"Crown Prince!"
Maxel, who had been standing at his desk lost in thought, raised his head with a start.
The one who had thrown open the office door was the aide who had been with him in the conference room until just moments ago. To forget all decorum and barge in like this meant he must be carrying urgent news.
"Your Highness, a monster has appeared again!"
"At the Grand Temple?"
"No, this time it's Freya. A Dullahan appeared, and they say it escaped."
Freya was a region unrelated to monster habitats. Maxel frowned as he accepted the document the aide had brought.
"With the Harvest Festival approaching, public sentiment is unsettled due to the monsters, and rumors are circulating badly. Everyone is whispering that the Resurrected have been kidnapped and the gods are angry."
Freya was where the Empire's largest harvest festival was held. As a region with symbolic significance different from the capital, stabilizing public sentiment there was crucial.
Maxel clicked his tongue softly as he looked down at the document with furrowed brows.
"Open the warp gate and contact them. I'll go personally to encourage them."
"There's no need for you to go personally. Just communication via the communication device would be enough..."
"Freya is far from the capital, so they'll only feel safe if I show my face there directly. What more certain proof could there be than a visit from the Crown Prince?"
Dullahan. Maxel stared at the letters written on the paper for a long while.
When Anelli went missing last, the monster that kidnapped her was definitely a headless knight.
Could this Dullahan possibly be related to her?
* * *
Was there something wrong with my hearing? With that hope in mind, I asked again.
"What appeared?"
"A Dullahan."
Unfortunately, my hearing was perfectly normal.
I stood there speechless for a moment, then nodded calmly.
I glanced at Nadav, who was pretending to be an ordinary horse, and Zigor who sat on his head—they too seemed flustered, whispering among themselves. They also seemed to have no idea what was going on.
Then was this time truly just a Dullahan monster, not a knight?
"Actually, there are also rumors that it's not a Dullahan but a headless ghost."
Xenon, who had gathered all sorts of rumors from the marketplace, shuddered as he delivered the information to me.
"I'd rather it be a Dullahan. A headless ghost? What kind of talk is that in a perfectly normal city?"
Due to the appearance of something—whether monster or ghost, no one knew—the atmosphere in this city had grown quite heavy.
Originally, it should have been bustling with the harvest festival approaching, but while there were many people on the streets, the characteristic festive atmosphere was entirely absent.
To avoid encountering whatever it was—monster or ghost—everyone hurried home as soon as the sun went down. Despite being a fairly large city, the night streets were desolate and eerie.
"We're leaving tomorrow, right?"
"You don't know if it's a Dullahan or a ghost?"
"Yes."
What if it's a knight who lost his head? At this point, it's practically the same as begging me to take him in.
"It appeared within this city?"
"They didn't say exactly. Some say in the city alleys, others say outside the walls. They say festival preparations have been completely halted because of it. Holy knights from the temple will likely be dispatched soon to assess the situation."
"Doesn't this city have a temple too?"
"Not all temples have knights with divine power. So we need to leave here quickly. There's no need to stay in the same city for nothing."
Xenon shook his head, saying I always bring trouble with me. While it wasn't intentional, since there was a high possibility it was related to me, I tolerated his grumbling. Instead, I worried about how to handle this situation.
The Freya region operated around three major cities.
The city I was currently in was the smallest of the three, and could be considered the entrance to the region.
If the Dullahan was in this city right now, it would be better to make contact quickly. It would be a big problem if holy knights came and exterminated the Dullahan.
"Understood."
"Are you really going?"
"Yes."
"Then why are you putting your coat back on?"
"Something suddenly came up."
We had rented lodgings as soon as we entered the city, and fortunately, we were able to rent an entire house where both Nadav and Nesi could stay.
We had been pleased not to have to deal with other inn guests, but now we were going out after all. It was truly regrettable.
"Lady Anelli."
I was thinking of looking around the city on Nadav when Xenon called me with a serious voice.
"I've been trying not to pay attention unless absolutely necessary..."
"You can continue not paying attention."
"How can I continue not paying attention? I'm clearly a traveling companion! I really tried to pretend I didn't know, but are you going out right now because of the Dullahan?"
Instead of answering, I stared at Xenon. He messed up his hair with his own hands and sighed deeply.
