you have any idea how much that hurt?!"
Inaya cast a healing spell on her tail with one hand while half-heartedly pounding Hielaina's chest with the other. But either from pain or from weakness, her blows were too light for Hielaina to even feel.
"Your Highness, Otto and the others—"
At that moment, Shatiel pushed through the grass, only to see Inaya straddling Hielaina, beating her weakly.
Smack—
A familiar force, a familiar sting. Inaya went flying from Shatiel's sudden kick.
"!?"
Hielaina blinked, bewildered, as Shatiel rushed to her side and pulled her up.
"Your Highness, are you all right?!"
Glancing at the motionless Inaya on the ground, Shatiel anxiously examined Hielaina for wounds.
"I'm fine, I'm fine..."
Hielaina waved awkwardly and started toward Inaya, but Shatiel stopped her.
"Your Highness!"
"Shatiel, you misunderstand—Inaya was just joking with me..."
Dragged by the tail, left in tears, then kicked across the field by Shatiel... she should be fine, right...?
"So... that's what happened..."
"..."
After hearing Hielaina's brief explanation of their roughhousing, Shatiel finally realized Inaya hadn't been trying to assassinate the princess—and yes, it really did sound like the kind of nonsense they'd get up to.
"She'll be all right... won't she?"
For once, Shatiel looked a little concerned as she glanced at the unconscious Inaya in Hielaina's arms.
"I don't know..."
Hielaina knew nothing of first aid, though Shatiel had studied at least the basics.
"Let me check."
After examining her, Shatiel confirmed there was nothing life-threatening—just some fractures and perhaps a few internal injuries.
"I remember she can use a healing spell. We'd better wake her first."
Without timely treatment, small problems could become big ones. And for now, only Inaya herself could provide that healing.
"Wake her? How?"
Hielaina called Inaya's name and gently shook her, but there was no response. She looked helplessly at Shatiel.
"We'll have to try this..."
A faint current of electricity crackled at Shatiel's fingertips. Normally, one should never force an unconscious patient awake—especially not like this. But what else could they do—
"Stop... stop..."
Before Shatiel even moved, the "unconscious" Inaya suddenly stirred, frowning as she forced the words out in a weak whisper.
"I... already... am... healing..."
The sentence drained what little strength she had, and her head drooped again—though her eyes remained half-open.
"Do you need our help?"
Inaya shook her head stubbornly, even though it was clearly difficult.
"All right... but if you need anything, just say so."