The Protagonists of Romance Fantasy Novels Have Escaped

3 – Disappeared Protagonists (3)

Lord Ethan has a hidden daughter!

An unpleasant rumor briefly circulated but soon subsided.

The mascot of the Holy Party.

The guide who followed the hero Maximilian like a shadow.

Lue Lui Nong.

The servants of the Hohenberg family flocked like clouds to the impressive appearance of the girl with green hair and eyes. And as if offering tribute to a fairy, they began presenting numerous snacks, including candies and chocolates.

It couldn’t be anything other than tremendous popularity.

Indeed, she seemed to be the representative mascot of the work.

As the youngest son of the family, I have never received such treatment from the servants….

“Ethan!”

“Yes.”

The chocolate-loving little one approached with both hands full of chocolates.

I replied with a nod, lowering my head.

“I’ve heard a lot from Max! Max’s brother!”

“That icy blockhead told my story? Most of it must have been curses.”

“How did you know?!”

In the face of an utterly honest and innocent response, I was left speechless.

Damn it, seriously.

It’s terrifying to think about what kind of gossip might be circulating behind me.

Imagining the author, who must have spat out words like daggers with a poker face, made my head ache.

“Well, he did say a lot of good things!”

“I find it hard to believe.”

“True, it’s a lie, actually.”

“….”

Sigh.

I feel pathetic for believing even a little.

“First, I need to take a bath. Besides, you must be exhausted. I really want to ask where the author, who suddenly became a runaway teenager at twenty-five, is right now.”

“B-Bath?! I’m fine! Just a little water, and I’ll be…”

“The smell of dirt is practically vibrating.”

“Ugh!”

I gestured for the maids.

Soon, the maids began guiding the fairy covered in stubborn dirt from the prolonged journey to the bathhouse. Like a cat that dislikes water, Rue resisted with flailing arms, but eventually succumbed to the maids’ coercion.

‘How turbulent a journey must they have had… damn it.’

Twelve years old,

or maybe around fourteen.

He looked much younger than his actual age, dwarfed in stature.

Just like the child who left his family, that child must have left in neglect.

I felt disgust towards the person who ordered a harsh journey for the fragile landlubber. More precisely, it was about his callousness towards the partner who had shared the journey, treating them like mere baggage. And ultimately, sympathy mixed with compassion for the girl left alone.

***

Ruinong.

Spirits,

or fairies born from nature.

A race known for their pure and bold temperament, like the mountain breeze in the valley.

Living completely cut off from the world due to the merciless expansion and conquest of humans, a curious Ruinong chose to escape. Acting alone like a lone general, the runaway Ruinong became recorded in various heroic tales after encountering a party of holy maidens.

“All of them look like children. Moreover, they have only females. What kind of race is this? Not even albino or anything.”

Returning to the study, he continued reading the books he had gathered about the Ruinong tribe.

The records were sparse.

Understandable, considering they lived in such seclusion.

All the information about the Ruinong tribe had been revealed by a starseed who was once part of the Saintess Party. Without her, the Ru would have remained an unknown tribe till the end.

“Was it delegation or abandonment, I wonder?”

He chewed his nails, contemplating why he had sent away his partner.

Was it because they were useless?

Or perhaps to keep them safe from a perilous mission ahead?

He pondered, but no clear answer emerged.

The hero who saved the continent was a solitary figure who revealed nothing about his inner thoughts. Even his lover, the Saintess, couldn’t fathom his true feelings.

“Ugh, rubbing my body so vigorously with a towel makes it itchy all over!”

Rub, rub.

Rub, rub, rub.

With the sound of the door opening, a girl appeared.

Replacing discomfort, she repeated brisk steps in place.

“Now you look better.”

He gently ruffled the girl’s hair, soft like dried pampas.

Rustle.

As strands cascaded, a scent of perfume lingered.

The accumulated fatigue from the forced march must have lessened a bit. He yielded the reception sofa to the small sprite and offered sweet cocoa. Her emerald eyes sparkled with delight.

“Aht-doot!”

“As much as you want, sip slowly.”

What an odd feeling.

Like dealing with a mischievous niece.

Hmm.

Perhaps it was an excessive daydream.

Watching Rue sip her cocoa, a sense of closeness washed over him.

“Where did the elder brother disappear to? Surely, he wouldn’t have truly fled with the Saintess in a romantic escape.”

Maximilian was an idealistic, blindly rational human. It was inconceivable for someone like him to forsake his lineage and duties and run away. But upon a moment of sober thought, doubts started creeping in about Maximilian’s actions.

There must be more to this.

Worried about various variables, he asked the fairy.

“To the east.”

“…East? Then it’s the Gistard Kingdom.”

He tapped the desk again with his finger.

Tap-. Thump-.

A habit that often appeared when in contemplation.