"Even the animals you brought along claiming they're subordinates are actually monsters, aren't they."
[Boss! I'll shut his mouth!]
[Boss, just give the order.]
[This weak male is a member of my pack. If you threaten this male, our temporary companionship ends. I won't overlook this.]
Zigor, Nadav, and Nesi glared at each other, each making their own cry.
Xenon had no idea what ripples his single word had caused.
"Nadav, Zigor. Quiet."
Nadav, who had been fidgeting, calmed down first. Then Nesi, who had been baring its teeth, also subdued its aggression.
Zigor was still whining... Sadly, neither Nadav nor Nesi paid any attention to Zigor. Even in my eyes, Zigor's whining wasn't very threatening.
After all, Zigor was a weak Dullahan who couldn't even return to its true form because its wounds hadn't fully healed yet.
Anyway, once the animals quieted down, we could talk again. I crossed my arms and asked calmly.
"So what are you trying to say?"
"It's dangerous to keep increasing monsters. I don't know why they follow you so docilely, but do you know how dangerous monsters are as life forms? At least if my mana seal were released, I'd feel somewhat reassured, but right now it's too defenseless."
"I told you. They're my subordinates."
"What kind of subordinates are monsters? From what I see, they're not even in a subordinate relationship through a contract..."
Xenon, who had been speaking as if lamenting, suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"Is it perhaps some kind of holy power, or something like that? The Resurrected's ability? Or a god's blessing? Something like being able to control all monsters in the world?"
"I can't control them."
Why does everyone think being with monsters means controlling them? Samuel said the same thing. Can't they consider simple interaction and friendship at all?
Looking at Xenon with a sour expression, I thought for a moment. Just before being beheaded, I had concluded that I had no eye for people.
It wouldn't have gotten better just because I died and came back to life, so it must still be the same. But from what I've seen while traveling together, Xenon was still...
Well, perhaps he was different from the people I knew before I died. Since I had already decided to travel with him for a while, I needed to reassure him.
Above all, since he had already figured out Nadav and Zigor's true identities, there was no need to pretend otherwise.
"They follow me because they like me."
"...Excuse me?"
"They chose to act as my subordinates on their own."
Xenon looked back and forth between me and the animals with a dumbfounded expression.
"Then how do you control them..."
"I'm the boss, aren't I? If they're subordinates, they should naturally follow the boss's orders."
"Is that the answer?"
"What more do you need?"
It's simple logic. These guys think of me as their boss, and so they follow my commands.
Of course, if someone says it's unstable because there's no compulsion, I can understand that feeling.
"What do they want from you?"
Xenon asked, glancing at Nadav and Zigor. Nadav had only shown a gentle demeanor until now, so I didn't know why he was so suspicious.
Even though he was someone who would say everything to me, the one who had my head cut off and reattached.
"Nadav, release your transformation."
Zigor moved onto my palm. Nadav shook his body without a word, and black smoke enveloped him. Then, with a sound that made the wooden ceiling shake, Nadav's massive true form was revealed.
The house that could have easily fit a horse just moments ago instantly became cramped due to a single Dullahan.
"As you can see, he doesn't have a head... Xenon?"
Xenon, who had been staring at Nadav with pale eyes, slowly turned to look at me. His face was full of shock.
"It was a Dullahan?"
"...You didn't know?"
When he asked earlier if I was going out because of the Dullahan, I thought he had realized it.
"You've been traveling with a Dullahan all this time... No, wait. Then that snake too...?"
Come to think of it, Xenon had shuddered earlier, talking about headless ghosts.
And right now, Nadav was indeed a Dullahan, but a Dullahan without a head. Even though he was a monster, he would look no different from a ghost.
Standing askew and looking at Xenon quietly, I asked with a gentle smile.
"Shall I show you?"
"No! That's enough!"
"If you're curious about how terrifying Zigor looks, just say so."
[Boss, thank you for recognizing my power!]
Ugh, at Zigor's sudden shout, my expression almost faltered.
"No, I don't want to know any more. This is sufficient."
Xenon, with a pale complexion, pressed his forehead and desperately shook his head.
"A Dullahan transforming... no. Never mind. It's better not to know."
"I think it's already too late."
"I don't know anything. What would I do with knowing that the Resurrected turned out to be the boss of Dullahans? I know nothing."