With the boat in hand, there was no longer any reason to stay in the city.
We immediately escaped the city, loading the armor and supplies we had hidden by the riverside onto the boat, and we started to float smoothly down the Rhine River towards the south.
There was no need to row. Just sitting still, the current was doing all the work for us, pushing us forward at full speed.
It felt like riding a flume ride at an amusement park!
Occasionally, when we seemed to collide with another boat or veer towards the shore, all I had to do was grab the oar for a moment to change our direction.
“To think we’re boating on the river… doing this really makes me feel like a noble lady. It’s a bit disappointing there’s no moonlight, though.”
Friede, who sat next to me, murmured as she pressed her hair down against the strong river wind.
With her bright smile and excited face, it almost felt like a scene from a romance movie between lovers.
“Well, shouldn’t we be grateful…? If the moon were bright, we wouldn’t even dare to hide like this.”
In reality, it was a million light-years away from a romance movie; it was literally an isekai-style armed infiltration operation.
◆◆
Just as there are borders in fields and mountains, there are naturally boundaries and distinctions between nations over the flowing river.
On the boundary line between Hervor’s territory and the Kingdom of Rhine, there was a huge bridge cutting across the Rhine River in two.
This was a stone bridge, built as a warning not to enter the waters of the Kingdom of Rhine without permission.
The bridge was covered with a barricade and watchtowers, with thick iron chains strung between the arched pillars, making it practically a fortress.
That was the last checkpoint we needed to get past to enter the Kingdom of Rhine via the river.
“Ugh… Hey, Hilde. Do you really think this plan will work…?”
Friede, who had been looking at the bridge from a distance, whispered to me with a slightly trembling voice, trying to suppress her anxiety.
We had successfully floated here according to plan, but would we be able to pass that bridge without any problems like before?
Well… honestly, I wasn’t sure either.
I had a breakthrough plan set up in advance, but I didn’t have any confidence.
Theoretically, there shouldn’t be any problems, but with all the variables in the world, it’s rare for things to go exactly as planned.
“Eh… um, it’ll be fine. Because you’re here, Friede.”
I couldn’t afford to show my anxiety now. If I started worrying before we even began, the chances of failure would just increase unnecessarily.
At least, that’s what I thought. So, while gently patting Friede’s head, I gave a soft smile to imply that everything would be alright.
“Ah, oh, yes! Just, just trust me…!”
Friede’s cheeks flushed as she clenched her fists, her expression indicating her resolve to prove herself worthy of Brunhilde’s trust.
“There’s no need to be so nervous. I’ve always believed in you.”
“Hehe?!”
As I planted a light kiss on her cheek with a lover-like line, Friede let out a strange sound and began to squirm.
It was my own little encouragement to boost her confidence and will. Surely, that would blow away any tension or worries, right?
With me acting like the heroine from a novel, I honestly felt a bit embarrassed… but hey, if I could boost our success rate, I would do anything.
Feeling shy about such things was, frankly, ridiculous. After all, it wasn’t like I hadn’t lost my clothes and mixed bodies before—why should I get shy about this now?
Kissing her cheek was absolutely nothing compared to that.
“Hehehe….”
The last traces of my lingering embarrassment vanished the moment I saw Friede grinning with her hands on the cheek I had kissed.
Honestly, why was she looking so cute with everything she did? I didn’t think she was this adorable before.
Was I falling for her to the point where everything she did seemed pretty now?
Is my preference now instead leaning towards a dark-haired, gloomy girl?!
…That’s scary.
I felt a chill. Maybe the saying that the scariest thing in the world is being smitten is indeed true.
No, really, pull yourself together, Hilde. If your heart gets swept away, you might truly become a heroine, a heroine!
That would be irreversible.
I might have willingly surrendered my body to Friede, but I promised myself I wouldn’t let my heart become a heroine’s too.
The only way to keep the memories of my past self, which were fading away, was to not let my heart turn into a heroine’s.
I must not forget that resolution.
“Hehehe… Hilde! I love you….”
…….
…Should I just forget it?
I let out a sigh while embracing Friede, who had jumped into my arms, feeling complicated about how I felt at that moment.