Continuing with his contemplation, he furrowed his brow and spoke.

“Then, at the time of our parting… who was with you, my brother?”

“Only Max and Bea. Felix and Reg, Mad joined later.”

It was as Princess Ludmila had confidentially conveyed.

Mercenary King,

Felix Pavan Saoya.

Sword Saint,

Regnas Pavan Fug.

Philosopher,

Madvei von Gistard.

Except for the knight and the holy maiden, the rest of the party members spread out at intervals. It was to divert the public’s attention away from the holy maiden’s party.

“The mission of the holy maiden’s party should have been accomplished with the defeat of the Demon King. So why did they disappear without a word? It’s not because they find themselves a hindrance in a peaceful era; that’s an absurd pretext.”

Members of the holy maiden’s party were not advocates of pacifism.

Holy Maiden. Knight. Mercenary King. Sword Saint. Philosopher.

The heroes representing humanity were beings entangled in all kinds of relationships.

“I don’t know up to that point… really! Max didn’t say anything until he left.”

“Don’t worry. Trust him.”

Is it because of the sadness of parting?

Or perhaps the fear of being forever abandoned?

Lue, holding a mug in both hands, shouted in a trembling voice. The mug seemed like it could spill cocoa at any moment.

If she were an imperial intelligence agent tracking the whereabouts of the holy maiden’s party, she would have probed for details while casting doubt, but I believed Lue’s words as they were. The skilled heroes who had subdued the Demon King would not lead the girl to a perilous fate by revealing details.

“Do… do you believe what I’m saying?”

“Well… I’ve been rejected by skilled individuals too.”

There is a saying about shared suffering.

Therefore, he could understand the desperation of becoming a loner more than anyone else.

It was also because of a sense of responsibility.

Rue was a victim swept away by his older brother’s cruelty.

“Damn kid. So, he made me his guardian. Knowing that I would take care of him.”

A little one, ecstatic, shaking his head with antenna-like erect hair. Watching Rue, I discerned the reason Maximilian sent the mascot of the Holy Party.

* * *

Upon returning to the imperial capital, Rudmila summoned her subordinates to the office immediately.

The disappearance of the Holy Party.

It was to deal with its enormous aftermath.

True to the reputation of the strict hierarchy of the Valterian Empire’s bureaucrats, as soon as the summons were issued, the subordinates assisting the princess gathered in the office without fail. They wore stiff expressions, reflecting the flushed complexion of the eastern-returned red dragon.

“The warrior clearly concealed his tracks with the saint. And the Hohenberg family is irrelevant.”

Rudmila questioned Maximilian, who unilaterally broke off the engagement, holding him accountable while simultaneously tracking the elusive Holy Party that had become mysterious.

The Mercenary King, the Sword Saint, and the Sage had disappeared.

And so had the warrior and the saint, who were at the center of the punitive force.

The Hohenberg family was unrelated to their whereabouts.

This was because Maximilian had sided with the imperial family by breaking off the engagement. If the Hohenberg family had known about it, they would have done whatever it took to stop Maximilian.

“Keril, have you found what I asked for?”

“Yes.”

The princess asked.

The knight with flowing red hair bowed and answered.

“The sixth member of the Holy Party… the War Enthusiast. Unfortunately, there isn’t much information related to him.”

“Of course, there wouldn’t be. Good work.”

As if proving the knight’s explanation, there was very little information about the figure called the ‘War Enthusiast.’

It had been treated as unknown for a long time.

Therefore, the revealed information barely filled half a sheet.

Only the members of the Holy Party would know his identity. Rudmila furrowed her delicate brow as she read through the scant information that filled the parchment.

“Oh, and… a message.”

“What is it? Speak.”

One of the subordinates hesitated, then opened his mouth as Rudmila extended her hand, granting permission.

“I’ve received a message from the palace. It seems to be related to Princess Elizabeth’s spiritual consultation.”

“Have you already secured a new quill?”

In response to Ludmila’s question, the subordinate almost uttered an unfavorable remark, “Because there’s a precedent of missing the auspicious timing.” He bit his lip, feeling cold sweat trickling down.

Unaware of him, Ludmila tilted her head in contemplation.

“Hmm… It’s about Lisa’s new quill, so I should inquire as her sister.”

Gradually approaching her thirties, the unmarried woman’s murmur made the subordinates recite solemn prayers, clearing their minds.

Who worries about whom,

The youngest princess may be twenty years old, but she is only twenty-seven this year.

Even her voice was tainted with impropriety, but she endured it with superhuman patience.

“I met Edanant von Hohenberg, the younger brother of the knight Maximilian, under Count Hohenberg’s command. Quite an impressive man with a sharp wit, and quite eloquent.”

She had met the rumored youngest son of the Hohenberg family.

Ludmila covered the parchment as she recounted her impressions of Edanant.