◆◆
Crack!
The wooden boat, once the only hope of old man Heinz, cried out in agony as it creaked and splintered, scattering wood and slack into the river.
As we approached the bridge, we were in the darkness, out of the guards’ line of sight, destroying the boat’s surface.
We didn’t touch the submerged lower part, though, as we didn’t want it to truly become garbage.
Why were we doing this strange thing? Obviously, it was to safely pass under that bridge. This was our disguise for that.
“…Alright. This should be enough destruction. Let’s get ready.”
I tossed the splintered wood into the water, picked up the waterproof bag tied with a tarp, and pointed to the river.
A heavy bag full of armor, dresses, and food, tightly bound with sturdy ropes.
“Hah… I’ve always wanted to swim with you, Hilde, but… not like this….”
Friede looked at the undulating river with a light sigh. Like me, she was only dressed in thin underwear.
We had no choice. We needed to conserve energy as we’d be swimming in uncomfortable positions for a long time.
“I’ll do it next time. For now, let’s get in.”
“Uh, that’s a promise, right?!”
Friede’s face brightened as if she’d never sighed and, gliding silently, she threw herself into the river.
Alright, then it’s my turn.
“Whoa…!”
I took a deep breath, puffing up my lungs, and jumped into the Rhine River after Friede.
Splash! The quiet sound echoed. The cold and fierce current wrapped around my body. I immediately stretched one hand up to grip the bottom of the boat to keep myself steady.
Using the rope I was holding in my other hand, I tied it to the bottom of the boat like an anchor.
…Phew. That was close. Almost got swept away or submerged.
The current was stronger than expected. It was colder than I thought too.
Well, I had gotten used to the freezing temperatures of Hervor, otherwise, Kikel would have fallen asleep so fast he’d never wake up again.
‘Oh, right. What happened to Friede? She’s not being swept away, is she…?’
Tap, tap.
Just as I was about to look around anxiously, a familiar finger lightly poked my back.
That finger, used for all sorts of purposes, was now ingrained in my memory—not just its feeling, but even its shape and taste.
I turned my head back and saw Friede, cheeks puffed up from holding her breath, looking at me and grinning.
Thank goodness. She hadn’t been swept away. I was worried for nothing.
Then, all that was left was to let the current take us to the chains.
Holding tightly to the bottom of the boat, Friede and I started to cautiously move our feet towards the bridge.
In the pitch-black river, without even the moon in the sky, the soldiers above relying on torches to look down at us wouldn’t even notice our approach.
Even if they shone a light on the water, the shadow of the boat would hide us.
◆◆
As we progressed for several minutes, the glimmer of the chains started to shine just beyond the rippling surface.
Almost there.
It felt like about 80% of the way. Maybe I managed not to suffocate after taking a quick breath in between.
Alright, we can do this.
I gave Friede a few taps on her shoulder to signal her to start slowing down a bit. If we rammed into those chains, the boat would shatter.
Nodding, Friede stretched her oar forward, splashing as she began to slow the boat down.
I moved my body to the front of the boat, extending one arm forward, focusing all my concentration on the approaching chains.
Not yet, not yet. Now!
Just as the front of the boat was about to touch the chains, in that instant, I awakened the power of my arms and pushed the boat towards the chains.
Crack!
In an instant, a jolt ran through my arms, as if my shoulder blade was being shoved into my collarbone.
‘Argh…!’
I swallowed my groan inward as the pain shot through me like lightning.
Using all my strength to absorb the impact of the collision, I ensured that the boat wouldn’t break and could instead come to a halt against the chains.
Scratch, scratch, screech…!
The sound of wood and metal grinding together. It wasn’t a breaking sound, but rather the sound of the suddenly halted boat scraping against the chains.
‘Yes! It didn’t break!’
I was so happy I almost forgot the pain in my shoulder and arms.
With a smile, relishing everything going according to plan, I submerged under the water again, waiting quietly with Friede.
“Damn it. That scared the hell outta me. What the hell is that boat? Who’s the idiot sailing a boat at this hour?”
The guards, startled by the noise of the chains scratching our boat, were looking for a moment to throw the trash caught in the chains across the river.
